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Healthy local food doesn't have to break the bank

Susan Troller  —  8/27/2008 11:13 am

Conventional wisdom says it takes a wallet full of green to eat green.

According to the Consumer Price Index, food prices rose nearly 7 percent in the first half of the year. Consumers are feeling especially pinched when purchasing environmentally friendly foods, where prices have always been higher than for conventionally raised products.

But even with the economy in a slump and upscale grocery chains like Whole Foods suffering setbacks, there are still ways to eat well without breaking the bank, local experts say.

Of course, planting a garden is a great way to save money on food, but it's a little late for this season. However, you don't have to be a gardener yourself to get great, locally raised fruits and veggies.

For students interested in fresh produce, there is a 30,000-square-foot community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm on campus near Picnic Point, operated by students and for students.

Part of the yield from the F. H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture farm goes to paying members, and to volunteers who planted and cared for the garden, which includes more than 60 different kinds of produce.

But next month, a portion will be distributed at no cost to students on the Library Mall and Bascom Hill during an environmental awareness week sponsored by the student group We Conserve.

Miriam Grunes, executive director of REAP (Research, Education, Action and Policy on) Food Group, said there are plenty of options in the Dane County area for all consumers to buy local food that is, by nutrition standards, a bargain.

She said the farmers' markets in and around Madison are an excellent place to start if you're trying to eat green on a budget.

"Eating locally and knowing your grower is obviously a green choice," she said. "But I also think this perception that's out there that buying at a farmers' market is somehow much more expensive is just not true.

"When things are in season, I think they're very equivalent to what you pay in the store, and if the produce is fresh, it's that much healthier and, of course, much tastier," she said.

Barry Orton, a UW telecommunications professor who is also on the board of the Westside Community Farmers' Market, said consumers on a tight budget can often find bargains during the last hour or so of the market.

"You aren't going to get the things in highest demand or short supply. But if there's something left, go ahead, try to strike a deal. It's normal for that to happen," he said.

Market vendors may also have a few not-so-beautiful examples of their produce on hand for sale, but not display, at the market. These ugly ducklings, sometimes kept in boxes behind the counter, are every bit as nutritious and tasty, but they may be available for less if you ask.

At the Willy Street Co-op, scratch-and-dent produce is also available at reduced cost, said communications director Brendon Smith.

Smith also made several other suggestions for eating green on a budget, including buying bulk grains, nuts, coffee and pasta.

Consumers could eat more cheaply if they gradually began adding more cooking time to their schedules, he said.

"There are plenty of recipes that take less than 15 minutes to prepare, and most create a meal that's cheaper than the convenience food counterpart (and they're a lot cheaper than going out to dinner)," Smith wrote in a follow-up e-mail.

According to Grunes, buying in bulk from farmers when produce is plentiful, and then canning, freezing or preserving it yourself is an excellent way to eat green and save money.

"If you've got a freezer and you have the space, you can just freeze things like roma tomatoes. You just wash them and pop them in a freezer bag to make sauce in the winter. It couldn't be easier," she said.

Lesly Scott, nutrition education program coordinator for Dane County UW-Extension, noted that several health insurance plans partially reimburse participants who buy a community-supported agriculture share.

CSA members pay a yearly fee to a farm and, in exchange, get a box of seasonal fruits and vegetables each week all through the growing season.

Scott said some low-cost shares are available through the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition.

Even large chains like Wal-Mart or Target offer consumers choices of fruits and vegetables that are healthier, more environmentally friendly and less expensive.

In a recent check of the grocery aisles at Wal-Mart, a packaged Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl of ready-to-eat eggs and sausage was $2.18. In the cereal aisle, a box of Nature's Path flax plus pumpkin raisin crunch was $2.89, but provided about seven servings.

"When we go out for dinner, we can choose restaurants that support local growers -- and there are getting to be a lot of them at all different price points -- and that's a green choice," Grunes said.

One local restaurant that has embraced both affordability and green eating is Ian's Pizza, with campus, downtown and new Chicago locations.

With the summer harvest in full swing, this month the pizzeria is using local sources for 100 percent of the toppings on the restaurant's daily pizza specials, head chef Cindy Gross said.

Ian's also regularly features salads with 70 to 80 percent local products, and the business works closely with Madison Gas and Electric's sustainable energy program.

"We're very serious about reducing our impact on the environment at Ian's," Gross said.

Susan Troller  —  8/27/2008 11:13 am