Veganmofo: New Habit - Farmers Markets

Photo by Ron1478 on Flickr - Creative Commons License

So, Lance and I have found something out that will ruin us forever: produce at Farmers Markets.

I guess I was living under a bucket, because, honestly, all I thought farmers markets had going for them was "charm". Charming stands, charming kids running all around, charming bouquets of flowers, and oh-so-cute and colorful piles of vegetables. I really didn't think that the prices could possibly be competitive with the supermarket, with its promise of the lowest prices I had ever seen, ready to blow my socks off at every turn.

Well: bucket removed.

Lance and I stopped by a farmer's market, completely run by the farm workers from the rural areas surrounding Tampa, on the way home a few Sundays ago. First, it was just to pick up lemons, because Lance swears by a whole lemon in his morning water to start the day. I swear by a gigantic cup of coffee, but I digress. 8 lemons for something ungodly, like $1. So I thought: limes! Limes for Cosmos! 8 more, one more dollar. Well, I could make a big bowl of guacamole, so a Florida avocado, some tomatoes, jalapenos, onions...plus squash, cucumbers, and nectarines for other purposes. I think we possibly hit 8 dollars for all of that.

A fridge full of veggies for 8 bucks. I felt positively criminal when I mixed up our 2 buck guacamole that fed us for two days. Vegan never seemed less expensive.

Fast forward to an impromptu party for Lance's school friends. I wanted to put together a nice salad, fresh juice for drinks, and a shepherd's pie. After gathering all the produce, a similar amount to what we got from the market, the cashier rang me up. I almost passed out. 25 bucks for a similar haul at the grocery store!

After Lance talked me down from my leftist critique of out-of-control corporate capitalism, we decided to make a trip to the farmers market a weekly habit. Armed with a ten dollar bill, I'm sure we'll do great.