Organic on a Budget
Tips for buying healthy food without breaking the bank - By Fawn Pattison
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The benefits of organically-grown foods are many: organic farming reduces pollution, uses no chemical pesticides and fertilizers, promotes biodiversity and brings a fairer price to farmers for their products.  But there can be drawbacks as well: because “conventional farming” externalizes many of their environmental costs, and often receives large subsidies that organic farming does not, there can be a big difference in the price of these items at the grocery store.  As a result, organically-grown foods are out of reach for many families, and for other families it may take significant re-prioritizing to fit them into the grocery budget.  But does it have to be this way?  Organic foods can fit into a modest food budget – it just takes a little know-how. 

* At the grocery store
The grocery store is undoubtedly the most expensive place to buy your organic fruits and veggies.  One way to reduce your check-out bill is knowing which products are higher and lower in pesticide residues, and purchasing the “conventional” option when the price is much lower.  Environmental Working Group has produced a wallet-sized card that you can download and carry with you as a guide at the grocery store (get the wallet card at www.foodnews.org).  Shopping at a co-op grocery is another way to reduce your cost – often a co-op membership entitles you to significant discounts on everything in the store.

Joining a CSA farm is a great way to save money on locally grown organic produce. 130 families have shares in Fred Miller's farm - Hilltop Farms - in Willow Springs, NC. For 24 weeks during the growing season, each family gets enough fresh seasonal produce to feed a family of four. Photo by Billie Karel.

* At the farmer’s market
Buying at the farmer’s market eliminates the middle-man, and lets you buy produce that comes from just a few miles away, rather than from California or halfway around the world.  Prices on organic produce are often significantly lower at the farmer’s market than in a retail store.  When you buy from the farmer, you can also ask about how the food is grown, what their labor practices are like, and learn a lot more about best ways to prepare and serve your fresh produce. 

* Straight from the farm
If you’re interested in saving on your food budget and eating with the seasons, joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm is an excellent option.  Members buy a “share” in the farm early in the year, and then enjoy deliveries of fresh, seasonal produce throughout the growing season.  Some farms allow members to purchase work shares that further reduce the cost and involve members in producing the food they will eat.  Toxic Free NC staffers belong to a CSA that costs $475 for 24 weeks of produce – that’s about $20 a week for enough fresh organic produce to feed a family of four.  Work shares reduce the cost to about $17/week at our CSA.  To find a CSA in your area, check out www.growingsmallfarms.org, or www.localharvest.org.  

* In your own backyard
By far the cheapest way to get a bounty of organic produce is to grow it yourself.  You don’t need to be a master gardener to grow some of your favorite foods.  If you’re a new gardener, focus on the foods you like best.  Hooked on expensive salad greens?  You can grow a salad bar on your back patio, and by selecting seasonal varieties, gardeners in North Carolina can have fresh greens throughout much of the year.  Are berries your weakness?  Start a strawberry patch.  Share some with the birds, eat some yourself, and freeze them to enjoy all winter long.   

Some more money-saving tips

Toxic Free News is a publication of
Toxic Free North Carolina
206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 833-5333, Toll-free 1-877-NO-SPRAY
http://www.toxicfreenc.org

Mission: Toxic Free NC advocates for alternatives to toxic pesticides in North Carolina by empowering people to make sound decisions about their health and environment.

Staff: Program Coordinator: Billie Karel; Executive Director: Fawn Pattison; Interns: Anna Jensen, Carl Chamberlain, Will Martin, and Ben Matchar.

Board of Directors: Allen Spalt, President; Katherine M. Shea, Vice President; Colleen Boudreau, Treasurer; Annette Hiatt; Mindy Hiteshue; Cathy Jones; Omar Laínez; Annie O'Leary; Michelle Nowlin; Billie Rogers, Emeritus; Jane Sharp MacRae, Emeritus; Erick Umstead, Emeritus.

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