I Finally went to my farmer's market and..

[KimZ]

I finally went to our Farmer's Market and I was wondering if I got some good deals? This is what I got

1 qt of Organic Honey $8.00 - this is usually 6.99 for a little plastic container so I know this was a good one!
3 - Beef Tendons for my doggy $9.00 - it's his Christmas Gifts and they are HUGE probably last him 6 months easy
3 Organic Pickling Cuc's $1.00
2 Organic Green Peppers - HUGE - for Stuffed peppers $1.50
1 large organic zucc $.50
2 dozen medium clams ( DD's request for her honor roll dinner!) $8.00 I have never bought these before so I am not sure about these at all!


I am looking for some GOOD advice on finding the best deals. We do organic because DD is allergic to a LOT of peticides..... My Local HFS(Health Food Store) has deals sometimes also...

If anyone has a better place to post about any of this let me know because I was clueless

[Contrary Housewife]

That sounds like an excellent price on the honey and good prices on the other items.

It's like shopping anywhere else. Compare prices. I have found at ours that prices can vary from booth to booth... but sometimes if the deal is too good it is gone when I go back 10 minutes later. Ask yourself, does the food look fresh and ripe? What is the price compared to the supermarket? Is this local produce? Or was it bought wholesale from Mexico?

I always take cash. Since I'm not a morning person I often get there in the final hour before closing. I find prices are more negotiable then.

[HappyMama]

Wow, good deals. To me anything in your price range, organic and locally grown is an awesome deal.

I love honey and use it in everything so we get 60 pounds at a time.

Love pickling cucumbers and make our own pickles in the fridge, and can some for all year.

Great job.

So wish ours wasn't end of season.

[KimZ]

YEAH ME! So my farmer's market is there every sat.... and the 1 Organic Farmer is local so I know I want to go back.. but here's my next question:

He has Green Eggs? he said it was from a specialty free range chicken .... but I have never heard of green eggs .. has anyone else? He want $.98 (which for eggs is AWESOME) and oh yeah he had fresh unpasturized milk - which to me sounds scary - but it was a good deal on Organic since I usually pay 4.69 for a 1/2 gallon... Has anyone ever tried this type of milk? is it safe?

[KimZ]

That sounds like an excellent price on the honey and good prices on the other items.

It's like shopping anywhere else. Compare prices. I have found at ours that prices can vary from booth to booth... but sometimes if the deal is too good it is gone when I go back 10 minutes later. Ask yourself, does the food look fresh and ripe? What is the price compared to the supermarket? Is this local produce? Or was it bought wholesale from Mexico?

I always take cash. Since I'm not a morning person I often get there in the final hour before closing. I find prices are more negotiable then.

The problem with this is... even at 8:30 am this morning he was out of Organic Lettuce and Eggplant

[KimZ]

Wow, good deals. To me anything in your price range, organic and locally grown is an awesome deal.

I love honey and use it in everything so we get 60 pounds at a time.

Love pickling cucumbers and make our own pickles in the fridge, and can some for all year.

Great job.

So wish ours wasn't end of season.

Since I know you are the "queen" of buying organics at the local farmers market and auctions I take this an EXTREME Compliment!

Our season is just starting .... come on down to Florida! We LOVE visitors since last year was wiped out from the Gulf Spill :-(

[HappyMama]

YEAH ME! So my farmer's market is there every sat.... and the 1 Organic Farmer is local so I know I want to go back.. but here's my next question:

He has Green Eggs? he said it was from a specialty free range chicken .... but I have never heard of green eggs .. has anyone else? He want $.98 (which for eggs is AWESOME) and oh yeah he had fresh unpasturized milk - which to me sounds scary - but it was a good deal on Organic since I usually pay 4.69 for a 1/2 gallon... Has anyone ever tried this type of milk? is it safe?

Organic* Raw* milk is liquid gold to many. Some would say you are very very lucky with the milk , eggs and his prices. I won't say much on here about as it is "illegal" in many states. Pm if you want to know more. What a great resource this man will be.

As for the eggs I would buy them. Organic farm raised at that price is incredible. The Chickens are grey and called Araucanas and they lay green shell colored eggs.

The Araucana produces a pigment called oocyanin, which is a product of bile formation, and results in blue or bluish-green eggs.

This factor is also an indication of the relative purity of the stock in relation to original Araucanas. The original shell colour of Araucana eggs is blue, but a variety of colours have been produced by crossing Araucanas with other breeds.

This is a simplification, of course, and there is a considerable range of blue - green - olive hues, depending on the genetic make-up of the breeds involved, bearing in mind that many so-called Araucanas are themselves crosses.

I would save the seeds of the organic or heirlooms and try growing some yourself being that you are in a warm climate area.


Great job.

[cheles2kids]

I agree, it sounds like reeeally good deals.

The last time I bought honey from our local peeps at the Farmer's Market I paid $12.00 per quart.
But a quart will last us at least a year if not longer.

But I don't mind paying this price because I've bought from this particular family before & I know how good their honey is.
While not labeled 'organic' they do use low/no chemical use in all of their products.

Alot of smaller farms can't afford to go through the 'Organic' certification process because it costs sooo much & takes so long in order to become certified.

I would jump all over that unpastuerized milk, nobody in my 'neck of the woods' sells "Raw" milk but believe me I've been looking.
There are farms who sell it, just not in my area, and it sells for $8.00-$12.00 per gallon.
Yep...you read that right.

[shoiji]

Don't be afraid to look at you local large grocery stores. Many times they have organic items, especially frozen veggies that are good deals.

[MTS04]

Green Eggs:
Araucana produces a pigment called oocyanin, which is a product of bile formation, and results in blue or bluish-green eggs. The pigment makes it's way to the shell during the egg formation.
Araucana's became very popular because of Martha Stewart and her endorsement of them as good free range chickens.

[Debbie-cat]

Great prices!! That farmer will be a wealth of information and goodies for you! As far as the milk goes, that is all I drank growing up. There is nothing like raw milk by I would somehow find out more from the farmer as how the milking process is done....cross contamination can occur.

[lparker]

It's possible some one knows more than I, but, I can not see how a bee keeper trains 50,000 bees in each hive he owns so as they ONLY go to flowers from unsprayed plants when bees can travel miles. Just saying.

It is a good price on the honey tho'.

[HappyMama]

It's possible some one knows more than I, but, I can not see how a bee keeper trains 50,000 bees in each hive he owns so as they ONLY go to flowers from unsprayed plants when bees can travel miles. Just saying.

It is a good price on the honey tho'.

Hi Lee,

Wondered where you have been! Missed your posts. Hope all is well.

I found that if not organic some bee keepers can and do feed their bees G*M* O beet sugar or HFCS. It is very interesting the whole process to certify and keep it organic. I buy from someone that has over 150 acres and is very interesting. According to USDA regulations, honey cannot be labeled certified organic if its production uses even traces of prohibited chemicals, drugs or antibiotics. Non-organic beekeepers routinely use sulfa compounds and antibiotics to control bee diseases, carbolic acid to remove honey from the hive and calcium cyanide to kill colonies before extracting the honey¹, and of course conventional honeybees gather nectar from plants that have been sprayed with pesticides. The Lancet, a prestigious international medical journal, reported in 1993 that conventionally produced honey may contain residues of these chemicals and should be used with caution², which is one of the reasons many of us jump for joy when we find a reliable source of certified organic honey.

Here is some research and information I found and passed on , not sure where I got from though has been awhile.

After looking for awhile I I found out that for honey to be certified organic, the manufacturer has to meet a set of very stringent organic standards and conditions during the honey production (set by a organic agriculture certification body), which include source of the nectar, honey bees foraging area, bees management, honey extracting process, transportation, processing temperature, and packaging materials. Honey that claims to be organic is also tested to guarantee that it does not contain any residues of pesticides or environmental pollutants. Farming of organic honey has to meet rigorous and extensive monitoring and testing criteria of the certification body, for instance, the documentation of, and consultation with every land user within a five kilometer
radius of the organic hives to ensure they are free of chemical residue; regular analysis and testing of honey samples; and hives have to be proven free of non-organic honey, sugar and antibiotics.

Hope that helps.

[lparker]

Thanks. I did a little research and found that there is no USDA standard for organic honey. Honey is certified by third parties and there is no required followup testing. Although there are producers that follow organic guidelines, there are also others that don't.

(Sorry for the thread highjack - I just don't believe in "organic" just minimal chemical food)

[frugalwarrior2]

Well I wish we had that availability at our farm market!
your deals sound good. Also,take time to get to know some regulars or preorder things and pick up the next week.
I have an "apple guy".