Farmers Markets – Eat Cheap & Well

 
So, I've been testing several ideas on how to save money and still live well lately. I'm not so much for Whole Foods as everything I buy seems to cost $7.00. Salad, oh… $7.00. Want some croutons?  $7.00. How about some tomatoes? Yep, you got it…$7.00. Since I live in San Francisco, I don't have too many options for bargain health food besides Trader Joe's. There's a farmers market at the Ferry Building where all of the tourists go and that's even worse in price than Whole Foods. $6.00 a pound for peaches. I mean… come on!

That's when I decided there had to be something better than Safeway, but not quite Whole Foods. I love buying locally farmed, sustainably grown food and of course saving money. Farmers markets can be an excellent way to shop for high quality, super fresh produce while keeping your money where it belongs… in your pocket!

In San Francisco, there's this market called the Heart of the City Farmers Market, which is where I went today. I swear, everything is $1.00 or less and that's really good for San Francisco. With the ingredients you find there, it's also easy to find specialty produce to make Asian dishes like pad thai. Plus, ooooh the tamale lady. You can get some tasty tamales with a whole variety of fillings, cheeses, peppers and more.

Anyway, onto why you should care.

I got all of this stuff for $16.60 and a lot of it is organic and/or grown sustainably with no spray.

Mango peaches: $1.60
Red chard: $1.00
Thai basil: $0.75
Mint bunch: $0.75
Free range, organic eggs: $2.50
Shiitake mushrooms: $3.00
Grape tomatoes: $1.00
Zucchini squash: $0.60
Sweet potato: $1.75
Red pepper: $0.65
Eggplant: $1.50
Ginger: $0.25
Spinach: $1.50
Lemons: $0.75
= $16.60

I hope I've inspired you to find the local farmers market near you. There are more than 6,000 farmers markets in the U.S. and I'm willing to bet there's one near you. They don't have to be an expensive, chic experience. Farmers markets can be just that… a place for farmers to market their produce.

Use the U.S. Agricultural website online to find a farmers market near you!