Is fresh fruit expensive? Many people think so. Recently I was really hungry for fresh peaches. The store I was at had only 1 variety. They were $1.48 per pound and the peaches were very large. I bought 4 of them. When they rang up, they totaled $2.92…more than I thought they would be and more then I would normally pay for 4 pieces of fruit—$.73 a piece.
Here are some tips for controlling the cost of fresh fruit:
- Watch size of individual fruit. Small peaches would have been about 3 per pound and even at $1.48/pound they would have been less than $.50 a piece.
- Watch quantity purchased. I purchased fresh cherries earlier this summer. They were $2.99 per pound, a pretty good price for fresh cherries. I was so surprised when they rang up over $10! They were pre-bagged and even though the bag didn’t seem that big, I had purchased over 3 pounds of cherries. Just be sure you can eat the quantity you purchase!
- Store them correctly. If fruit needs to ripen (like peaches), place them in a basket on the counter or in a brown paper bag. Once they ripen (or if they were already ripe when purchased), place them in the refrigerator—either in the paper bag or in a bowl/basket. Some fruits (like peaches and pears) spoil from the inside out when kept in a plastic bag; so, when you get home from the store, take the fruit out of the plastic bag you bought it in.
- Keep it in perspective. My peaches were $2.92 and that seemed like a lot, but I recently bought a bag of baked chips that cost $3.79—less filling and less nutritious than the 4 peaches! Also, $.75 for a piece of fruit may seem expensive, but a regular-sized candy bar at a convenience store is $1.19.
So, enjoy that fresh fruit!
-contributed by Renee
food cost
cost, fresh fruit, quantity, size, storage
Early in July I head to my favorite ‘you-pick’ blueberry farm and enjoy those delicious fresh berries! I don’t have the time or space to grow my own berries, so I’m happy others grow them for us to pick. Grocery stores are running specials of under $2.00 a pint; but, at one pick-your-own operation in SE Iowa, they were $2 a quart if you did the picking or $4 a quart if you bought them in the box. I get satisfaction from picking them myself, and knowing they were produced locally is well worth the price I pay.
Blueberries are one of the top fruits nutritionally and are great to eat fresh, or they can be frozen. You do need to rinse them off, but experts disagree whether that needs to be done before or after you freeze them. Frozen berries are great in muffins, salads, smoothies, on cereal, etc. The Spend Smart. Eat Smart. web site has directions for freezing fruits and vegetables.
Look for other pick-your-own opportunities. If you participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects, you may have the option of picking your own as well.
-pointers from Patty
food cost, food preparation, resources
blueberries, freezing, fruits, locally grown, pick-your-own
This spring, Dietetic interns at ISU were asked to develop a menu plan for a week for a low-income rural family with one adult female and three children (one in preschool, two in elementary school). First they had to figure out how much money it would take to feed the family using USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan. This is the amount that Food Assistance (formerly Food Stamps) is based on. Then they developed menus, recipes, costs, nutrition analysis, and shared their reflections. The ISU Food and Nutrition Department instructors shared the six best papers with us. Click on the names below to see the edited versions. If you want to know how much your family would spend on the low-cost plan (which is a little higher than the thrifty plan), use our online calculator.
Kathryn Elenewwich
Kelsey Ermels
Caitlin Heaney
Jeannine Lise
Laura A. Merrifield
Mary Jo Schechinger
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, food preparation, recipes, resources
cost, menus, nutrition analysis, recipes
My husband loves pickled beets, and I am also fond of them. He tends a small garden and the beets are ready for harvest. I have a recipe for making a small batch of pickled beets in the microwave. I was curious as to the cost of my homemade beets compared to commercial ones.
When I figured it out, it was a bit depressing. The ones from the store (in a nice resealable glass jar) cost $ .37 per serving. My homemade ones cost $ .30 a serving; but, that didn’t figure anything for the beets! It also didn’t allow for canning costs including jars and flats. One of my biggest expenses was the stick cinnamon. I needed one stick and a little jar cost $4.29, meaning 10 cents of the cost per serving of the homemade was because of the cinnamon. I suppose you could use ground cinnamon and it would taste the same, but you wouldn’t have the pretty clear liquid. By purchasing commercially canned beets, you would miss the personal satisfaction of doing it yourself and knowing exactly how the food was grown and prepared.
Home food preservation doesn’t automatically save money. It depends if you have the interest and time, as well as what value you place on knowing the exact source of your food.
If you are interested in the recipe, Microwave Pickled Beets is found in the July 2009 issue of Food for Fitness and Fun.
-contributed by Jan Temple
food cost, food preparation, recipes
commercial, cost, garden, homemade, pickled beets
“Yikes! The kids are home for the summer and eating me out of house and home!” I’ve felt this way many times. One way we’ve tried to deal with summer snacking at our house is through a tried and true method ISU Extension has been teaching for years: snack boxes. This works if you are home all day with your children (or if you are a home child care provider), if your children are home with a teen sitter, or if your children are at the age they can stay home alone. Put a container in the refrigerator and one in the cupboard. The purpose of these containers is to have some grab-and-go snacks that children can eat between meals. To learn more, see Summer Snacks!
-contributed by Renee Sweers
food cost, food preparation, recipes
kids, snack boxes, snacks, summer
Yesterday, I read a great article from the New York Times Health section comparing various helps for losing weight. Kelly Brownell, a Yale professor, is quoted on the pros and cons of various helps from D.I.Y. to hospital programs. Sprinkled throughout the article are references to current research.
If you are someone like me who has struggled for their whole life with weight issues and who tracks the latest research on weight control, this article makes a lot of sense.
Bottom line, there are many helps available. Pick one based on your budget and what will help you to accomplish your goals.
-pointers from Peggy
resources
budget, dieting, goals, New York Times, research, weight
We need your feedback to make sure we are on track with the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website and weekly smart tips. If you have not already done so, click on the URL below to complete a short survey about you, your use of the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. site, and ideas for improvement. When you finish, you will be entered into a drawing for one of three $25 gift cards. If you win, we will contact you for your mailing address.
Take the survey at: http://tinyurl.com/ncoykh. Deadline is Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 5:00 p.m. CDT!
Thanks a bunch in advance for completing the survey!
Uncategorized
feedback, survey
Did you know there are more than 212 farmers markets located in communities across the state with direct access to Iowa’s nutritious, affordable and delicious products?
To find a market in your area, as well as days and times of operation, check the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Iowa Farmers Market Directory. It has a full listing of markets found across the state. (If you are in a another state, just Google “farmers market locations.”)
If you are a low-income senior, you can get coupons for fresh produce through the Iowa Area Agencies on Aging. If you are on WIC, ask about coupons at your local agency.
In-season vegetables for July are: beets, bok choy, cabbage, chard, cucumber, new potatoes, snap beans, summer squash, sweet corn and tomatoes.
You can find information on buying fruits and vegetables in season on Spend Smart. Eat Smart.
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, resources
farmer's market, fruits, seniors, vegetables, WIC
I love to eat salads for lunch with just a bit of meat. My favorite is a green salad with barbecued meat (beef, pork, chicken, or salmon). Whenever we start up the grill, I make extra and then cut chunks of meat in 1- or 2-ounce pieces. I wrap them in foil, label with the date and kind of meat, and freeze them. I take them frozen to work, thaw them in the microwave, and cut up to top my salad. These pictures show the steps…
If I want, I can also use these individual serving portions for sandwiches.
-pointers by Peggy
Uncategorized
We need your feedback to make sure we are on track with the Spend Smart Eat Smart website and weekly smart tips. Click on the URL below to complete a short survey about you, your use of the Spend Smart Eat Smart site, and ideas for improvement. When you finish, you will be entered into a drawing for one of three $25 gift cards. If you win, we will contact you for your mailing address.
Take the survey at: http://tinyurl.com/ncoykh
Thanks a bunch in advance for completing the survey!
Uncategorized
feedback, survey
