With gas and food prices going into the stratosphere and everybody worried about their jobs, spending half a paycheck at Whole Foods or paying double for organic produce can seem a little, well, unseemly.
I found this old, but still relevant, article on Bankrate.com about buying organic on the cheap. Some of it's stuff we've all heard before: Buy in bulk, shop farmer's markets, buy in season, etc. but there are some suggestions I haven’t heard before.
For example, did you know you can team up with friends and family and start a buying club in order to place wholesale orders from certain providers? Ask at the local health food market or food co-op who their distributors are –several may be willing to work with you for a guaranteed minimum order.
This can even work with farmer's markets. Back when it was difficult to get really good, varied produce, my family belonged to what was essentially a neighborhood buying club, which was group of people who took turns going down to our big farmer's market on Saturday mornings and buying what looked good, and then splitting it between all the families. This was back when things like bagels and good cheese were really hard to find, and I had my first taste of both from the co-op. Nowadays, things like humanely raised meats or organic dairy might be good targets. And splitting up big stashes of anything with friends can reduce your individual trips to the store and tus your carborn footprint.
They also suggest "buying big" in season – buying tons of organic stuff when it's available at the local market, and freezing it for use in the winter. I've done this too, and it's great to need, say pesto or roasted peppers for a recipe in December and knowing I have my own homemade in the fridge instead of buying jarred that sits forever.
What are your "organic on the cheap" tips?
