First
I would strongly urge you to check out Carrie’s posts from May & June on
her experiences with her first garden, the money she saved and delicious
produce she grew in her backyard. In the
meantime, below are a few other suggestions.
The first 3 options are my favorite since you are supporting local,
sustainable farmers and keeping your money in your community.
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)-We
belonged to one of these last year and it was great. Depending on the size of the share and the
size of your family you might want to split it with someone. Ours was $25 a week and they delivered 2
large brown bags of groceries to me every week.
Sometimes it was hard to use it all up before the next delivery came. My favorite thing about it was the surprise,
it was like a grab bag! Whatever is in
season that week, you will get. You will
be supporting a local farmer and getting the best local produce that hasn’t
been traveling cross country, or cross continent to get to you. If you are in OKC, check out
Guilford Gardens. Last year I really enjoyed the tomatoes,
peppers, corn, peppery arugula, squash and tried so many new dishes that weren’t
part of my repertoire.
Farmer’s Markets-If
you like the idea of eating & supporting locally (why would you not??) but
you also want to control what items you purchase then this is the best option
for you. Check out this fabulous link for a national site with all kinds of great links to local farmer's and their markets. It's really comprehensive.
Urban Agrarian-
Some farmer’s markets are only held on the weekends, or have limited
hours. If you are in Oklahoma City you
need to check out
Urban Agrarian. They are a farmer’s market that has a storefront open Wednesday-Sunday and also
travels to locations throughout the growing months. They do all the hard work and gather products
from 30 Oklahoma producers including amazing juicy peaches from Porter, perfect
eggs from Geary, and beef from Davis. I
can still support local farmers but I don’t have to drive all across the
state. I go there at least once a week,
all year round. I get to know where my
food it coming from and who prepared it.
Not all of it is labeled ‘organic’ but you can always ask about their
pesticides and growing process and make your own decisions. You can even order online and they will have
it ready for you, or will deliver it to you.
Whole Foods-Commonly called “Whole
Paycheck” Whole Foods does not have the reputation of being affordable, but it
does have the reputation of being the most health conscious organic
grocer. It really impressed me that they
don’t allow anything sold in their stores to have ingredients from this
unacceptable list unacceptable list
of more than 80 “ingredients.” And I use
“ingredients” in quotes because I don’t have bottles of potassium metabisulfite,
ethylene oxide and caprocaprylobehenin at home next to my refrigerator. Heck I don’t even know how to pronounce them,
but I am sure they are all crammed into some over processed snack that I ate at
one point. They still don’t ban recombinant
bovine growth hormone and propylene glycol so make sure you are reading the labels.
Their private label brand is called 365 and is more reasonably
priced. Their sales also overlap on
Wednesdays, so go then to stretch your dollar further. You can also use Whole Foods coupons (printed
online) and stack them with manufactures coupons for an even better
bargain. They have an extensive health
& beauty section and salad bar and prepared foods section. Their customer service is impeccable. Their Whole Deal section of the website has
coupons and recipes and they are always running promotions and educational
opportunities. 
Trader Joe’s-I
think you have heard me talk about my love for
Trader Joe's and if you are lucky enough to have one nearby, check it out. I was surprised
to recently learn they are owned by the same people as Aldi’s (I'll be posting
about them next week). They carry a good variety of healthy food options, but I
love their Trader Joe’s label items. The price point is really reasonable and
they contain NO artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, NO MSG, NO
genetically modified ingredients and NO added Trans Fats. They don’t have as
large of a selection as Whole Foods, but you can certainly get what you need,
along with a bottle of $2 Chuck, their frugal wine line from Charles Schwab.
Their website also has some great recipe options and other tips. 
Sprouts-Sprouts is a national chain based out of Colorado and
are in the southwestern states. Take
advantage of their best deals on Wednesdays when they have 2 sale ads that
overlap. Their stores are about ½ produce,
¼ health & beauty and ¼ traditional packaged foods. They are known for their “silly produce
prices” and I have purchased pints of blackberries and organic kale for
$1. They have sold avocado’s 4/$1 and
bulk almonds for $3.99 a pound. You won’t
find Lay’s potato chips and Diet Coke here, but you will still find added sugars
and processed foods. You need to read
your labels. There are some great
options at Sprouts, but if you buy bags of “healthy” potato chips don’t wonder
why you are gaining weight. A candy bar
is still a candy bar and should be eaten in moderation. Make sure to view their deals of the month
online and register for their e-updates and coupons.
We
don’t have an Earth Fare yet in Oklahoma, but I would love to try one out. They are primarily in the southeastern
states.
Do you shop at any of these stores or what is your favorite? Next week I'll be sharing how to
maneuver in a healthy & affordable way around conventional stores like Walmart and Sam's Club.
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