It cost too much!

It's hump day, that means it's time to head to the Main Street Farmers Market! (Or think about going to your local market wherever you live. For you Pittsburgher's, there's one on the Northside every Friday)

Today, I'm going to to tackle one of the biggest excuses people make for not going to a farmers market. Though, before I do that I'd like to show you what happened to my purchases from last weeks Main Street Market.

The photo above shows the tastiest pork chop I've ever tasted, compliments of Sequatchie Cove Farm and the excellent grilling skills of my roommate, Joseph Shipp. The pork chops were marinated in olive oil, fresh rosemary from the garden, and garlic from River Ridge Farm. (Marinate over the duration of one tennis match.) Along with the amazing chops we roasted potatoes, beets, onions, and celeriac together with olive oil and garlic. (350 for about an hour) To top it all off we sauteed the stems and greens from the beets. And I couldn't possibly forget to mention our local beverage of choice, George Dickle Tennessee whiskey. This local meal, derived completely from the market, was nothing short of amazing. This was not due to our skills, but because of the labor of the farmers and animals. Add fellowship between good friends, and you've got a meal.

Now for this weeks topic: It costs too much to buy food from a farmers market!

I'll be very clear and transparent about my budget and spending, with the hope that it may inspire. Disclaimer: I'm a single 24 year old dude. I have no idea what shopping for a family would be like. For the sake of reality and to avoid my inherent idealism, I'm going to direct this thought toward my fellow twenty-somethings without kids.

I make $12 dollars an hour before tax. After paying taxes, rent, cell phone, car insurance, tithe, etc... I have about $400.00 to spend during a two-week period. I must mention that I have $15,000 left to pay in college debt. I want to send as much of that $400.00 to debt, rather than extraneous spending. I say this only to show you that I have to pinch my wallet as much as the next guy/girl. I maintain an active lifestyle and manage to eat lots of local food on a tight budget.

A long time ago people used to give most of the money in their budget to fresh food. Not so much anymore. This old tradition has inspired my budget. Here is what my two week budget looks like...

Grocery (or market) - $120
Fuel - $24
Restaurant - $20
Entertainment - $15
(you don't need to spend money to enjoy life)
*

If I need anything else (tooth brush, shirt, deodorant, planned trip, etc...), I add it too my budget at the beginning of my two week pay period or I save up for it.

* Most of the time I exceed my budget. I just started keeping one about 4 months ago. You've got to forgive yourself if you go over. Just make sure you have the money to spend! Budgets are as much organic as they are logical. Give yourself time to build a discipline.

I spend $40 - $50 over a two week budget period at the farmers market. I started at $20 bucks each week. Note to self: You must stop at the ATM before you go to a farmers market! Most farmers don't accept plastic.

You don't have to replace your local grocery store with your local farmers market. Think of it like a bike. Yes, a bike is an effective way to save the environment. However, it's not possible to use a bike for everything. Or, we're not ready to use a bike for everything. The same goes for the market. Start small. Go to your banks ATM and take out the minimal withdrawal amount. (Mine's twenty bucks) Take that amount and spend it on your local market.

Here are some other short tips that have worked for me:

- Eat with other people. Yes, it cost more when you're doing the cooking. Eventually, you'll have people cooking for you as well.

- Don't buy too much meat. You really don't need that much and it's expensive.

- Eat simple, local meals. (And pack a lunch) All of my meals don't look like the one above. I usually eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday. For breakfast I cook local eggs and enjoy a side of Niedlov's bread or oatmeal from bi-lo. For lunch I make myself a peanut butter sandwich with Niedlov's bread. With my sandwich I'll have carrots, cucumber or tomato from the market. Sometimes, I'll take celery and put peanut butter on it. You should know that I do shop at grocery stores, I love apples, among other things, and my market doesn't carry them.

- Pick out simple recipes for dinners and cook for the week. I cook a lentil soup. Aside from the lentils, all of the ingredients come from the market. I store the soup for dinners that I don't have time to cook for.

- Start a budget.

- Take a risk. You may be like me, I never knew how to cook. If I couldn't microwave it, I wasn't buying it. Take a risk and challenge yourself to buy something you never heard of. Ask someone at the market what they do with it.

Lastly, I will state, farmers markets can be more expensive than the grocery store. And if you're not acquainted, the market can take time to adjust to. I think you have to ask yourself, "what do I value?" I've decided that eating good food is important to me and I've manage with eat my values on a small budget. That's not to say that my values are better than yours.

My goal is that You, Me and Everyone In Between realizes the importance of and partake in eating good, healthy, local food!

Cheers!