With Spring in full swing and Summer on the way, many have started gardens to help in lowering the cost of purchasing fruits and vegetables for their family. However not everyone has a green thumb, so to get around paying high prices for produce, here’s a few savvy shopping tips for buying these delicious tidbits for your family.
1. Buy fresh vegetables and fruits which are in season. This is because they are readily available and they are at their peak in taste. Since in season fruit is available, the cost of purchasing is lower than buying off season produce.
One of the best places to shop for “Fresh” is at farmer’s markets. These home grown items are about the freshest you’ll find as they come straight from the garden to the market for sale.
2. If you’re able to and have the know how, grow your own veggies. If you don’t want to clear a plot of land, do a bucket garden. Grow in each the type of vegetable your family likes. This will eliminate some of the cost for foods in your family budget. For tips on how to Bucket Garden, follow this link http://www.pasturemanagement.com/Howtobucketgarden.htm.
3. If gardening is out of the question and you don’t live close to a farmer’s market, shop in store sales. Since in season fruits and vegetables are readily available, a lot of times you’ll find them on sale more often. Too, don’t get stuck on just “Fresh”.
Purchasing frozen fruits and vegetables can be a great option to buying fresh, and you’ll have access to a variety of selections buying this way. Too, purchasing frozen fruits and vegetables can be a cost effective way of reducing a families food budget.
The same principle applies regarding in season fruits and vegetable even though they’re frozen. What is in season will be cheaper than purchasing off season items.
4. If you do raise a garden or shop farmer’s markets, plan on doing some canning. Stock your shelves with the fruits of your own labor. When one cans the vegetables and fruits they grow or buy they have a long shelf life.
Here’s a Vegetable Fajitas Recipe
1 or 2 Bell Peppers
1 Jalapeño or 2 depending on one’s taste
1 pound of baby carrots
2 onions of choice
2 or three squash (either yellow or zucchini
Pkg of your choice of shredded cheese and other toppings.
Flour tortilla’s or corn
1. Whether grilling outside or inside on the stove, be sure to give your veggies a liberal spraying of oil or coat with oil .(Veg or Olive Oil are the best)
2. Season with your choice of seasonings (I use garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.)
3. Grilling or inside cooking, start with the vegetables which take the longest to cook first. Then as they start to get tender add on your faster cooking vegetables.
*Note*
When it comes to cutting your veggies for cooking, keep in mind they need to be cut small enough to fit in your tortillas. So length wise is the best for cutting, if they are bigger veggies, you can then cut them in half once cut lengthwise.