$3.99 for a red pepper? The cost of produce is outrageous!

[trulygoofy]

For the first time, I am glad that I am allergic to bell peppers!
Our broccoli is over $2 for three stalks banded together. Maybe I am cheap, but it seemed high to me.
I wish I could grow a garden, but I tend to kill plants. I have given up growing tomatoes and I just have two sad looking basil plants growing now.

 

[lillygator]

here are the onions we picked to go in tonight's dinner!

these are Fl sweet onions - no where near their right size I might add.

 

[kellia]

Great post! We live in Michigan and I was going to plant our lettuce this weekend (just LOVE the 'salad bowl' seed pack from Walmart), I am jealous of those who already have things growing! My chives and oregano from last year are looking good, though.

For those who said that they go to farmer's markets, do you have them this time of year? We do during the summer and they are very cheap. I try to go weekly to stock up on things that I don't grow. I don't have the greenest of thumbs, so I tend to grow the 'easy' stuff that even I can't kill- tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, green beans, herbs.

 

[neatokimmo]

This is my first year for trying a garden. Last year I put several tomatoes into a tub to grow on my deck and they did ok I guess. This year I have 144 plants started in 2 Jiffy greenhouse packs. If only 10% of them live I'll be happy. I want to make big batches of sauce and freeze it.

Dumb question, can you just put bell pepper seeds directly into the ground or should I JIffy green house them too?

 

[lillygator]

This is my first year for trying a garden. Last year I put several tomatoes into a tub to grow on my deck and they did ok I guess. This year I have 144 plants started in 2 Jiffy greenhouse packs. If only 10% of them live I'll be happy. I want to make big batches of sauce and freeze it.

Dumb question, can you just put bell pepper seeds directly into the ground or should I JIffy green house them too?

what kind of climate are you in? Here we put our bell seeds right into the ground or pot.

 

[neatokimmo]

I am in east tn, it has just started to warm back up after the cold snap that hit the northern states. We got just a small piece of it, but it was cold enough to kill off all our flowering trees. It's a real shame too, we have tons of redbuds (which are really purple) and they turn the mountains purple. Very pretty normally.

 

[ducklite]

This is my first year for trying a garden. Last year I put several tomatoes into a tub to grow on my deck and they did ok I guess. This year I have 144 plants started in 2 Jiffy greenhouse packs. If only 10% of them live I'll be happy. I want to make big batches of sauce and freeze it.

Dumb question, can you just put bell pepper seeds directly into the ground or should I JIffy green house them too?

I'm in a warm climate, and I tried an expiriment. I planted half of my peppers in the ground and half in small pots inside. The ones I planted inside all came up and are thriving after transplant. The ones in the ground, only about half came up and they are definitely struggling.

ETA--When I say ground I mean the "big boy pots" that they will grow to full size in that are on the lanai. They did much better when I started them in smaller pots on the windowsill.

Anne

 

[WendyisDarling]

, I am stuck paying prices like $3.99 for ONE red pepper at the grocery store

Here yellow and red peppers are also priced individually. Green bell peppers are often priced by the pound, though. I don't know the cost of the yellow and red as of current because I stopped looking when they hit $3/each.
I was thinking of some container gardening and am inspired now. I will probably just do tomatoes and peppers. Don't peppers turn yellow and red the longer they are on the vine? Or do you need to buy a special variety of plant?
Prices here are outrageous and the produce is becoming limited. My guess is that with the high prices it isn't selling and the stores are buying less.

This time of year I love to buy cheap strawberries. Prices have been OK, $2.50 to $3.00 a qt., but the quality is not nearly as good as previous years. I also miss buying Asparagus. In past years I have always been able to buy it in the spring for $1.99/lb. Now I am lucky if I can find it for $2.99. It just goes on from there.

Military folks -- how are the prices in the commissary? Our nearest is 40 miles away and I rarely go, esp. since gas prices are so high. But, maybe if food prices offset the gas prices, I will try to make a trip.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Strawberries are .99 a pound at Meijer this week, I haven't seen that price for a year or more. We are sticking to what is on sale around here. Our farmers market is not worth going to, the TV hidden cameras caught some of our farm market participants purchasing produce at Meijer and reselling it as their own at more than double the price paid.

 

[punkin]

produce really is astronomical around here too. I'm seriously considering joining a CSA group. Has anyone done that?

 

[NMW]

My friend and I were just talking about how crazy expensive fruit is anymore. I just can't believe it.

 

[kellia]

produce really is astronomical around here too. I'm seriously considering joining a CSA group. Has anyone done that?

What is CSA?

 

[rflorek]

Some average prices this week in the markets near me:


Red Seedless Grapes .99/lb
Romaine lettuce .99/lb
Sweet cantaloupe .99 ea
cukes 3/1.99
toms on the vine 1.49/lb
5 lb bag of baking potatoes 2.50
fresh broccoli .99 for approx 3 stems
Jumbo green peppers 1.49/lb
apples .99/lb
pineapple 3.99
strawberries 2.99 for 1 lb pkg

 

[mjbaby]

produce really is astronomical around here too. I'm seriously considering joining a CSA group. Has anyone done that?

We've joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and found them to be a wonderful option. Remember, there are no guarantees with a CSA and you are essentially sharing the risk with the farmer but we've always have an abundance of very fresh organic fruits and veggies at prices even better than the conventional trucked-in-from-wherever variety. I've found that my CSA produce keeps much better than grocery store purchases, as well, because of it's utter freshness. I've kept greens around for weeks and had them be just fine - something you can't do with stuff from the store as it's quite old by the time it gets to you.

As for the issue of people buying produce at the store and selling it at farm markets, well, the farm market organizers really ought to be more in control of the situation. We have three markets close to us and the rules for participation are quite rigorous. And I wonder, what did people think then the stuff they bought was pristine and clean? At my markets, carrots have the dirt brushed off them but they are noticeably different from carrots in stores! And what of out-of-season stuff? A farm market will likely only have available in-season produce - a market in Michigan that's selling zucchini in April as "farm fresh produce" has a lot to answer for, if you ask me.

 

[maleficent1959]

produce really is astronomical around here too. I'm seriously considering joining a CSA group. Has anyone done that?

I've looked at buying a chare in a CSA for my mom and I think it's extremely reasonable. If I could I would. There just aren't any where I live, so I buy at the Farmer's Market. There are a few u-pick farms around here, and a couple that have their own little stands as well.