Organic food usually tastes better, and is better for you, but it can also be very expensive compared to non-organic products. Organic food can cost nearly 50 percent more, thanks to the extra labor required to produce it and consumers’ demand exceeding supply.
So how do you get tasty organic food without spending a ton of extra money? Follow these tips to get more bang for your buck.
Shop at farmers’ markets: You can get fresh organic produce for far less at a farmers’ market than you’d pay at the grocery store. It’ll taste just as good, and you’re getting your food straight from the source, while supporting the local economy.
I particularly encourage talking to the vendors along the way. In addition to building community, you can ask how your produce was raised (how do they handle pest control?) or if shopping for meats, how the animals were treated throughout their lives. I like to ask how happy the animal was. See if the question throws off the seller or if they smile and elaborate quickly on the pastures.
Choose seasonal produce: Out-of-season produce usually has to be imported, and that can really drive up the price. Focus your meals on in-season fruits and vegetables so that you don’t end up paying $6.00 for a pound of organic asparagus. While delicious - it probably traveled quite a distance to get to your table.
My favorite asparagus experience was picking up a bunch at the local farmer's market at the beginning of this year's season. It was so fresh and crisp that I ended up eating half of the bunch raw, while driving home. I didn't even know you could eat asparagus raw. Now I know - and I know how crazy good it can be.
Shop more frequently, and plan your meals around bulk sales: The trick here is to only buy what’s needed for your meals, and to only plan for a week of meals at most. That way you’re less likely to throw food away, because you can use leftover produce for more meals before it goes bad.
Having said that - if you have freezer space, you can freeze many organic items for future use without degrading quality. I troll the organic meats section at my local grocers looking for the telltale orange "SPECIAL" sticker. When they overbuy organic meats, they have to move their product. That means I can stock my freezer with organic meats at 25-33% off.
Grow your own: A home vegetable garden will provide some extremely cheap organic produce, and gardening can also be a fun and rewarding hobby.
Honestly - my biggest issue is keeping the deer from eating everything I grow. While I appreciate that they find it delicious too, my primary goal is getting it onto the dinner table. A sturdy fence helps here.
Bon appetit!
Stephanie Brooke Lennon is the author of Family Bank Blueprint, GoldQuest, and What Would Water Do? Simple Strategies for Navigating Life's Obstacles. Her titles are available in Paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com. Follow Stephanie Brooke on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Amazon, and at ​BrookeLennon.com.