How to Support Your Local Farmer on a Budget

You’ve been wondering how to support your local farmer (and eat healthier!) without busting your budget. If I can, you can.

Let’s do this!

Sound familiar? You’re in line again at the greasy drive-through for something shaped like chicken and it hits you; Why am I eating this? The crackly speaker voice snaps you out of that dream and you get a warm bag with leaky ketchup goo at the bottom in less than 5 minutes. Drive away, one hand in the bag while your knee steers the car. I don’t know what the other hand is doing —maybe holding a quart of diet Coke. It seems cheaper and it sure is convenient …but is this what you want?

Buying local produce isn’t just for people who live in the country

While it might seem easier to find locally grown produce in rural areas or small towns, it’s not necessary to move to the sticks to get farm fresh greens to your table. Check local guides for fresh produce available in season at farmer’s markets or directly from the farm. You can usually pick from several during the week. Bring a big bag and fill it up! Here’s the deal: The perception is that fresh produce directly from the farm is more expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.

Right now you’re thinking, “but I still have to go to the grocery store, so why not get everything in one place?” I’ll make this simple. Look at what you’re buying the next time you push that oversized basket up and down the aisle. Look at how much you spent on boxed, processed and shaped like chicken frozen mysteries. I know that food looks fun and easy, but do you remember what you ate for dinner last night?

I didn’t think so.

Now think about a big bag full of carrots, potatoes, fruit, greens and maybe something you haven’t eaten before, but the shape and color are calling you. Go on and get the tortilla chips and laundry detergent; maybe some dog food — and get out from under those fluorescent lights. The smell of soil on your veggies will make you feel like you moved to the country, guaranteed.

Supporting local farmers really can save you money

The CSA has become one of the best ways to support local agriculture, and improve your diet. Did you know that a CSA share can also be budget-friendly? I get it. I used to see CSA shares promoted and thing “gawleee.. I’m single, and that’s just too much food and too much money. What if I don’t eat it all?”

After moving back to Western Colorado, where fresh produce is part of our identity, I did the math.. a few times. By investing in a share of a local grower’s production, I was not only supporting agriculture, but supporting my own health. I kept a record of my grocery spending for 6 months. Big shock — it was less expensive to buy my food from a local farmer, than to drag my tired ass through a market and try to find a frozen bag of something that looked appealing that week. I saved an average of $25-30 per week using a CSA over going to the store for all my food. That’s a big chunk! $30 buys a decent bottle of bourbon. I rest my case.

Local means meat and dairy too!

Friends who are vegan or veggie, just look the other way for a few minutes while I talk about meat. Go ahead. Skip to the next section.

I haven’t bought meat at the supermarket in over a year. I didn’t stop eating it, but I do eat less and buy only from local farmers and ranchers. Yes – small production, locally raised, grass fed beef, pork and other meats are a little more expensive on average, but isn’t it worth it to know where your food comes from? If you enjoy meat, but know you should eat less, there is nothing better than buying food that was raised within a 50 mile radius of your home. This is better for us, the planet, and while it might sound weird – the animal who is feeding us.

Creative cooking with your farmer’s market finds

I know it can be a challenge to come home with a bag of vegetables, or have them delivered from your CSA, and not have a clue what to do with all this rainbow goodness. You were seduced by the rich smell of soil on those beets or carrots. You dreamed about the cool ways you would slice, dice and steam your way to glory with these finds… and 7 days later, your refrigerator looks like a middle school mold experiment. Gooey things that used to be greens now puddle in your produce bins. I won’t bother with a photo here. I’ve sinned as much as anyone else.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

When I get home from the farmer’s market, or find my bi-weekly delivery box filled with surprises, I take a quick inventory and commit to eating all of it, even if it means tossing the whole pile into the Instant Pot with some broth and seasoning. I’ve made soup that wasn’t intended to be soup, and roasted things that were on the edge of death row in the fridge. At least I didn’t waste any of it.

Last week, faced with a pile of early spring mustard greens, I got all Southern on them and used local bacon to turn them into my Sunday soul food. Yum!

There is a level of satisfaction you’ll start to get from doing food this way, that can’t be found in the aisles of Piggly Wiggly (or whatever cavern you shop in).

Do some math.

Take six months and look at your savings by simply going to the store less.

Get back to me. I really want to know!

Local farmers depend on us, just as we depend on them

There was a time when CSAs, trendy farmer’s markets, and even the term “organically grown” weren’t part of our world. If you were lucky enough to grow up with a garden, or had grandparents who farmed as mine did, fresh food was as close as the back yard. The “snap” of green beans as you worked your way through a big pan on the porch, or the sizzle of bacon without added chemicals, was not so far removed from families as it is now.

Living in a smaller town, it is admittedly easier to find food grown close to home, but it’s not impossible if you live in the city. Every state has a crop that grows well. Young farmers are having a hard time buying land now, so when older generations retire, developers are waiting to build houses on land that used to feed. Once that land is gone – it is gone. Let’s support farmers while we still have farms to support.

In order to get more local produce, meat and dairy (I’m a cheese-a-holic!) into my budget, I find room to save in other areas.

I buy economy toilet paper. It’s not that bad.

I eat out less because I have so much amazing food in my own kitchen. Cook big once or twice a week and you’ll have food for days.

Skip the overpriced coffee from a drive through. I actually buy good coffee from a local roaster, which tastes better than a sugar-loaded hot milkshake from the big chain. When I do splurge, I visit a locally owned coffee spot and take time to enjoy.

The bottle of bourbon I mentioned earlier makes a lot of good drinks for the price about 3 in a restaurant.

These are hardly sacrifices.

Slow food is the new fast

Whether you live in a spot where fruit weighs down the tree branches or lettuce and early spring greens are already coming up, find a way to support your health, local farmers and the good feeling of hand-picking your food while talking to the person who planted or raised it. We can all use a little more slow food in this too-fast world, right?

Thanks so much for reading, and please subscribe for weekly updates! I’ve got a lot planned as the weather warms up. Let’s hit the road and do some staycations too! Have a favorite fruit or veggie? Maybe a science project in the fridge? Share in the comments. J.