Apples to apples
Farmers’ markets are a better deal than you might think
By Caroline Cummins
June 11, 2007
Farmers’ markets are kind of like New York, right? Entertaining, eclectic, and very expensive?
According to a recent Tom Philpott column on Grist, this is exactly the view that Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini takes of American farmers’ markets:
[In his new book,] Petrini portrays the Ferry Market [in San Francisco] as a kind of foodie “boutique,” a place where well-rested farmers peddle pricey vegetables to an elite of “actresses” who then flaunt their heirloom squashes like the latest accessory.
Philpott takes Petrini to task for a) not doing his homework and b) refusing to discuss the wider ramifications of food and class in the U.S. Meanwhile, in Seattle, a university professor named Stacey Jones decided to do both via a class project.
Jones sent students from her business-statistics class at Seattle University out to local markets to do some math. Their conclusions? Farmers’ markets are a better deal than supermarkets.
“On average,” the Seattle Times reported, “the farmers markets’ prices were slightly lower than its competitors’.”
The students compared 15 common grocery items, including Fuji apples, salad mix, asparagus, and red potatoes. A pound of the apples, for example, cost $1.99 at the Broadway Farmers’ Market, while the same apples cost $2.49 a pound at a supermarket in the same neighborhood. Salad mix cost a bit more at the farmers’ market, but the asparagus? No contest: the green stalks fetched $3 a pound at the farmers’ market, while the supermarket tripled the price to $8.99 a pound.
Blogger Sam of Becks and Posh did a similar if less academic comparison and got similar results:
Shopping for fresh produce at the farmers’ market over the last two weekends saved me a full 29% on what I would have spent on the same or inferior items at Safeway.
“There’s sort of a common perception that the farmers market is more expensive,” Jones told the Times. “A lot of people feel they’re doing the farmers a favor.”
Apparently the farmers are doing us a favor as well.
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There are 5 comments on this item
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1. by erinskitchen on Jun 11, 2007 at 4:22 PM PDT
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of the seattle times article--I know from my own experience that many items (lemons, for example) are much cheaper at the market, but it’s nice to have scientific evidence to back it up!
2. by joehawkins on Jun 11, 2007 at 5:53 PM PDT
i just conducted my own quick (albeit unscientific) comparison. as it happened, i listed yesterday’s farmer’s market purchases. i am unemployed at the moment, so i pay attention to “market opportunities”. fortunately i have a good digital scale at home and most of my purchases still in tact. using von’s online store information, my farmer’s market bill is lower by $11! ($34 vs $45 figure in quality and the lovely weekly experience... bargain!
3. by anonymous on Jun 12, 2007 at 6:14 AM PDT
I think shopping and eating from local farmers markets are a great idea! Not only is the food fresher but you know where its coming from and helping your local economy. There is a great site online called the Eatwellguide.org which gives a listing for all local farmers markets, you should check it out!
4. by Jason Truesdell on Jun 12, 2007 at 9:51 AM PDT
For me, the price comparison depends on a lot of factors. At the pure “farmer’s markets” I often get very good deals on in-season, local fruits and vegetables. That’s less so at supermarkets, or, if the price is good, the quality isn’t.
At some vendors in the Pike Place Market, I might pay a little more for ingredients that are either hard to find or lower quality at supermarkets.
Another factor is that becoming a regular at a Farmer’s Market, or even a greengrocer at the Pike Place Market, may score you some deals because non-barcode-dependent vendors there are more likely to round prices down, or throw in a few extras, or confide in you that this week’s cherries aren’t as good as what’s coming next weekc.
5. by anonymous on Jun 12, 2007 at 2:02 PM PDT
I think the prices of farmers’ markets vs. supermarkets may also vary depending on how close you are to the country. I live in Asheville, NC, and our farmers’ market is MUCH cheaper than the supermarket. But, there are also two parts of the farmers’ market - the vendors’ building that stays open year round and has stall after stall of produce, local honey, etc, and the large lot behind the vendors’ building where farmers bring their goods daily. This is usually cheaper than the vendors’, and it’s the best place to buy in-season local fruit. (AND huge pumpkins around Halloween!)
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