$17 grapes. Seriously.

July 12th, 2011 at 01:18 am

I've been on a kick to turn around our eating habits and start prepping healthier food for me and the kids. I clipped out that dirty dozen pesticides fruit and veggie list, and have been trying to buy pesticide free at the farmer's market and the rest organic at the store.

So, as you know, grapes are up there as far as pesticides. My chain grocery doesn't carry organic grapes or strawberries, so I decided to go to Whole Foods to pick some up. I had a few other things to get, as well.

I grabbed two bags of the grapes, not thinking twice about it. Well, my mistake. I get to the check out and those two little baggies of grapes cost me $17. I jsut about passed out.

Is going organic for dirty dozen even going to be possible? I can't afford $17 a week for grapes!!

Posted in Uncategorized | 18 Comments »

18 Responses to “$17 grapes. Seriously.”

uRabbit Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 01:27 am 1310434052
1310434052

You know, it really is a damn shame that eating healthy is so expensive! It can be done, but it is hard!

Our city has a Whole Foods being built currently. Well, sort of. They haven't even broken ground yet. We currently shop at the cheapest store (WinCo), but - as some of you may know - they do not make it their mission to carry healthy foods. Especially produce - ironically. I don't think I've ever seen organic produce there.

Our other store of choice is the Boise Co-Op, a whole foods store. They are, unfortunately, super spendy, and do not carry everything.

I find that the best deals on organic produce is at the fruit and veggie stands. Not the ones that get all together on the weekends, but the ones that are there throughout the week. You'll find them on dirt corner lots. Probably with a taco truck nearby. Haha
WISEWOMAN Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 01:29 am 1310434176
1310434176

I made the same mistake once however, when the cashier rang it up I immediate said "no way" and returned them.
Look for seasonal fruit...strawberries, blueberries, melons, bananas, peaches, nectarines, plums are abundant right now. If you can't buy organic, buy a fruit wash or make your own. I know people who simply soak their fruit in vinegar water for 5 minutes and rinse.

Do you have a Trader Joe's, Sprouts or Farmer's markets nearby? They have organic much cheaper than whole foods.

As they say...Whole Foods equals "whole paycheck".
ThriftoRama Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 01:52 am 1310435576
1310435576

Vinegar water? Does that really work?

We do have a Trader Joes. I haven't been there yet. I was just really on a quest for organic fruit my kids would eat and they love grapes, so I just wasn't thinking. Trust me, we are going to eat every last one of those things.
creditcardfree Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 02:20 am 1310437248
1310437248

Oh, my! That is a bit much isn't it. Really try to savor each bite if you can to get your money's worth!
snafu Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 03:29 am 1310441343
1310441343

Why not buy fruits that are peeled? Our government runs one after another tests and reviews of produce and insist there is not discernible difference between organic and non organic foods. They presume we wash/soak fruits and veggies.

My issue with 'organic' is that there is no consistent standard. It is whatever the producer sets as a goal. They may not use pesticides but they can use fertilizers. Depending on the growing area, rain has various pollution values.
SnoopyCool Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 12:36 pm 1310474183
1310474183

I don't know of your living conditions (how much property you have, etc.), but grapes are super easy to grow, and don't have to take up too much space. If you think you eat enough of them to warrant growing your own, give it a shot.
ThriftoRama Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 12:46 pm 1310474811
1310474811

I'd love to grow my own, but because I moved to a new house in the middle of planting season, I didn't get the chance to make a garden this year.
WISEWOMAN Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 01:09 pm 1310476184
1310476184

Yes, add 2 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar to 1 pint of water. Rinse thoroughly. The acetic acid in vinegar kill bacteria and helps to reduce the wax and pesticideds found on many fruits and vegetables.
MonkeyMama Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 02:38 pm 1310481531
1310481531

Agreed with some comments. I figured if I cared that much about organic, I would grow my own. (& even then, I can't control the rain pollutants, but at least I can control most the rest). I've always been skeptical of the label *organic* - which is sometimes little more than marketing verbage.

I think the point is that for the long run it would probably be best to focus on home grown. So it doesn't work this year, but something to focus on in the long run.
patientsaver Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 05:13 pm 1310490828
1310490828

Here's what I do.

Buy fruit only in season. As for the dirty dozen, only CHILEAN grapes are on the dirty dozen list. Domestically grown grapes are not as bad and aren't among the top 12. Sure, organic is always better, but as you saw, the price forces you to make compromises.

So Chilean grapes, NO, California grapes YES!
ThriftoRama Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 05:17 pm 1310491077
1310491077

Hmmm. After some research it appears if you buy domestic produce, local when possible, then soak all of it in tap water for a few minutes, it seriously reduces the pesticide and dirt content. I try to grow as much as I can myself, but that doesn't help in winter.
baselle Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 05:26 pm 1310491570
1310491570

Here's another thought. Poke around your local cooperative extension website (yeah, I know the heart of big Ag) to see if you can find a list of organic or sustainable farmers in your area and see if they have a farm stand/U Pick you can buy from. Another place to paw through would be your local newspaper website for an article (those come out in the spring).

Final thought would be a CSA, but usually you'd have to subscribe in the spring. Unlikely that Ohio farms locally grow grapes, but you never know.

And these are all 3-season solutions. Winter is a problem for fresh. Could be that you buy massive quantities of seasonal produce, then freeze what is freezable.
ThriftoRama Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 05:43 pm 1310492590
1310492590

Funny Baselle. I'm the one who writes those articles for my sunday newspaper!!

Anyway, yes, we are part of a csa, but this has been the worst season in a decade because we had so much flooding and rain this spring. We're just now getting our cool season veggies. I am a regular at the markets, and there hasn't been a lot as far as fruit, other than blackberries, and the kids don't really care for those unless there is sugar on them.

I admit I bought the grapes because I felt like I didn't have any better options.
mom-from-missouri Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 09:12 pm 1310505169
1310505169

This is why we grow our own. I have a vineyard, orchard and garden. I add more grapes and fruit trees yearly. The grapes started producing on year 3, strawberries on year one, and fruit trees on years 3 and 4....
SnoopyCool Says:
July 13th, 2011 at 01:30 am 1310520631
1310520631

There is a u-pick-it website that you can look through here:

http://www.pickyourown.org/
LuckyRobin Says:
July 15th, 2011 at 07:37 am 1310715448
1310715448

We practically live off of Trader Joe's. It is comparable to regular grocery stores and way cheaper than Whole Foods (which is almost infamous for it's high prices).
Jerry Says:
July 15th, 2011 at 09:49 pm 1310766589
1310766589

I am a huge proponent of local produce, and especially growing my own whenever possible. My parents are a great example. They have a large garden on a very small lot, and they literally grow more food than they can eat themselves... all of it fresh and pesticide free. It leads to a ton of savings, and they even have some insurance of helping their neighbors out with some fresh fruits and veggies!
Jerry
acirone Says:
July 20th, 2011 at 02:29 am 1311128945
1311128945

We have a local store that specifically sells produce only. They have both organic and non-organic produce but they are FAR cheaper than any place in Chicago. I LOVE it. It's called Stanley's. Maybe try to find a local produce store? Not sure how populated an area you live in.

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)

Name:	*
Email:	Will not be published.
	Subscribe: Notify me of additional comments to this entry.
URL:
Verification:	* Please spell out the number 4. [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]

Thrift-o-rama

$17 grapes. Seriously.

18 Responses to “$17 grapes. Seriously.”

Leave a Reply