The Real Cost of Organic Produce

We grow produce organically. We are not certified as an organic producer, however, we follow all of the same rules of pesticide control (natural/insecticidal soap) and fertilizer (natural/fish emulsion) that certified organic farms use.

Farmer Jeff and I repeatedly hear, while selling at Farmers Markets, that the produce sold at said Farmers Market is expensive. Not only is this a "probably won't break even this year" endeavor (land cost, materials cost, labor cost, fuel cost) but "we" farmers sell our produce for less than what SAFEWAY is charging!!!

Tonight, just for comparison (and to counter all of the folks that complain about the prices!) we went in Safeway grocery store to price the produce.
Organic Swiss Chard: $2.89 per bunch. We charge $1.50 per bunch. The difference? Ours weigh exactly the same and were grown no more than 4 miles away. They are also picked and sold on the same day.
Organic Tomatoes - Standard Variety: $4.99 per pound
Heirloom Tomatoes: $6.99 per pound.
Eastside Farm Tomatoes: $3.00 per pound; we pick and sell on the same day
Non-Organic Nectarines: $2.00 per pound, same price as our...but we couldn't give them away. No one was interested.
Non-Organic Cucumbers: $1.00 per cucumber, same price as ours, but ours are organic.

So, now I know what people will pay if they buy it at the regular grocery store. I can only guess that those complaining at Farmers Markets just don't pay attention to the prices in the stores.

There are so many great reasons to buy from Farmers Markets:

• The produce is picked at its peak.
• The food is grown on a small scale
• You can support your local farmer
• The food is grown locally (usually! Be sure to ask where the farm is!)
• Less gas is used to transport the food than if grown out of the area
• More varieties are available of each food group because mass produced produce only uses a few varieties due to "heartiness" or decent if picked while green.

We hope to see you at Market! Happy Tuesday! (Bring your own bags!)