Children with organic produce
Have you ever wished you could feed your family organic foods, but when you check out the price tags your eyes pop out of your head? Yeah, me, too. So I decided to figure out some ways to feed my family of seven organic foods on a tight budget. Here’s what I found out:
1. Get organized. The more you plan ahead, the easier it is to take advantage of sales, stock up, and wiseuly use what you buy. Weekly meal plans might take a bit of getting used to but they are hugely helpful when you’re trying to save money. In general, I plan meals around family favorites (tried and true!) adding a new recipe, vegetable, or fruit occasionally to see if the kids will enjoy it enough to add it to our favorites list.
2. Local Produce. Hit the farmer’s market to help out some local farmers while you save money on organic items. You can also try Local Harvest to search for farms, farmer’s markets, CSA (community supported agriculture) and more. You can find Naples-area farmer’s market listed on the our calendar.
3. Grow your own organic garden. Sounds hard, doesn’t it? But trust me, if I can do it with my two non-green thumbs, so can you. My husband is usually the gardener in our family but one summer he was traveling and the responsibility fell on me! I found out how easy it is to pull weeds and water tomatoes, carrots and green beans. I finally realized we never bought any weed-killer or pesticides, which meant we basically have an organic garden. Even if you live in a condo you can grow herbs in a pot or have a patio garden.
4. Coupons and sales! Watch, wait then pounce on those items your family loves when they go on sale or when you have a sweet coupon. Head to My Organic Coupons. You’ll find a list of companies you can write to, and ask for coupons for their specific products. Combine coupons with sales for some extreme couponing and you’ll be dancing in the aisles! You can also find coupons for Whole Foods on their website at wholefoods.com.
5. Seasonal Items. Why pay $5/carton for organic strawberries when they can get as low as $1.50/carton during season? Plan meals and snacks around seasonal fruits and produce and you’ll save a bundle.
6. Stock Up. When you find a good deal, stock up! It’s easy to freeze certain items while you make jellies, jams, etc. with the rest. Can your own spaghetti sauce, carrots, beets, green beans and more from what you grow yourself (sometimes you have way more than you can eat coming in all at once), get a good deal on at the farmer’s market or find on sale at the natural foods market. Canning is easier than it sounds, and you can find a used pressure cooker or borrow one for a weekend. Simply Canning has a wonderful site with many great resources. You can also check out videos on YouTube for how-to’s.
7. Buy in bulk. Because you’re not paying for packaging and name brands, some organic basics like cereal, grains and beans are much cheaper when dispensed from a bulk container.
8. Skip the “junk.” Organic graham crackers and fruit snacks cost a fortune. Why not try some carrots and hummus or make your own yummy granola bars to save a bunch of green?
9. Bake Your Own. We all need a good carb fix now and then. Rather than pay crazy baked-good prices, find a used bread machine for a steal and make your own. It’s so easy these days to get the dough ready, pop it in the machine and just wait while your house fills up with the intoxicating aroma of baking bread. AllRecipes.com has tons of wonderful bread machine recipes that will impress your friends and family. Likewise, bake your own organic treats using organic flour, cocoa, oatmeal, etc. that you find for cheap using my tips above!
Organic Markets in Naples
- Food & Thought 2132 Tamiami Trail N., Naples (239) 213-2222
- Green Village Organics (organic food cooperative) http://www.greenvillageorganics.com
- Nature’s Garden of Naples 2089 Tamiami Trail N, Naples, (239) 643-4959
- Neighborhood Organics 2359 Vanderbilt Beach Rd #406, Naples (239) 273-2350
- Oakes Farm Market 2205 Davis Blvd. Naples (239) 732-0144
- Organics of Naples (home delivery of organic produce and groceries) www.organicsofnaples.com
- Whole Foods 9101 Strada Place, Naples (239) 552-5100
Kerrie McLoughlin writes about all the fun challenges of parenting 5 little ones, including feeding them!, at TheKerrieShow.com.