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

[LoveBWVVBR]

I can't believe how expensive produce seems to have gotten recently. We live in FL and we can usually get produce for a good price. I now find that if I don't drive across town to the produce wholesaler, I am stuck paying prices like $3.99 for ONE red pepper at the grocery store I guess that the high price of gas could have something to do with it, but the prices were high before the most recent jump in gas prices.

Is anyone else seeing this in their area produce prices? I figure that if it's this bad in a state with a long growing season, it must be awful in the colder areas. If I didn't have such a brown thumb, I'd be planting some pepper and tomato plants at the very least right now, LOL!

 

[lillygator]

where are you shopping Publix? Do you have a Save A Lot close? They have the same produce as Publix but cheaper.....

I was in Super Wal-Mart today and noticed the pineapples were 2 for $7!!! Cukes at Publix were 0.99 a pc on Thursday.....

 

[lowie]

i also recently paid about $4 for a yellow pepper and it looked great on the outside, when i cut the darn thing open it was MOLDY inside

that was from super target. it was also individually shrink wrapped.

 

[battricia]

i'm not sure where you live, but i've never seen a pepper priced per piece. Usually 3.99/lb.

tricia.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I've noticed the prices going up, too. I think that expensive gas prices (getting food delivered to stores) makes for an increase in food prices. Plus, the weird weather we've been having isn't good for crops. I hope that prices will go down sometime soon.

 

[shortbun]

Our peppers are per pound here too! I bought a tray of really small peppers for $2 last week. They were cute, good and there were yellow, red and green.
I weighed the tray and it weighed 1.5 lbs w/packaging. The regular price for peppers was $3.99 per pound. This is why I plan my meals as I shop. That way I take advantage of things like the peppers. I stuffed them with ham salad made from Easter leftovers. It was great!

 

[disnutt]

I just read a depressing story about how colonies of bees are dying off and how this may affect food availability. They think it may be from cell phone radiation messing up the bee's navigation systems.

I can't imagine how this would affect the cost of whatever food is left.


http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece

 

[powellrj]

I have an asian slaw recipe that I made for easter that calls for green onions. One small bunch of green onions were more than the cabbage for the slaw!!! I use to buy green onions for garnish! Not anymore. I just used regular onions and chopped them really small.

I use to buy green peppers and put them in everything like chili, meatloaf, homefries. Not anymore. Now I just get a bag of frozen because they are much cheaper.

 

[ptmmg]

I to have gone to the frozen. already chopped and much cheaper about .99 a bag.

 

[Kay1]

I mentioned the rising prices of food to the cashier at Publix and she said it's really tough on the older people living on a fixed income. She also said that one of the truck drivers said that this is only the beginning.

 

[ducklite]

Now you know why I planted my own little war garden on my lanai.

I'm growing red peppers:

Green beans:

Tomatos:

Romaine and other baby lettuce:

Chives and basil:

Start up costs were about $90, including the pots, soil, and seeds. I'll get two if not three crops out of each seed packet. I've already started harvesting lettuce as I've been thinning (needs to be done again) and the first crop of everything this year should cover the start up costs. Everything after that is "profit." I'll need to spend $5 on seeds each year--that's the cost of four tomatoes and a pepper!

Anne

 

[lillygator]

i'm not sure where you live, but i've never seen a pepper priced per piece. Usually 3.99/lb.

tricia.

around here they are almost always per pound at most stores but per pc at Save a Lot...0.79 per pc for green pepper...

 

[ilovejack02]

We have our first garden this yr... Im so excited. Peppers jalepeno and bell pepper, tomatoes, cukes, okra, watermelon, radishes and carrots and green onions . I cant wait!!!!
Next yr we will expand our efforts and make the garden bigger and go organic, Ill have to remember to plant red bell peppers, i totally forgot this yr.
HMMMMM its still not to late, maybe ill go get some seeds lol.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

where are you shopping Publix? Do you have a Save A Lot close? They have the same produce as Publix but cheaper.....

I was in Super Wal-Mart today and noticed the pineapples were 2 for $7!!! Cukes at Publix were 0.99 a pc on Thursday.....

Yes, this was indeed at Publix. We don't have Sav a Lot around here anymore I don't think. We do have a great produce wholesaler, but it's on the other side of town and it's always a project to drag my toddler over there. I told DH that I'm going to have to start going there every week though, because I'm waaaay too cheap to pay such excessively high prices for produce

 

[lillygator]

our garden has tons of pineapples --- and DH just started grapes (he's hoping for a vineyard off 6 plants!! lol) we have green peppers and spring onions as well...we need to do some lettuce...

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Start up costs were about $90, including the pots, soil, and seeds. I'll get two if not three crops out of each seed packet. I've already started harvesting lettuce as I've been thinning (needs to be done again) and the first crop of everything this year should cover the start up costs. Everything after that is "profit." I'll need to spend $5 on seeds each year--that's the cost of four tomatoes and a pepper!

Anne

Anne, are those potted plants inside your covered lanai? They look like they are. If I plant anything, I think I'd do it inside the lanai as well. I wonder if they will get enough sun, though Our lanai is a covered porch, so the ceiling is a regular roof and the sides are screen.

My other option would be to plant the seeds in the planter area around the lanai (instead of the usual flowers). I would have to contend with weeds and pests if I did so, though the plants would get much more sun there. I honestly can't believe that I'm posting about planting a garden when I managed to kill some of our mature landscaping recently by "pruning" it. My brown thumb is legendary If it saves me $3.99 a pepper, though, I can learn to garden!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

our garden has tons of pineapples --- and DH just started grapes (he's hoping for a vineyard off 6 plants!! lol) we have green peppers and spring onions as well...we need to do some lettuce...

You planted pineapples in your own garden??? How do you do that? That is so cool! Man, pineapples are usually so expensive that I hardly ever buy them fresh. I found them for $2.99 each at BJ's a week ago, though

 

[ilovejack02]

Anne, are those potted plants inside your covered lanai? They look like they are. If I plant anything, I think I'd do it inside the lanai as well. I wonder if they will get enough sun, though Our lanai is a covered porch, so the ceiling is a regular roof and the sides are screen.

My other option would be to plant the seeds in the planter area around the lanai (instead of the usual flowers). I would have to contend with weeds and pests if I did so, though the plants would get much more sun there. I honestly can't believe that I'm posting about planting a garden when I managed to kill some of our mature landscaping recently by "pruning" it. My brown thumb is legendary If it saves me $3.99 a pepper, though, I can learn to garden!

Peppers and tomatoes are not hard at all , you could start with those this yr and see how it goes. They do need lots of sun though.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Peppers and tomatoes are not hard at all , you could start with those this yr and see how it goes. They do need lots of sun though.

OK, then I guess I should plant them in the planter area around the lanai then. I'm going to go to Lowe's later on today to see about buying some gardening supplies.

 

[ducklite]

our garden has tons of pineapples --- and DH just started grapes (he's hoping for a vineyard off 6 plants!! lol) we have green peppers and spring onions as well...we need to do some lettuce...

I was actually trying to figure out if I could grow grapes from a pot. DH thinks I've lost my mind.

Anne