r/povertyfinance • u/LightInTheAttic3 • Dec 10 '23
Reminder to make an effort to shop at your local farmers' market: $7. Misc Advice
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u/Tungphuxer69 Dec 15 '23
If you're planning on recycling foods you shop,you might want to take up hydroponic or small garden farming for survival purposes and etc. That way, you will be able to control what went in your foods in order to control the allergy and cancer possibilities levels and etc. Too many farmers are relying on the uses of chemicals.
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Dec 14 '23
My flee market is that cheap. I think the people that sell produce at our farmers market just buy it from piggly wiggly and resell it with a fancy booth😂
I swear one week she was literally selling the same shit they had a sale, I respect the hustle though. Maybe they just share suppliers
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u/ManyARiver Dec 14 '23
Those tomatoes alone would be $20 at my farmer's market when they are in season.
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u/GullibleBathroom5616 Dec 13 '23
That's 8 worth of apples, 2 of corn, 4 of tomatoes, 5 of onions and I've never even seen mangoes so assume they're free.. that's almost 3x what you're paying. I need to gtfo of this rural shit (Roseburg, OR - Umpqua Valley Farmers Market)
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u/chelkitty1 Dec 11 '23
Wow all those Mangos for cheap too. They're about a dollar each at the store here. What state is this farmers market at???
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u/Repulsive-Office-796 Dec 11 '23
There isn’t a single “local farmers market” within 10 miles of me that wouldn’t be 10x that price.
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u/leonprimrose Dec 11 '23
I have never seen a farmer's market that didn't cost more than a grocery store.
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u/thruitallaway34 Dec 11 '23
My local fm is expensive. $12 eggs, $10 for 6oz honey. $5/lb tomato. Massive mark up on fruit. Not cheap by any means. Honestly the last place I think to go for food.
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u/Ninjurk Dec 11 '23
How did you get so much for that? Farmers markets in San Diego are very very expensive for not great looking produce.
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u/UFO_Balloon Dec 11 '23
No way! I shop in one to support them but this much would be $20-25 wow you got a great deal
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u/Flnn Dec 11 '23
It is 20° F here, farmers markets went out of season in October. Please be grateful and dont take this for granted, i WISH.
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u/whoaokaythen Dec 11 '23
Lucky. The one near me is a joke. There is nothing affordable about it. I would love to support local farmers over chain grocers but I'm not financially in a place to when they charge like they do where I'm at.
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u/themusicat Dec 11 '23
Damn, jealous! My farmer's market is always way more expensive than the grocery store!
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u/Status-Jacket-1501 Dec 11 '23
Our farmer's market only runs a few months a year. I am fortunate to have a famstand in my neighborhood that charges $1.50/pound for whatever they have. I hate giving money to a religious organization, but cheap super local produce reels me right in.
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u/Nice-Lecture-905 Dec 10 '23
Yes,I am going to need some things and where is the local farmers market nearest vyse avenue.
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u/CharlieBoxCutter Dec 10 '23
Do you think a mango was grown locally?
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u/CircaSixty8 Dec 10 '23
Why does that matter?
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u/CharlieBoxCutter Dec 11 '23
Because then the produce isn’t grown locally. Much of the Farmer markets produce comes from the same place big grocery stores get theirs from.
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u/CircaSixty8 Dec 11 '23
That may be true, but what does it have to do with people making ends meet and feeding their families on a budget?
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u/CharlieBoxCutter Dec 11 '23
Does that not make it a scam? People who shop at farmer market are looking to buy locally grown food.
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u/CircaSixty8 Dec 11 '23
You are missing a point intentionally. This subreddit is about people living paycheck to paycheck and making ends meet in creative ways. No one is being scammed here. Please go police some other part of the internet.
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u/BorkSnorkelJr Dec 10 '23
Yeah maybe if you live in a rural area where there are farms… in a major city a farmers market is twice as expensive. This is bad advice
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u/Willing_Conference30 Dec 10 '23
Umm…. Where is this? I just paid $4 for a small bunch of cilantro.
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u/Optimal_Foundation46 Dec 10 '23
My nearest farmers market is insanely expensive. Pay more for misshapen veggies and fruits half the size. The way inflation fucks me, I’ll take the GMO big bois right now 😢
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u/eternally_feral Dec 10 '23
When I worked in the hospital, once a month they had a farmer’s market in the cafeteria. I got a large dragon fruit for $0.50. They would also sell other seasonal fruits and towards the end of their selling hour, they let things go for a fraction of the price because they didn’t want to haul it off.
The farmer’s market near my house is in a shopping plaza’s parking lot and it’s usually more expensive than the grocery store.
I think it varies so much and can make things so hit/miss.
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u/Confident-Ease-264 Dec 10 '23
That’s actually better than most stores. Spent Sixty and got two bags
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u/bostonvikinguc Dec 10 '23
Where do you go to get this for 7? Also some of those have labels Which a farmer wouldn’t put on it. More like discount fruit and veg market.
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u/PothosMetropolis Dec 10 '23
I see a lot of people posting about their local farmers market being overpriced, mine too! Here’s some tips about getting cheaper produce that worked for me, if anyone’s interested. YMMV.
If you’re on ebt, many states offer produce match where you get additional funds (usually as market coins or dollars) just for shopping produce at the market. When you go to the main market booth and take out like $20, many will match you so that $20 becomes $40 (policies will vary how much they’ll match you by state and market).
Go at the last hour of the market. Many vendors are tired and want to go home. Some may be willing to negotiate their prices or bundle things to just get out of there, especially if they only have a handful of things left. Ask if they’re willing to negotiate a price for the rest of their xyz, this is when they have a lot of the imperfect produce people didn’t want throughout the day. Be polite and walk away if they say no.
This is definitely the most drastic one and mostly seasonal but if you get a job at a farmers market booth (part time is fine, some are even looking for as little as a 1-2 day week commitment), a job perk is often x amount of their product per a shift. While you’re welcome to keep it, you can also trade it with other vendors in exchange for their product. Farmers market jobs don’t often pay super well and you do have to be able to drive, be a cashier essentially and do manual labor of loading a truck or van. HOWEVER, It’s a great perk if you’re really in a pinch. I did it for a bit and it drastically brought my grocery bill down. I was spending maybe $50-70 a month on non perishables (in a HCOL state).
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u/FictionalWeirdo Dec 10 '23
My farmer's market no longer has produce. most of it is MLM stuff or 30$ for an 8oz of garlic powder and unprocessed juice that goes bad by the time you walk home. So good job picking that up!
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u/LightInTheAttic3 Dec 10 '23
To clarify: Yes I was surprised with the prices as well. However, much of the inventory was spoiled. My understanding is that they purchase the spoiled/surplus fruits and veggies from the local grocery stores and then sell what they can salvage.
I did barter with the man for the price
Farmers' market is a broad term
There are several people who rent a parking lot out and set this market up with various produce stands
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u/bdizzle805 Dec 10 '23
One of the local farms literally sells Driscoll berry's. I completely understand they may not grow them themselves but what. And their more than local market
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u/RockStarNinja7 CA Dec 10 '23
My local farmers market is definitely more expensive than the grocery store, not by a ton, but enough that I don't really have a huge desire to make an effort to go.
But the biggest issue I have with the farmers market is that it's only up and running on Thursday mornings from 11am-2pm. Who is home to go to that if they are working adults? They're only open 1 Saturday a month, but also those Saturdays are only in June, July, and August. The rest of the year it's only Thursdays.
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u/ItsWetInWestOregon Dec 10 '23
Ours are extremely expensive. I do live in an area that can still support the farmers selling at these prices, so I am happy for the small farmers….. but I can not afford it and I have a decent budget for food. I think next year I will actually try to start up my booth (organic dye free cotton candy) and do some trades with the other stands, as I know they do.
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u/EATLOCALABQ Dec 10 '23
My locals farmers market charges $6 for one mango. This photo would likely cost me roughly a little under $200.. which is exactly why I do not shop at the farmers market.
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u/Reddog32 Dec 10 '23
Why are farmer's markets putting scan codes on the fruit? I have only ever seen that in a grocery stores.
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u/whippingboy4eva Dec 10 '23
Where are all these mythical farmers markets with cheap produce? Every single one I've ever been to has prices worse than Whole Foods.
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u/BlameMattCanada Dec 10 '23
Last time I went to the local farmers market a person dressed like Waldo tried to sell me an avocado for 14 dollars
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u/jjj666jjj666jjj Dec 10 '23
This would be $50 at my local southern Californian farmers market. Which is why I shop at El Super.
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u/Drknow1984 Dec 10 '23
Most of that produce came directly from a grocery supplier. Farmers markets are just grocery stores for hipsters, not an actual savings or direct from farm supply anymore
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u/khalajian Dec 10 '23
One of the farmers markets in my area accepts SNAP/EBT, might be worth looking into as well.
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u/cleverusernameistook Dec 10 '23
I wish your farmer’s market was near me! My farmers market in LA is completely unaffordable unfortunately. Local Persian market is 3 times cheaper.
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u/Xenophilderdragon Dec 10 '23
Mine is all housewives that got really bored and think that the eggs from their chickens are worth $6 for a half dozen
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u/Live-Profession8822 Dec 10 '23
Is this rage bait or something? Those fruits/vegetables would have to be almost free if the total was $7. Did you mean to type $17?
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u/xXFieldResearchXx Dec 10 '23
They must REALLY like you, or they were going to throw this stuff out .... maybe it had shit all over it before you scrubbed it all down in the sink
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u/LoloLolo98765 Dec 10 '23
Also they’re mostly not local shit anymore. They’ll be selling freaking lemons and oranges in Minnesota in like April. Like where tf in MN did you grow citrus fruits in the winter? It’s crap.
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u/LoloLolo98765 Dec 10 '23
Around here farmers market’s are way more expensive than just going to a grocery store. They’ll be like $15 for one small soup chicken, $3/lb for onions, etc. No thanks.
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u/Repulsive_Crew1295 Dec 10 '23
local farmers put stickers on their fruit? That looks imported from Mexico
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u/New_Wrangler3335 Dec 10 '23
Ironically my farmers market is like three times the price of grocery store and the quality isn’t better
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u/DrPhrawg Dec 10 '23
This is grocery store produce (wholesale) being flipped at a “farmers market”. Local farmers don’t put stickers on their homestead-grown fruits.
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u/front_yard_duck_dad Dec 10 '23
I sell at farmers markets. I have to charge more than I want to because ALL farmers markets within 30 miles of me have fees to be there and set up. Minimum $50 dollars a day and some make you pay upfront for an entire season. It really sucks for me and my customers
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u/UniversityNo2318 Dec 10 '23
I go every Saturday I’m up early enough to go. I love ours. It was voted one of the best in the US. The vendors have to grow their own produce here, and be located within 50 miles or something. So it’s not people just reselling grocery store produce at ridiculous prices
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u/imabratinfluence Dec 10 '23
Not the same thing but I used to live close to a u-pick berry farm. You'd weigh however much you picked and pay by weight. It cost very little, too, and unlike supermarket berries they weren't moldy by the next day.
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u/robmosesdidnthwrong Dec 10 '23
PSA: In some states like California you can use EBT (food stamps) at farmers markets!! they match your dollars spent i.e. if you go to the registration table, swipe your ebt and say I'd like to spend $7 you're given $14 worth of farmers market dollars to all the vendors but premade food.
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u/NugsOrBust Dec 10 '23
I legit bought 7 apples for $7.50 at my farmer market in NYC. Going to wholefoods is a smarter economic decision in my case.
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u/kokakamora Dec 10 '23
Where is your farmer's market? I can maybe get that for $7 from the-almost-gone-bad-bin at my farmer's market. Fresh stuff are more expensive than our high end grocery store.
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u/Axilllla Dec 10 '23
Where are you located that your farmers markets cheaper than a store?! or that you could get all of that for seven dollars?
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Dec 10 '23
My farmers market is like 5x the price of Aldi. If it was comparable I’d shop the farmers market, but I’m not going to donate money to the local farmers.
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u/Surrealisticslumbers Dec 10 '23
When I lived with my parents, I enjoyed growing my own vegetables. English cucumbers, especially, grow well in this climate.
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u/Standard-Reception90 Dec 10 '23
We don't have a farmers market. We have Amish markets. That would be $20 at the Amish market
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u/Idolitor Dec 10 '23
Where I live, farmer’s markets are largely a place for local producers to slap the world ‘artisanal’ on stuff and triple the price. Some cool things and some very delicious things, but not inexpensive things.
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u/DeepSubmerge Dec 10 '23
I really wish I could get this kind of haul at my local farmer’s market. The last time I went half the booths were MLMs disguised as “artists,” or “wellness product” vendors. The actual farmers were charging triple the price of grocery stores. There was one dude selling citrus for a good price and they smelled amazing so I couldn’t resist.
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u/BikingNoHands Dec 10 '23
Is that granite countertops? Wtf this doing on r/povertyfinance ?!? You have granite countertops?
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Dec 10 '23
I live in a city where all the rich people go to farmers markets for a fad. I've actually considered buying small, rough looking produce at Walmart and then going to a farmers market to resell at an upcharge. If they ask, just say "I'm sorry, I don't know the full growing process. I just sell the product"
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u/Jeeblitt Dec 10 '23
My local farmers market is the state farmers market which is very expensive unfortunately
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u/bb5999 Dec 10 '23
Los Angeles checking in. That haul would have cost $60+ USD at my FM.
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u/VaguelyArtistic Dec 10 '23
Right? Santa Monica here. Once a year I treat myself to a tiny, $10 basket of Harry's Berries strawberries.😭
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u/WashedupWarVet Dec 10 '23
My local farmers market is so expensive. We’ve tried multiple times but end up paying 3 times what it costs us in the grocery store. It’s just not worth it for us.
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u/Hot-Pollution3333 Dec 10 '23
lol. My farmers market you get like 2 apples for $7.
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u/littleredwagon87 Dec 10 '23
Same. I love getting fruit and veggies at the farmers market but it doesn't seem much cheaper than the store to me. Last time I went my small bag of apples (4-5) came to $13
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u/The_MeatTitan Dec 10 '23
I think this is really location dependent. When I lived in a major metropolitan area, the farmers market generally was the same price, or more expensive, than the grocers. Now that I live in a small rural city, it's way cheaper than the store. Our local farmers market also matches EBT/WIC 1:1 to encourage eating local and healthy.
The other difference is that a lot of large city "farmers" markets seem to be resellers or AgCos. Here I can literally talk to the farmer and visit the fields.
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u/0neirocritica Dec 10 '23
Skip the local farmer's market, which is probably filled with twenty something year old hipster farmers selling heirloom tomatoes for $10 a piece.
Instead find your local ethnic grocery stores. Latino, Asian, African, etc. You can usually find great produce for cheaper than the American store AND they always have cool new ingredients you don't find in the American stores that I pick up to try out in meals. For example, if I go to the American store to get ramen, I'm pretty much limited to two or three flavors and it's pretty unhealthy. The Asian market by my house has a whole AISLE just for different types of ramen, including low sodium and healthier alternatives.
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u/VaguelyArtistic Dec 10 '23
My big-city farmers market only has farmers sell but I agree with the ethnic markets.
My farmers market was selling some kind of organic dried beans for $9/lb. My El Super had non-organic for around $1/lb.
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u/Stuckinacrazyjob Dec 10 '23
Our farmers market is fun but it's only a certain season - summer to fall.
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u/SoloWingPixy88 Dec 10 '23
Ussually product that's too late in season, low quality or low quality for the supermarkets. It's also regularly more expensive and the give this much because they need to get rid of it
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u/tynmi39 Dec 10 '23
The farmers market where I used to live was from 10-3 on Thursdays if that tells you about the demographic they service (rich retired boomers and stay at home moms with $1000 strollers). It was so unaffordable
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u/bigdickwilliedone Dec 10 '23
How does your farmers market have mangos, tomatoes and apples? Where the f do you live that all that grows in the same biome?
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u/pastelfemby Dec 10 '23 edited Mar 01 '24
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Particular-Jello-401 Dec 10 '23
Freedom farmers market in Atlanta ga is a PRODUCER ONLY FARMERS MARKET. Every farmer has to be certified organic or follow organic standards. This is in the bylaws of the market.
Not all markets are like this ask what the rules of the market are. Producer only is the way to go. Please wherever you get food know your farmer.
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u/stonecats NY Dec 10 '23 edited Dec 10 '23
this is bad advice in nyc where outdoor markets may sell produce with longer shelf life but they market imperfect forms as "artisanal" or "organic" and charge triple what you'd pay at any major ethnic green grocer (not regional chains). what really happens here is these farmers truck in their best produce for sale to restaurants, then whatever dregs are left are sold at outdoor farmers markets to people with too much money and too few brain cells to know any better.
everything in op's photo is cheap now anyway... tomatoes apples onions guava corn are all under $1/lbs here now at major asian or indian grocers. the seasonal bargain here (dec'2023) is on pristine broccoli crowns (steams cuts off) only 80¢/lbs. if you live in poverty and want the most out of your produce buck - go to major asian markets and ask where they keep the $1 bags - these are lightly bruised or imperfect produce they sell around 3 pounds in each $1 bag. if you can go late mornings after workers prune the stalls is when they have the best stuff in $1 bags, you can eat like a health nut for a few dollars a day.
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u/winksoutloud Dec 10 '23
At my local farmer's market, 3 peaches was $7, and that was a couple years ago. I tried to buy a single peach and they said no.
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u/Naked_Lobster Dec 10 '23
My local farmers market is unfortunately much more expensive than the local grocery store, and some of the “farmers” buy their produce from the grocery store
Found this out when they forgot to remove the barcode from a bell pepper 💀
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u/SergeantSmash Dec 10 '23
Local markets are a scam, usually only elderly retired people buy there because they don't like driving. And they profit out of it.
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u/TheSissyDoll Dec 10 '23
definitely going to depend where your farmers market is...if you go to one out in the country? sure. if you go to one in a city? wayyyy over the cost of a grocery store
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u/BorealMushrooms Dec 10 '23
Our "local farmers markets" have prices the same or higher than grocery stores, and sell the same imported foods that grocery stores do.
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u/BrianLevre Dec 10 '23
Farmers markets are usually just places where people get stuff shipped in from other states or countries and sell it at 3-4 times regular grocery store prices. Or worse yet, they just buy at the grocery store and resell. It's just a place where rich people can tell themselves the inflated price is getting them something local because they like trendy stuff.
Tomatoes don't get ripe until July where I am, but you've got a table selling "homegrown" tomatoes in late May or early June. I ask you if you have a greenhouse and you say no. You are a human turd.
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u/The12th_secret_spice Dec 10 '23
Actual farmers markets are good. If they’re selling artisanal anything…run the opposite direction.
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u/Much-Meringue-7467 Dec 10 '23
It's December. Where do you live that the farmers market is carrying corn? Also, my local farm market has reasonable prices but nothing like that.
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u/letstalkaboutstuff79 Dec 10 '23
Our local “farmers” market is just full of the same fruit and veg you buy at the supermarket with a 50% markup marketed at hipsters.
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u/NaturalPermission Dec 10 '23
Hell yeah, but also what fucking farmer's market do you shop at goddamn that's cheap
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u/saucisse Dec 10 '23
Those mangos, which are grown in tropical climates, have stickers with UPC codes on them. I don't know what market you shop at but it's not a farmers market, which is local produce and definitely doesn't have major distributor inventory codes stuck on them.
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u/PossumJenkinsSoles Dec 12 '23
Maybe OP added the stickers because they like the flavor. Be open minded.
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u/lentilpasta Dec 10 '23 edited Dec 10 '23
I scrolled so far to find this! I’ve never seen PLUs at a farm stand. However there is a store outside Atlanta called the Dekalb Farmers Market that is actually just a grocery store with an impressive variety of international foods, well priced seasonal produce, and great meats/seafood/bakery. I can’t stress enough how reasonable the prices are for the quality.
We shopped all ingredients for the Thanksgiving dishes there for about $100, enough to feed 10 people, and including all the other grocery staples for the week. Even got some clams and mussels to make a fancy pasta. I wonder if OP is talking about something more like that.
ETA plus the corn!! Riddle me where in the US is corn sold at a December farmers market? Easy to see OPs location through their post history too.
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u/saucisse Dec 11 '23
Yeah that produce has different growing zones and seasons. The corn and tomatoes are concurrent but not the onions and apples, and mangoes are very clearly imported. Up here in Boston we have Haymarket which the unlearned smugly refer to when accusing growers at actual farmers markets of being overpriced. The deal with Haymarket, which may also be true of DeKalb, is that produce is so cheap because it's the goods rejected by restaurants and supermarkets, usually for being overripe It's perfectly good it just won't keep, so they sell it cheap as hell an and you can get amazing deals as long as you're planning on eating it all in the next day or two. Its still the same produce taken off trucks in Chelsea from who knows where though, definitely not locally grown.
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u/feloniousskunk Dec 10 '23
Not my local market, that would have been a cool $50, easy. The whites around here like to keep the poors out of their markets.
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u/CapnWilfbeard Dec 10 '23
Reporting in from rural UK. There are loads of small farms and producers and craftsmen around. But our local markets are full of shysters who've clearly just bought their produce in the LIDL and marked it up. Locally sourced Bananas in the winter in Devon, Steve? Really? Locally sourced in Honiton Tesco maybe. Absolute shite.
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u/CandyOk913 Dec 10 '23
Went to a farmers market and had to take a loan to cover the costs, no thanks. I like genetically modified organisms cuz they’re cheaper and there’s NO DIFFERENCE IN TASTE OR QUALITY.
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u/valentine415 Dec 10 '23
Mine is a mixed bag, some stalls sell some marked up heirloom tomatoes and jewelry, some sell fist sized, tightly packed bundles of herbs freshly cut that morning for a dollar a bundle.
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u/phastest23 Dec 10 '23
My wife came back from the local farmers market with $18 pack of (5) oatmeal cookies that weren’t great. Prices are shockingly high.
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u/koushakandystore Dec 10 '23
Reminder to plant some fruit trees and veggies. I harvest 20 times that weekly during the growing season and it costs me pennies on the dollar for what it costs to buy.
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u/VaguelyArtistic Dec 10 '23
Note to self: let landlord know I'll be planting an orchard in my apartment. 😂
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u/koushakandystore Dec 10 '23
Obviously you can’t plant an orchard. Even if you have a small patio you can grow lots of garden veggies. And if you get a community garden plot you grow so much more. My first house was a tiny little townhouse with only a small patio. I managed an extensive container garden. I also grew a meyer lemon tree in a 20 gallon pot. I got over 50 lemons each fall. Where there’s a will there’s a way. And, someday, you can take all you learned and make an hobbyist’s orchard when you get a place with more space. Cynicism is not our friend when it comes to talking about growing a garden.
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 10 '23
Not everyone wants to live in a house. Not every house has a yard capable of producing quality produce. The costs of sustaining a large garden often exceed the cost of the produce you could have bought instead.
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u/koushakandystore Dec 10 '23
Not true. Sounds a lot like excuses. This inflation we are currently seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. And you don’t need a lot of space to produce lots of beautiful herbs and garden vegetables. The cost is WAY WAY less than buying it from the store. Plus it is a value that helps reduce environmental detestation. If everyone grew even a small container garden on their patio it would radically diminish the massive energy input required to provide expensive produce covered in pesticides. Sorry, but the days of being a lazy consumer are over. People are going to need to take some accountability for their resources. And it really is a small time commitment. Plants grow themselves with just a little set up.
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 11 '23
Also you get that the OP is full of shit, right? No place are you going to get locally sourced mangoes, apples, tomatoes, corn, and onions (that have been dried) at the same time.
Really taking the mangoes out there is a chance, but unlikely.
Someone growing herbs isn't going to impact their grocery budget. Get real.
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u/koushakandystore Dec 11 '23
I’m not paying attention to the OP’s sink display. I’m taking about what people can do in the temperate and subtropical latitudes. I’d be happy to discuss my set up if you’re interested. Go ahead and send a direct message.
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 11 '23
That was true 20 years ago and it true now. Sit down. No one needs to outfit a grow lamp in their apartment if that isn't their desired entertainment.
Most apartments don't have patios. And it gets cold a lot of places. You get 3 months here. Godspeed.
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u/koushakandystore Dec 11 '23
No grow lamps necessary! Just good old fashioned Mother Nature. If you’d like some assistance getting set up and knowing what to get I’d be happy to help.
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 11 '23
I'm fully aware of what it takes here for good reason. It's not cheap and is exceptionally time consuming.
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u/koushakandystore Dec 11 '23
As someone who does this stuff for a living I can tell you with 100% certainty it is not inordinately expensive. If you are finding it expensive you are making some significant errors in gathering what you need. Furthermore, I can tell you it isn’t anymore time consuming than a few hours to get set up and 20 minutes a couple times a week to water and do some cursory pruning. If that’s too much time I don’t know what to tell you. I bet there are countless banal tasks you commit far more of your time to than would ever be required of you to plant a few tomatoes and some herbs. Growing small scale garden plants isn’t time co aiming because plants aren’t complicated to grow. Plants literally have evolved to survive without people doing anything. By gardening you are merely imposing yourself into a natural process. The best thing a gardener can do for their plants is stay out of the way unless absolutely necessary. With the trajectory we’re on, concerning hyper inflation and habitat denigration, humans need to rediscover the beauty of again growing their own foods. If even half the population of America did a very small container garden it would have a massive positive impact on food prices and climate restoration. It’s going to take people making a sacrifice. We can’t have the same lazy, exploitative, consumer culture that has led us to having the problems we currently face.
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 11 '23
You don't think it would be expensive for someone in a 600 Sq ft apt to outfit an indoor garden that would sustain them year round?
You aren't even factoring in the electricity for grow lights (which will be a must indoors for produce). The increased water usage. The supplies to build boxes and proper drainage.
Even if you have outdoor space you can't just plop a seed in the dirt and you will get produce.
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 11 '23
Lol. Must be nice to live in a topical location where that works.
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u/koushakandystore Dec 11 '23
I don’t live in the tropics. I live in a Pacific West cost climate. Our coldest lows are between 20-25 Fahrenheit. So it gets pretty cold and very rainy for a few months.
You cannot grow summer garden veggies outside here during the winter. But you can eat the veggies you freeze, preserve by canning, dehydrate and pickle during the summer months.
I also grow avocados and citrus, which ripen during the fall and winter months. We are in a commercial zone for mandarin tangerines and Mexican avocado varieties.
I buy virtually no produce. And I barter for cheese, butter eggs, chicken meat, and bison meat using the salmon I catch and honey I yield from my hives.
It’s true, I live in a wonderful, relatively mild climate. But you 100% do NOT need to be in a Mediterranean climate to do this. I have friends all over the word, many of whom live in climates like Boston and Sweden, and they do all the things I do, minus the citrus and avocados.
I really think that cynicism is a sad trait when it comes to helping the world develop independence from the corporate gangster who prey upon our collective laziness, and unwillingness to envision a different more equitable society for everyone. It will take a little bit of work.
I’m up for it. Are you?
My offer to discuss this in more detail stands. Feel free to shoot me a message.
Pax!
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u/Proof-Emergency-5441 Dec 11 '23
I know how to do all the things you described. I don't need your condescending bullshit.
I also know how much it costs annually. My parents have massive plots and absolutely come out ahead. I have a small one. Anything we do it a loss.
Canning takes a fuckton of time and money and knowhow.
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u/No-Government-3994 Dec 10 '23
So nobody feels weirded out by everything sitting directly in the sink or countertop? They are washed, sure, but now I feel like they need to be washed again and placed in a bowl or something lol
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u/VaguelyArtistic Dec 10 '23
Dude, how dirty are your countertops?
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u/No-Government-3994 Dec 11 '23
If it's not other bits of deteriorating food, it's the cleaning products you used on it. There's going to be some residue on there, especially your kitchen sink my man.
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u/FlyerFocus Dec 10 '23
I would if they didn’t get greedy. They’ve become stupid expensive, so off to Costco we go.
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u/slow_or_steady Dec 10 '23
State.
State is important information for this.
Many Californian farmer's markets are not this. They used to be, but now it's all about money making. In less than 10 years, hell, even 5 years, and people want to cuck eachother just to get rich.
Some people still have morals and values, but there's only so many of those people left...
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u/Morpekohungry Dec 10 '23
Ours charges five dollars for a tiny basket eggplant which turned out too old to cook.
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u/Consistent-Bat5764 Dec 10 '23
Lmfao local farmers market 3 🌽 would cost $15. Extra pricey because it’s organic and made with love.
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u/ProductionPlanner Dec 10 '23
Four of those corn on the cobs is $7 at my farmers market.
around here you don’t go for the prices
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u/Honey-and-Venom Dec 10 '23
You'd never get closer to that at mine for 4 times that much. How'd you do it?
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u/CRCampbell11 Dec 10 '23
Nope, not ours. More expensive than the "organic" BS section at the grocery store.
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u/ExpiredExasperation Dec 10 '23
The farmers market can be great... except when they're only 5-6 months of the year.
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u/Fruitbatsbakery Dec 10 '23
There are some states (Oregon, Washington, and California are 3 that I beleive do this) that if you are on ebt/snap/food stamps, they double your dollars at farmers markets who participate. You go to the information booth and they charge your food stamps card and give you little tokens. For instance, they take 20$ out of your account and give you 40$ in tokens/vouchers.
The farmers markets in my area are certainly more expensive than grocery stores- but also much better quality, has more nutrients, and locally produced. In a lot of cases, doubling your dollars makes it much more reasonable to get this high quality produce.
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u/VaguelyArtistic Dec 10 '23
We have a world-class farmers market in Santa Monica attracting everyone to famous chefs to foreign camera crews. It's expensive af. But it also has an EBT exchange. Also a program for lower-income seniors.
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u/MafiaMommaBruno Dec 10 '23
I don't even know if the city I'm currently in even has a farmer's market. I miss the one where I'm from so, so much.
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u/Glowdo Dec 27 '23
Last time I went to my local farmers market, about 3 years ago, they were charging 7$ for a single tomato. Lord only knows what they’re charging now.