While they are talking about "food" prices, it is obvious that fruit and veggies are the ones being mostly affected. I don't like to bring the bad news, but that is the reality.
We all need to prepare somehow, I guess. On the good side, if one does not spend money on bread, milk and meat, even higher prices of fruit and vegetable should be bearable.


[beforeitsnews.com]
Some of the startling food price increases on a year-over-year basis include, fresh and dry vegetables up 56.1%, fresh fruits and melons up 28.8%, eggs for fresh use up 33.6%, pork up 19.1%, beef and veal up 10.7% and dairy products up 9.7%. On October 30th, 2009, NIA predicted that inflation would appear next in food and agriculture, but we never anticipated that it would spiral so far out of control this quickly.

Look for everything to go out of sight with this ridiculous oil spill...

Good God, yes! I was just thinking yesterday how people were lamenting not filling their cars up on gas last week and I'm like, never mind gas, think about the hauling of food across the country to us and how that increased fuel cost is gonna be passed down to us with every apple we buy!

There was an article in the Detroit Free Press a few weeks ago about how small scale hoop gardening is taking Ann Arbor[of course] by storm. It made attempting it at home sound veeeeery appealing . . .

Lastly, someone somewhere should get the express straight to hell for that Gulf oil spill, and not just because raw foodists are going to feel the pinch in our wallets because of it. I am so mad I could spit.

My point is: why are the prices of fruit and vegetables jumping so much more than those of meat and dairy?

rab,

It's not a conspiracy; it's simple economics--when the economy is bad, commodities like cheap meat and starch products become more desirable and sell better, whereas fresh produce is seen by consumers as "too expensive" and does not sell as well. Subsequently, the cost of producing and distributing produce goes up in a[provably ineffectual]attempt to regain market share on the part of producers. The oil spill further exacerbates this descrepancy because produce necessarily travels a greater distance than meat or dairy products, which can be produced anywhere regardless of climate.

I didn't think it was a "conspiracy", but I think that a difference in the effect of the inflation cannot be explained only by the cost of the fuel. The fuel did not go up that much. There may be other factors, and also maybe government(s) are not doing enough to protect the fresh produce industry. Fruit and veggies are considered a "side meal" and not a strategic resource like corn, soy, wheat and meat/dairy. Why? I think it is all about business. Health? Who cares...

Well, if you shop at places like Albertson's and Safeway owned stores like Kroger, Jewel, Ralphs, Dominicks, Von's, I bet you'll feel the hurt way more. I'm glad I live in a city with tons of little shops that need to compete with one another. I go to those and the lower/cheaper stores which still have some good produce for super cheap, as well as Whole Foods. Forget stores in the middle, prices are inflated and not of any better quality. Leave those places for lazy out-of-boxes eating people who think sauce is made from powder. I've been writing down the prices of various items at the three stores within walking distance to me; I'll let you guys know if prices go up. Right now things are still good...

Thank God the summer is approaching & I can do a lot of foraging for wild edibles. That can save on the grocery bill a great deal...

juicekatz - I wish I could do what you are doing. I am trying to learn about wild herbs and plants, but it takes a long time to learn it alone. Also, I have no mountains, here in Indiana

rab Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> juicekatz - I wish I could do what you are doing.
> I am trying to learn about wild herbs and plants,
> but it takes a long time to learn it alone. Also,
> I have no mountains, here in Indiana


rab,

It's not that hard at all, really. With the internet full of great info. on i.d.'ing plants, lot of pictures & a good field guide, you should be all set. Also, there are great foraging forums that have members that are more than happy to assist you.


You're in Indiana? I would say that is a great location for wild edibles, many just now starting to emerge! Roadsides, fields, streams are all great places to look.

There may also be foragers in your local area that conduct "weed walks" where they teach you how to identify wild edibles in your area. Most, if not all are free of charge.

I encourage you to try your hand at it, it's a lot of fun!

juicerkatz, any suggestions for a good field guide?

Wild Edible Foods of North America has full colour photos so you know what you're looking at.
I personally avoid food grown near a road way. It wasn't so long ago that fuel was leaded so that soil close to the road is contaminated. Better a field, makes sure it's not sprayed. Best is your own backyard if you have one.

Ethnic produce markets have the best prices, as well as the best produce (usually). I am writing Whole Foods to decry the high prices of their conventional produce. There is absolutely no reason why they charge so much when they have a relatively large volume of produce, not to mention lots of customers buying it. Organic is expected to be more, but when conventional strawberries were going for $1-2 a container a few weeks ago (bumper crop), WF had them much higher. And conventional tomatoes are absurdly high.

Considered to be one of the best guides -

Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods - by Thomas Elias (Author), Peter Dykeman (Author)

No matter how high the prices go,its better than spending the money on twinkies and wonder bread.
And if they go too high,I will grow my own.

Vinny

Oops JK, that's the title I meant. *'_'*

Actually, I haven't noticed a glaringly high price for produce lately (which fluctuates in price daily/weekly) except for one thing: onions! They are usually one of the predictably cheap items a person will buy and lately they have been inexplicably high.

For wild edible identification I always use at least 3 resources. In addition to the above mentioned books, some others in my library also include Peterson Field Guides to Edible Wild Plants, also Peterson's Medicinal Plants, and wildflower identification books. I have been studying this subject for about 6 years now. It started with wildflower identification, collecting specimens of flowers and leaves, and then I was better able, the following years, to identify the green material at the beginning of the season.

Many greens are edible during early spring. As summer comes some of the acids and alkaloids (plant pest protectors) in the plants become too concentrated and therefore toxic. It is important to harvest parts of plants during the right time. Learning more every year!

I've got both of those Peterson books, picked them up at the thrift store for $3 total ~ what a score! I am pretty sure that the medicinal plants book will never see another printing as it's now against the law to promote anything other than pharmaceuticals as "medincinal". Scary that but good to know there are people out there keeping this knowledge alive. I think there will be a revolution towards yesteryear's practices more and more in future days.

coco, I envy you - with my current expenses, it will be very hard for me to get all the books I want. But, I will try. You gave me an idea to visit again some bookstores where they sell books for 1$ etc. I used to be very good with that, but now I am so far, that it makes it not so cheap (I have to drive an hour to get to downtown Chicago or some suburbs with good bookstores).

If a book is not going to be printed, it is morally acceptable in my mind to scan it and put it on torrent.

007, I will try to learn all that, but I hope it does not mean that we cannot find anything in the wild during summer, autmn and winter? I have heard of poeple survining eating the cortex (is that the word?) of trees.

The whole research requires time, organization, I have to do some training of myself...it is a long process. I wish I started this long time ago. Also, I do not think any "revolution" in the habbits will happen...economy all over the world is in very bad condition, people are scrambiling to survive, they don't have time to research, change habbits etc.

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ethnic produce markets have the best prices, as
> well as the best produce (usually).

I second that. Prices are about 1/3 of conventional at Publix, about 1/6 of organic at health food stores, and a lot less than at the farmer's market.

I am very grateful for my local Asian stores. My diet would suffer considerably without them.

rab, I only mentioned spring greens, yet many roots and young shoots are also available at this time of year. I saw Sergei Boutenko prepare green smoothies with the young tops of evergreen trees. He is very into wild greens and has some new materials out (http://greenforlife.com/green-smoothie-and-wild-edible-videos.htm. Not much on here but a few fast pictures.)

In the summer greens, flowers, and fruits are easily found. But again I state that some plants parts need to be harvested by a certain time, for instance: the silverweed root that tastes like parsnip needs to be harvested prior to the plant flowering. There is also much food available in the fall.

There may be some 'old-timer' in your area who use to harvest wild foods when they were young because they did not have a lot of money, dandelion first comes to mind. Dandelion greens are less bitter if harvested before flowering. Happy exploring and learning.

i recently priced out macademia nuts here locally and got a price of 53$/kilo
ok thats just nuts ! (pun intended)
food prices are going thru the roof to me this is unacceptable

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I just made a 6 foot wire shelf rack for growing sprouts,herbs,and grasses.
This rack has 6 shelves,and is 6 ft high. I may add grow lights to it if needed.
On this rack 4 of the Hypocrates 17x17x2 deep trays fit perfectly on each shelf.I also use cafateria trays for sprouts that dont go to green stage or grains used for dehydrated breads.

I will next make an 8 foot 3 level hydroponics unit for all kinds of greens and some veggies.

I will have fresh food all year round and at very cheap cost. I will be self sufficiant food wise and imune to cost rises.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2010 05:01PM by back2eden.

back2eden,

Where is this happening? In your home? Garage? Shed? Backyard?

Where is this happening? In your home? Garage? Shed? Backyard?

Right now in my house,but when I move out of the city a green house that will be up against the house with a common glass wall.

back2eden,

Cool beans : )

Totally cool beans! Please post some pictures of your progress, they are always so inspirational.
For me to do sprouting to that degree (or gardening) I would need a help meet, I have got my hands full just cleaning and keeping things going on my own. It's so hard to make things happen without community, I long for communal living! Where is it?!

coco
not sure if you are refering to me.

I second your longing for a communal living but will go on my own if the appropriate others dont show up. I have many off grid energy ideas.

Right now in eastern WA, soon the woods of northern ID,

I will make progress pics available.