where the $$ goes...

i've decided to keep record of where are food dollars are spent--it's something i did a couple of years back as well. since i'm trying to buy the bulk of our items at the farmer's market, i want to keep tabs to see if it really is more expensive overall. the idea, of course is that i'll be paying more for certain items than i would at the supermarket, but buying altogether less stuff, since junky snack foods aren't as widely available from the farms as they are in the grocery aisles.

$15 per week goes directly to our csa box. this supplies the bulk of our fruits and veggies, but we do need to substitute most weeks for things that haven't been included in a particular week's box--salad mix this time around, for example. box pickup was wednesday and no salad was included. so i made a trip out to a nearby thursday market to pick some up. 

here's how the $$ was spent at the big weekend markets: 

massive herb foccacia loaf: $6

5 organic pears (first of season): $5

bag of assorted no-spray peppers: $3

2 blocks of organic locally made cheese and a small tub of lemon quark: $14

5 dried sausages made from organic, locally-raised, free-range pork: $10

30 zucchini blossoms: $4

handmade apple tart: $7

handmade organic apricot & cherry conserve: $6

1 dozen free-range eggs: $3.75

3 containers of strawberries: $7

2 packages locally made tortillas: $6

grand total = 71.75. add in the $15 for the csa and we're at 76.75. 

the sausages, apple tart and quark were non-necessities that i couldn't (or at least didn't) pass up. what i really needed was olive oil, but couldn't bring myself to fork over the $20-$24 for the locally made, organic offerings (500 mL bottles) at the market. so i frittered it away on treats instead, telling myself that trader joe's just might have a california-grown variety available. if not, i'm sure that they have organic. 

what we'll need during the week:  lowfat & whole milk, olive oil, some sort of meat for a few dinners, very likely more eggs (our old chickens are sadly not pulling their weight) and maybe some pasta, which could have been had at the market (fresh) for $4. 

in a perfect world, i'd like to stay at $100 for the week's groceries. looks like it might not be possible this week, as lucy's milk alone is $4.99/half gallon (with $1.50 refund for the returned glass bottle). oil will be around $8. eggs another $4. still, i do think we're close--and certainly happy with what we've been eating lately. everything tastes fresh and flavorful. i notice the difference most in the farmer's market cheeses vs. supermarket cheeses--i am in heaven with some of the new types that we've tried, particularly a dry jack cheese made with goat's milk that we're using in place of parmesean on salads, pasta, etc. 

i suppose in all honesty, i have to factor in my cost of getting to (and parking at) the farmer's market in san francisco this week, which is the only place where the cheese and sausage are available. $4 bridge toll and $6 parking. there goes another $10. 

good thing i have apple tart to make me feel better. :)