We recently noticed that big things were happening in the elementary school across the street. Every Wednesday afternoon, trucks arrive and a group sets up boxes of produce. Starting at about 7 PM, people start loading up their cars or shopping carts.

One day we asked about joining. It turned out there were no qualifications, or at least they decided that we met them. We had to provide two phone numbers and commit to pay for whatever we ordered through a computerized call-in system.

This particular system is unique to my area, but the challenges of buying as part of a group are universal.

• Quality. You can’t be sure in advance what quality you will get, but aside from a bag of soft clementines we’ve been pleased. The ripeness is something we can’t control—sometimes the avocadoes are ripe, sometimes hard.
• Variety. Most of the fruits and vegetables are the ones that are in season, but because this group is very strictly kosher, they don’t offer everything. If you want cauliflower or basil, you have to find it yourself.
• Quantity. You must buy in set quantities. Potatoes come in 4-kilogram packages. You’re fine if you want 4 or 8 kilos, but not if you need only two or six. And sometimes you end up with more of something than you are used to—we  didn’t used to buy two kilograms of cucumbers or beets at a time.
• Timing. The order must be completed by Sunday evening, 4 days before the produce arrives. When you’re used to making your list at most a day before your shopping trip, it’s hard to adjust. Fortunately, we get two automatic phone reminders.
• Ordering Process. When you call the central number, a recording advises you on quantities and prices. The first few times, I had to listen to the options twice. Now I can get through the list in about five minutes.
• Cost. Most items are a bargain, but like with any regular you need to keep track of the competition from time to time.
• Extras. In addition to produce and eggs, from time to time the co-op offers frozen meat, dried legumes, wine, snack foods or whatever they feel will appeal to their clientele. I haven’t checked if they offer these things on any kind of rotation or printed schedule. For now I’ve stuck with the produce, but in theory I could condense some of my other grocery shopping.
• Convenience. This is where the co-op really wins for me. When I arrive with my cart, I get a printout of my order. Collecting the various items and paying (in cash) takes about 15 minutes. A responsible pre-teen could handle it easily. Since it’s right across the street I can even check to see when it’s crowded.
• Responsibilities. Some co-ops require you to contribute time collecting or packing orders. I guess the organizers are volunteers, or their time is included in the cost. We’re also under no obligation to order each week.

Joining a co-op forces you to plan your purchases better and make adjustments. Overall it has been a good system for me.

Have you ever been part of a cooperative food purchase? Please share your experience in the comments.

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Cost doesn’t tell the whole story. You can lower your food bill but end up getting less for your money. Sometimes the more expensive food turns out to be the bigger bargain. And we all have different definitions of value. For some people, the extra cost of organic vegetables is worth it to them. Other appreciate the value of high-quality oil or flour.

Here are some things you need to take into account when you are comparing prices at the grocery store.

• Cost per serving. This is a simple way of looking at an item. A whole chicken might make you two, three, ten, or twenty servings, depending on how you cook it. It doesn’t matter if you calculate meals according to individuals or a family meal, as long as you are consistent.  If you serve it with frozen peas, calculate how many servings you will get out of the package. Don’t forget leftovers.
• Calories. To maintain our weight, or in the case of children, to grow, we need a certain number of calories each day. There usually  isn’t much variation in our caloric intake from day to day, and adding twenty extra grams of food a day would make us gain several pounds over the course of a year. Our food budget needs to cover the minimum amount of calories that we need. But food with excess calories should be avoided.
• Nutritional value. Very poor people will choose the cheapest calories, like white rice or flour, to satisfy their appetites. Foods like vegetables will be second choice, especially if they are hard to find or out of season. We should also look for a variety of foods as close to their natural state as possible. If brown rice costs the same as white (it should, but unfortunately doesn’t), brown is the better value because it has more vitamins and fiber.
• Cooking costs. To continue the analogy of brown rice vs. white, you’ll need to factor in the longer cooking time for brown rice. The cost can be reduced by using a pressure cooker, cooking in large quantities, or cooking in the same pot or oven with the other parts of a meal. You can buy pre-cooked brown rice, but it will usually cost more and be less nutritious.
• Convenience. Sometimes we do need to pay extra for convenience. If paying for the butcher to cut up the chicken means you’ll skip the grocery rotisserie chicken, it may be worth it. On the other hand, convenience often means lower value. All of the processing done in the factory means the food is less fresh and the vitamins have been lost. Adding vitamins, like in children’s foods, isn’t the same as getting them straight from the source.
• Unwanted extras. Often when we buy processed food we pay for extras that we don’t need. Some brands of cheap tomato paste contain glucose and fructose (sugars). I almost never add sugar to meals with tomatoes, but if I did I would want to be in control of the amount. And since tomatoes cost more than sugar it’s safe to assume that that sugar is overpriced. Other unwanted, cheap additives that you may or may not want include soy (in ground meat), starches (yogurts), corn (everything), food colors, preservatives, and sodium, and MSG. The cost of these foods to your health may never be known.
• Waste. Some of the food we buy ends up in the garbage. Using chicken skin and bones for stock will add value to your chicken, but if you don’t eat, they have no value for you. Hidden waste can come from buying more than we need (even if we eat it!).
• Disposal. If you live in an area where you pay according to the amount of garbage you generate, you’ll pay more attention to packaging. If you buy disposable garbage bags, more garbage may mean more expense. Convenience foods tend to have excess packaging, both for freshness and to take up more room on the shelf. My son noticed that the larger package of chips actually contained fewer grams of the product.
• Travel time and expense. If you are paying for fuel to get to the store, you must count this  as part of your food expense. It can be cut down by making fewer trips, carpooling, or getting food delivered.

Have I forgotten anything? What is important to you when you compare prices at the store?

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This monster squash is sold by the piece.

The extreme heat in my part of the world has led to high prices in the markets, especially for vegetables. Here are some tips to help you cut down on your produce bill no matter where you live:

1. Buy vegetables in season. Instead of buying according to your recipe, choose your menu according to the prices. Learn to cook unfamiliar, but inexpensive, vegetables like turnips or celery root.
2. Buy more vegetables and less fruit, which usually costs more. Prepare a container of cut up raw vegetables for easy snacking.
3. Use up nearly all your produce before the next shopping trip. Adjust your list according to how much you used that week and any special circumstances.
4. Use as much of the vegetable or fruit as you can. Peeling removes much of the flesh and the vitamins too. Don’t believe me? Weigh your potatoes before and after peeling. It’s better to scrub the vegetables with water and a stiff brush, cook the vegetables, and then remove the peel. Use raw peels, leaves and roots for soup stock.
5. Dried vegetables, like beans and split peas, are usually cheaper than fresh and contain many of the same vitamins.
6. Get together with your neighbors to buy in bulk. This works for large bunches of herbs, organic foods, grains, and more. You’ll save on shopping trips too.
7. Learn to choose and store produce correctly, and don’t forget about it.
8. Preparing vegetables the day before you cook encourages you to cook more. It does reduce the vitamin content somewhat, but it’s better than letting the vegetables go to waste.
9. Make friends with your grocer. You may get access to misshapen or older produce that is still edible.
10. Get good at using up leftovers. Learn to make soup, patties, and quiches without a recipe.

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This is the third part of a series on shopping for produce.

Part I: Ten Questions to Ask Before Going to the Store

Part II: Ten Questions to Ask When Buying Produce

Part IV: Tips on Storing Fruits and Vegetables

When you buy produce, you want the most for your money. But fruits and vegetables don’t come with an expiration date. I’ve collected these tips for helping you choose the freshest fruits and vegetables. Please share your tips in the comments.

Fruits and vegetables have seasons and you can’t always find the quality you want. Be flexible.

Always examine fruits and vegetables for blemishes, especially holes where insects may have entered. Many surface blemishes don’t affect the produce. But a soft spot will spread quickly to the rest of the fruit.

Produce, unless it is not ripe yet, should give off a fresh smell.

I’ve divided the produce into two categories:  1) Produce that starts going downhill from the moment it’s picked and 2) Fruits (mainly) and vegetables that can ripen or improve after you buy them.

The following items won’t improve with age, so use them as soon as you can. But if stored properly, root vegetables, garlic, citrus fruits and apples keep for weeks or even longer.

• Greens: Celery, parsley, dill, kale, leafy lettuce, broccoli, etc. should always be green and crisp looking. If it’s starting to look wilted, pale, or brown, it’s past its prime. Only buy it if it’s a bargain and you can use it right away. Sometimes the outside of a head of lettuce is wilted but the inside is still okay.
• Cabbage: Choose a crisp and heavy head.
• Root vegetables including turnips, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, etc: Root vegetables should feel heavy. The skin should be smooth, not wrinkled. They should smell fresh and have an attractive color. Smaller ones are usually tastier.
• Potatoes: The skin should be unwrinkled. Green skin is a sign of poisonous solanine. Cutting off the green won’t remove all of the solanine. Dirt on potatoes can be a sign of freshness, because they are usually washed before storage. The eyes of old potatoes start to sprout.
• Onions: Should be heavy and hard, with dark skins and no sprouting.
• Garlic: Old garlic will also start to sprout.
• Grapes: Lift up the package and look from underneath. As grapes ripen, they fall off the bunch so a lot of loose grapes means they are very ripe.
• Strawberries: Firm and without too strong a smell. Always sort strawberries as soon as you get home.
• Citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits,tangerines: Fresh smell and no soft spots. Brown surface scratches don’t affect the fruit. Green spots is also usually fine.
• Apples: Firm, smooth skin with no blemishes.
• Cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, and peppers: Heavy, unwrinkled, dark (although some varieties of zucchini are pale).
• Mushrooms: White, if that is their original color. Smooth with no blemishes. Check the ends of the stems should also be white.  I fished this one out of the refrigerator to show you. It’s a few days old: Note the brown cut edge at the stem, the way the peel is separating from the stem, and the brown spots on the white flesh.

Items below can be bought before ripening and left on the counter until ripe. Choose according to your needs and the date of your next shopping trip. Once ripe, transfer to the refrigerator.

• Melons: Press the top of the melon, where the stem was/is. If it’s soft, it’s ripe. Ripe melon also gives off a sweet smell. The stronger the smell, the riper the melon.
• Watermelons: Tap it. If you hear a hollow sound, it’s ripe. Also, lift it up and look underneath: the peel there should be yellow or ripe. [Source: About.com].
• Tomatoes: The redder the tomato, the riper it is. Refrigeration as it affects the flavor, so use tomatoes as soon as they are ripe.
• Avocados: Choose them hard, or, if you can use them right away, soft with few blemishes.  Here are some photos, showing what they look like when they are ready to eat.
• Pitted fruits like peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and nectarines: Ripe ones are softer and more colorful. An imperfection or two usually means that they are just past their prime–buy only if you can use that day but they will be delicious. Strong-smelling fruit is very ripe. Avoid green peaches, as they don’t always ripen.
• Pears: Same as pitted fruits.
• Bananas: Green, hard bananas keep for a while so considering buying some yellow ones to eat right away. Bananas are best when the peel is tan with spots.

In my last post in the series, I’ll share tips for washing and storing fresh produce.

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This is Part II of a four-part series on shopping for produce.

Part I: Ten Questions to Ask Before Going to the Store.

Part III: Tips for Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Okay, you’ve assessed your supply and your future needs. You have a list and a plan. But it’s best to be flexible. Produce shopping is not an exact science.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you walk through the market or the produce aisles in the grocery store.

1. Where did this food come from? For example, does it have a high level of pesticides? Is it grown locally, which saves on energy costs and pollution?
2. How ripe is it? You want a balance between produce that is ready to eat or will keep longer.
3. Have I chosen a variety of vegetables? This will get you a bigger variety of nutrients. For example, plan to eat some vegetables cooked, some raw. Choose a variety of  colors, textures, and plant parts: Roots (potatoes, carrots) fruits (peppers, tomatoes) leaves (lettuce, cabbage), flowers (broccoli), stems (asparagus), and seeds (peas).
4. Do I have a little time to experiment with something new? If so, great! But start with a small amount.
5. Will this last me until the next shopping trip? You might want to make a revised menu, right in the store, to decide when you will use up everything.
6. What is on sale? If the fruit is already ripe, or the vegetables about to wilt, do I have time to prepare them for eating or cooking? Maybe you can share with a neighbor, make a large soup, or freeze them. Be creative!
7. What items on my list are  more expensive than usual? Try to get by with less, or substitute something cheaper.
8. What is the correct amount of each item to buy? Calculate by units or servings, not weight. For example, note how many potatoes  your family eats at one meal.
9. Is it worth buying? If the produce is buggy, full of holes, or very soft, you will probably want to pass. But dirt can be washed off.
10. Am I doing this right? Whenever you make changes, you will probably make mistakes. Keep track of your expenses and make note of what you throw away.

Next in the series:

Part III: Tips for Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Part I: Ten Questions to Ask Before Going to the Store

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This is the first of a four-part series  on grocery shopping, with a focus on fruits and vegetables. Today I’m giving you  questions to ask yourself when  planning a shopping trip. Go here for more on menu-planning.

Part II: Ten Questions to Ask When Buying Produce

Part III: Tips for Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Ten Questions to Ask Before Going to the Store

1. What food do you have in the house? Check what you need to use up. Look in your refrigerator to see what fresh and cooked produce is spoiled or leftover. Why didn’t it get used up? Keep receipts to compare from trip to trip.
2. What items did you go through quickly or run out of? You might want to buy more this week. If the item is unhealthy or expensive, try to make the same amount last longer this time or buy less, choosing a cheaper and healthier alternative.
3. Do you need to go to the store yet? Maybe you can cobble together a few more meals from what you already have, assuming you’ll have a chance to shop another day. Then you won’t be tempted to use the fresh produce before the previous trip’s has been finished.
4. Do you have room? Make space in the refrigerator. Get creative with storing non-perishables if you have limited kitchen space. In a pinch, ask if a neighbor can spare room in her fridge. Make sure you have enough containers to store cooked food too.
5. How many people are eating? Estimate the number who will be eating at home each day, including guests.
6. What else is happening in my life? If time is short, you might splurge on prepared greens. If you have more time, experiment with something new or buy extra to cook and freeze for another time. If a holiday or party is coming up you could start preparing now. Friends who are having babies or moving could use homemade meals.
7. How will I get the food home from the store? If you’ll need a ride, delivery, or an extra pair of hands to get food into the house, make sure they’re available.
8. What is the weather forecast? If it’s hot, plan for lighter food and go heavy on salads. In the winter, think rich soups and casseroles. Avoid the oven on hot days and plan for fast-cooking meals that don’t require standing over a hot stove.
9. What vegetables are in season or on sale? Avoid recipes that include expensive produce. We’ll talk more about this when we get to the shopping section.
10. Will other food come my way? Maybe there will be leftovers from a family party, or a garden vegetable is ready to harvest. You can’t always predict, but if your neighbor usually drops off a dozen zucchini this time of year keep it in mind.

Once you get used to asking yourself these questions thinking about them will become second nature. I’m looking forward to your comments.

See also:

Part II: Ten Questions to Ask When Buying Produce

Part III: Tips for Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Related:

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Estimating Quantities

In this video a reporter follows a mother of six who uses coupons to cut her weekly food budget to one dollar.

The video shows her picking out three items:

• Fish. She buys 7 packages of 1/4 pound each, using 7 coupons to take a dollar off of each package, bringing her total to zero.
• Some kind of processed dinner in a box, like macaroni and cheese (YouTube keeps stopping after 1:28 and I was only able to watch the rest once so I’m not 100% sure).
• A free candle from the drugstore.

The view of her pantry nearly gave me a heart attack. It was full of toilet paper, paper towels, and shelf upon shelf of processed food. She says she got it all for free. But at what cost to her family’s health? If she looked at the ingredients, she might see all of the “extras” she is getting in preservatives, starches, fats and low-quality grains along with her free groceries.

The fish looks like a good choice but I wanted to see the rest of the items in her cart. Did she have coupons for eggs, legumes, produce dairy products or whole grains? Generally, only items with an identifiable brand have coupons and they tend to be the ones with a big markup. They also tend to be for new products, not staples.

I also wondered how much of that food will expire before she uses it up.

Maybe it’s sour grapes, because I don’t have access to such good coupons. But many items sold with coupons are things I wouldn’t bring into my house. Coupons can be an important way of stretching a budget, as long as you use them for things you would buy anyway and that contribute to a balanced diet for your family. But you can take coupon-shopping too far.

Michael Pollan has suggested that Americans spend too little on food, settling for lower quality in order to have more money for consumer goods. I don’t know this family’s income, but based on this video (which may give an inaccurate picture) I suggest she look to cut expenses elsewhere.

Hat tip: Lion of Zion

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Last week I ran out of baking soda while making sourdough bread. The last time I had checked, we had a full container. We buy it in bulk at the shuk (open-air market). But my husband used it to make dishwasher detergent.  Since I don’t know a good substitute, I had to run to the corner store for some more. We’re going to be buying twice as much from now on.

In my post Avoiding the Emergency Trip to the Store, I mention the importance of being well-stocked. Today we’re going to look at the pantry and freezer and talk about foods to stock up on.

Most things, with a few exceptions like salt, sugar, and cocoa, will eventually spoil or attract bugs. How much of every item you need depends on space, family size, how often you shop and whether you get unexpected company.

If you get a good price on something you use, or you don’t shop often, it’s worth the effort to find extra space: Under the bed, the back of a closet, bathroom cabinets (for bottles or cans), or even behind the sofa.

The rule of thumb is to keep at least one unopened container of everything you use regularly. So if you are about to open your last bottle of oil, it had better go on your shopping list. For items that come in smaller containers, like tuna, you will need more. Calculate how many cans you use between shopping trips. Add on a few in case you have unexpected company or your shopping trip is delayed.

If you often cook in bulk, like I do, you will need a larger supply of the required staples. I try to keep at least three bottles of oil, rotating the old ones to the front when I buy more. I needed four teaspoons of baking soda for my sourdough, not the one my husband thought would tide me over.

Since this is a cooking blog, I left out many processed foods. I’ve noted in parentheses things that I don’t generally keep on hand, but you might.

Baking supplies:

• Oil. Keep in a cool, dark place.
• Sugar
• Flour. Freeze if you can, or for the first 24 hours to kill live insects.
• Baking  Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cocoa
• (Chocolate, chocolate chips, coconut, flavorings)
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Honey

Grains. I keep these in the freezer if I can, except for the pasta.

• Oats
• Bulgur
• Rice. Brown rice contains oil and gets rancid at room temperature.
• Assorted dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas.
• Unpopped corn.
• (Quinoa, wild rice, cornmeal)
• “Instant” yeast granules

Canned goods:

• Crushed or whole tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Tuna (or other canned fish or meat)
• (Canned fruits and vegetables)
• (Canned soup or broth)
• (Powdered soup)

Sauces and condiments.

• Tamari or soy sauce
• Mustard
• (Catsup)
• Vinegar
• (Bottled lemon juice)
• (Salad dressings)

Dried spices and herbs. Some people keep these in the freezer.

Nuts and seeds. These contain oil and should be stored in the freezer.

(Boxed cereals.)

For unexpected company or if you frequently host meetings:

• Soft drinks or juices.
• Snacks, pretzels, etc.
• Crackers, cookies, etc.

Frozen items:

• Packages of fruits and vegetables.
• Concentrated juices.
• Meat and fish.
• Bread.
• Cheese. Some types freeze better than others.
• If you have room, keep milk in your freezer to save trips to the store.

Avoid overstocking and most of all, don’t buy things you never use because  you think you should. You only want a generous quantity of foods you use regularly.

Tip: Avoid buying items for one recipe. You’ll find yourself with most of a container left over and nothing to do with it.

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it’s my pleasure to welcome Fern from Life on the Balcony for a guest post on starting a kitchen herb garden. A kitchen herb garden is healthy and frugal, and what could be more efficient than reaching out of your window to pluck a few leaves for the sauce? Be sure to check out Fern’s site about planting in all containers and conditions. Even if you never start a garden, you will still enjoy her beautiful photos.

Kitchen Herbs

It’s Money-Saving Monday at Cooking Manager.Com, and

Starting a kitchen herb garden is a great way to have your favorite herbs on hand for a fraction of the price it would cost to buy them at the market. Herbs are easy to grow and will happily produce healthy plants in smallish pots on your windowsill, balcony, or patio.

The first thing to decide is what herbs to grow. You should only grow herbs that you’ll actually use, so there is no list of “must grow” herbs. Grow whatever you like cooking with! Of course, it’s fun to try new herbs, and the best way to do that is to pick herbs that are commonly used in the types of cuisine you enjoy cooking. For example, if French cuisine is your thing, try bay, parsley, tarragon and thyme (the classic “bouquet garni” herbs). Another way to expand your herb horizons is to try unusual varieties of herbs you know you like, such as ‘Purple Petra,’ basil or ‘Lemon Variegated’ thyme.

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find the herb plants you plan on growing, almost all are easy to find as seeds and equally easy to grow that way. I think it’s best to grow at least two of each herb. That way you’ll have plenty on hand, even after you’ve used some. If you’re starting your herbs from seed, start double the amount you want to end up with, just in case. If all of them sprout and live until adolescence, you can always give the extras to friends.

Most herbs like fast draining soil. You should look for a bag marked “potting soil” (don’t use dirt from your garden!). A fast draining soil will usually have plenty of perlite (the small white “pebbles” in potting soil). Perlite helps water drain quickly and keeps the soil aerated, which is great for happy herbs.

Next you’ll need some pots. One that is at least six inches wide should be fine. Be sure that it has a drainage hole in the bottom. There is no need to spend a lot of money on your pots. You can even use found objects or build your own window box from scraps of wood. Just remember to punch holes in the bottom.

After you’ve picked out your herbs, gotten your pots and soil together, it’s time to find a good spot for them to grow. The most important part of picking a spot is finding a place with at least six hours of direct sunlight. The second thing to consider about the location is convenience. If your herbs are tucked away in some difficult to get to spot, you won’t use them as much. A window box under your kitchen window, your back steps, a corner of your balcony, or even more convenient, your kitchen windowsill, are all good spots.

Pot up your herbs about an inch below the lip of the pot. Water them whenever the soil feels dry. During the summer, this will probably be every day. Give each pot enough water that some drains through the bottom. It’s not absolutely necessary to fertilize herbs, but they will do their best with a fertilizer marked 5-10-5 given once a month. Do not over fertilize though, as it will reduce the essential oils that make herbs smell and taste so good.

For further info on growing herbs, check out some of these websites:

• Growing Herbs for the Home Gardener: Lots of information about growing specific herbs. Contains a handy table listing herbs in alphabetical order by their common name.
• Herb Society of America: Their “Resources” and “About Herbs” sections contain lots of information about growing herbs in general and also have specific herb profiles.
• Herb Gardening Guru: Lots of helpful information about the history of herbs, harvesting herbs, growing them in containers, etc.

Fern, thank you for the gardening inspiration. For more information and photographs, see Fern’s blog, Life on the Balcony.