I love my mid-week farmer’s market! I love everything about it, the vendor’s, the people, and the culture. There is a great myth that exists; it says, that shopping the local farmer’s market and frugality have nothing in common. I’m here to kindly tell you, that is simply not true.
It’s not true because, my farmer’s market turns this…
Into this…
So that I can make all of this:
–Lamb Stew
-Butternut Molasses Soup
–Quinoa Salad
–Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
–Green Bean Salad
-Chocolate Chews
Notes:
-Budget break down: $11 1 1/2lb. grass-fed lamb stew meat, $5 raw goat feta cheese, $3 potatoes, $1 peppers, $2 tomatoes, $2 cucumbers, $1.50 green/purple beans, $.50 carrots, $3 cheddar cauliflower, $4 butternut squash, $4 dates, $1 red onion (not shown). Grand total = $38.
-By using common items I keep in bulk (grains and beans) in the pantry, meals are easy to put together with whatever I find at the market.
-The small amount of food we produce at home (eggs, greens, garlic, herbs, various fruits, etc.) rounds out the necessities.
What are your favorite farmer’s market finds? How do you make due on a limited budget?
See this post and a host of others here: Real Food Wednesdays, Your Green Resource, Pennywise Platter
Lentil and Rice Stew Recipe
Your farmers' market is cheaper than mine! I mean, I love mine to death and am there every week during the season, but all the produce is about twice as much as what you list. That doesn't make any sense, since you would think produce would be cheaper to grow in Oklahoma than in Arizona, but oh well!
Even so, it's true that shopping farmers' markets does not have to be expensive! Especially if you mostly get produce rather than meat and dairy; I often get out of there for less than $20 with a whole basketful of goodies. ^_^
Towards the end of the season, there's a farmer who sells bulk bags of baby savoy cabbages for $5 each. They are wonderful!
great finds! I'm so jealous you produce your own eggs! And we don't often have meat at our market. I need to start lobbying to get more!
Thanks for linking this to Your Green Resource!
I am on a committee for our local farmers market. We pride ourselves on being able to provide as much as possible with a little as possible. I have been feeding my family of 4 on $60 or less a week. The farmers market has been a really great way for us to cut cost, but also still work towards our goal of not going to the stores. Also, I have formed some really great relationships with the farmers, so on a really hard week, they have been known to add a little more to my basket. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
What do you buy to feed a family for $60 a week. Post some menus please. I have breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday for my family of 4 and we are way over $60. Please help!
@Herbalmomma Yes! That's what it's all about. This $40 feeds us my family of 5 for a week. I have had the very same experience with farmer's. You'll never find that kind of caring/sharing in the grocery store! Thank you for sharing:)
This is great! I go to the farmers market every week and pretty much refuse to buy supermarket produce. While I buy a lot of specialty foods on a whim, I do find in general that a lot of the produce is comparable or even less expensive than supermarket prices; the key is to buying seasonal ingredients and shopping around. I think a CSA could be even more reasonable.
The farmer’s market we have is way more expensive than our grocery stores. Which it shouldn’t be, because we live in the agricultural area of the Central Valley of California where a lot of produce is grown. I like to go so that my son can have fun, but I don’t usually buy too many things. It’s just too expensive for us.
Also, the farmers just don’t seem to be very friendly at all. It’s almost like they’re doing you a favor by being there. They almost seem offended if you browse their stall and don’t buy anything.
I have 3 stands up every week at the farmers market in different areas. we are out selling 6 days a week and find people are really into natural foods and what is good for them.I absolutely love doing the farmers market and make good money at it. We have2 and half acreas in garden its alot of work but worth it. We have tangerine tomatoes which are yellow they have the most antioxids in them then any other tomatoe on the market . It is overloaded with cancer fighting and immune fighting properties then any other tomatoe.
So very true on some farmer’s market being very expensive. I live in Aridzona and have a hard time finding a farmer’s market in my area and the farmer’s that are around tend to cater to upper class communities like Scottsdale and Ahwatukee. So I have been trying to grow some of our vegetables mainly in the fall due to our winters being mild.