First for Women – August 26, 2019

8/26/19 First for women 87

“Many farmers invite the public to their

farms. Pick-your-own farms are a lot

of fun and can also save you money:

Those 6-oz. containers of raspberries

sell for $4.99 at the supermarket, or

$13 per pound, but you can pick your

own raspberries at the farm for $5.99

a pound! We also go blueberr y picking

once a year, and what we pick lasts us a

year! We preserve and freeze a lot of it.

It’s a fun activity and a learning experi-

ence for the kids as they get to know

the source of their food.” —Stephanie

Merchant, TheNutritionMom.com

“Learn how to pick the best produce so you get the most bang for your buck. If you

can’t use half of what you bought, that good price isn’t so good! For instance, a

ripe avocado’s stem will fall off when you use your thumb to press it gently on the

side. And I learned how to pick the best corn from my local produce stand: Make

sure the tassel (the brownish grass at the top) isn't mushy or limp and the husk is

smooth, green and moist to touch.” —Teri Gault, author of Shop Smart,Save More

“Visit Loca l ly Grow n.net, where it’s easy to f ind loca l farmers. On t his site, farm-

ers register their farms and some even sell their produce online, so you can

browse their offerings and see any specials they have—the prices are usually

much lower t han at t he supermarket. Just f i l l up your basket and buy. Some even

offer free delivery.” —Laura Seabolt, garden expert, YouShouldGrow.com

“When your supermarket has a better

price than what you see at the farmers

market, use that to your advantage:

Politely say something like, ‘Your

asparagus is beautiful, and I would

love to buy it from you. Can you match

the price of the supermarket sale?’

Have your supermarket’s sales circular

in your pocket or be ready to pull it up

on your phone. Most often, you won’t

even need proof, as farmers are usu-

ally more than willing to come down a

little on their price. But try to have this

conversation when no other shoppers

are within earshot, as the farmer may

not be willing to give you their best

deal if they’re obligated to extend the

same offer to more shoppers.”

—Teri Gault

“A good way to save is to join a newer

form of the community supported

agriculture [CSA] model called a

‘declining balance’ CSA, and now is

the time to do it for next year. How

it works: You add money to a credit

account before the growing season

starts. Once the harvest begins, you

shop for whatever you want at the

farmers market instead of receiv-

ing a weekly share prepared by the

farm, which usually includes produce

you might not want or won’t use.

Simply search for one online or ask

at the farmers market.” —Suzannah

Schneider, CNGFarming.org

Choose your own

produce and save

Know which fruits and veggies last longest

Check out a virtual farmers market

Compare to

supermarket prices

Get rewarded

for buying early

home

on local produce