On Feb 15, 8:08 pm, "James" wrote:
Produce is high these days. Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

Learn to use your farmer market. This is frozen Michigan, my winter
greens (I still have about 100 carrots, 50 radicchio heads, some 50
beets, 5 or 6 bokchoi and 5 or 6 collards in the ground) are frozen in
the hoophouses and I have been unable to pick anything since Jan. 27.
I have been eating some of the fresh-frozen beans and tomatoes from
last summer, and of course I have onions, garlic and various herbal
teas prepared in July. From the market:

- pillow-size bag of fresh arugula (was really very fresh): $2
- bushel of 2nd choice Northern Spy (better than first choice of other
apples): $12
- 25 lb of carrots (and Michigan has the best carrots); $8.

Plus of course grass-fed cow, $3/lb.
Not much variety in the winter, but that has always been the case. The
quality is still pretty good.