The list of bloggers participating in the Penny-Wise Challenge is posted over at the Eat Local Challenge blog. I'm anxious to read what others are eating, and how they are doing.
I read this over on Jamie's blog, 10 signs like this "It's all too tempting to say a lot of what we eat is "free"--after all, we produce our own eggs and most of our own vegetables. But we know better than anyone that it's not free! We'll charge ourselves fair market value, i.e., what we'd charge for it at the farmers' market."
I'd like to know how other people have chosen to cost their home grown produce. Personally, I have a garden for 2 reasons; taste and cost. Jamie is making a living from her produce, so that puts her in a different place than I am. I don't grow to sell to others, I garden so that I can afford to eat the way I want to eat. That's the same reason I can and freeze and dry so much during the harvest season. I am most comfortable costing out the price of the seeds and calling it even. I guess that probably doesn't help the person reading who doesn't have a garden, or isn't able to "put by" things for the winter, to get an idea of the costs of eating local. But I am curious as to how others have solved this dilemma.
Today is my Mother's birthday- I made a special dinner in honor of her. (Too bad she lives half way across the country and can't come eat it with me!) When I was growing up, I thought my mother was a wonderful cook. She made several things that were among my favorites, one was chile rellenos. Tonight I made a chile relleno casserole. I was too lazy to go downstairs and get the camera, so once again this is a cell phone picture, sorry for the less than sterling quality*
Also, I forgot to cost out the flatbread when it first appeared on the menu on Monday. Yikes! The cost tonight is the cost of all 8 flatbbreads I made on Sunday, so I won't count them again this week.
Day 5- The Menu
Breakfast: the ubiquitous cherry zucchini muffin (Costed out on Monday)
Lunch: flatbread with cheddar cheese and green onion
Dinner: Relleno casserole with salsa
Snack: yogurt with cherries
Local:
yogurt (in flatbread): $0.36
yogurt (snack): $0.24
green onion (4): $1.00
eggs (6): $0.60
Anaheim peppers $0.10 (from our garden)
cherries: $0.50
cheddar cheese: $0.80
salsa: $0.25 (from our garden last year)
Semi-local:
flour: $1.10 ($0.55 per pound, used 2 pounds)
rice: $0.55 ($0.55 per pound)
Total: $5.50 for the day, 68.87 if we include yesterday's lunch, 45.24 if we don't.
I read this over on Jamie's blog, 10 signs like this "It's all too tempting to say a lot of what we eat is "free"--after all, we produce our own eggs and most of our own vegetables. But we know better than anyone that it's not free! We'll charge ourselves fair market value, i.e., what we'd charge for it at the farmers' market."
I'd like to know how other people have chosen to cost their home grown produce. Personally, I have a garden for 2 reasons; taste and cost. Jamie is making a living from her produce, so that puts her in a different place than I am. I don't grow to sell to others, I garden so that I can afford to eat the way I want to eat. That's the same reason I can and freeze and dry so much during the harvest season. I am most comfortable costing out the price of the seeds and calling it even. I guess that probably doesn't help the person reading who doesn't have a garden, or isn't able to "put by" things for the winter, to get an idea of the costs of eating local. But I am curious as to how others have solved this dilemma.
Today is my Mother's birthday- I made a special dinner in honor of her. (Too bad she lives half way across the country and can't come eat it with me!) When I was growing up, I thought my mother was a wonderful cook. She made several things that were among my favorites, one was chile rellenos. Tonight I made a chile relleno casserole. I was too lazy to go downstairs and get the camera, so once again this is a cell phone picture, sorry for the less than sterling quality*
Also, I forgot to cost out the flatbread when it first appeared on the menu on Monday. Yikes! The cost tonight is the cost of all 8 flatbbreads I made on Sunday, so I won't count them again this week.
Day 5- The Menu
Breakfast: the ubiquitous cherry zucchini muffin (Costed out on Monday)
Lunch: flatbread with cheddar cheese and green onion
Dinner: Relleno casserole with salsa
Snack: yogurt with cherries
Local:
yogurt (in flatbread): $0.36
yogurt (snack): $0.24
green onion (4): $1.00
eggs (6): $0.60
Anaheim peppers $0.10 (from our garden)
cherries: $0.50
cheddar cheese: $0.80
salsa: $0.25 (from our garden last year)
Semi-local:
flour: $1.10 ($0.55 per pound, used 2 pounds)
rice: $0.55 ($0.55 per pound)
Total: $5.50 for the day, 68.87 if we include yesterday's lunch, 45.24 if we don't.
*What a strange world we live in where I am apologizing for the poor quality of a picture taken with a PHONE for gosh sakes!
2 comments:
Nice blog. I live in South Central Pennsylvania also. Around Elizabethtown. I should have participated in the pennywise thing, but the task of breaking everything down into cost was too daunting. YOu are doing a great job though!
Thanks, Meresy. I was over near ETown a while ago- in Bainbridge, actually. We are lucky to have so much local stuff available to us around here.
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