We hear you, feeding a family on a budget isn’t easy. Even harder? Feeding a family healthful and local food on a budget. We won’t pretend that we can beat the prices of places like Kroger or Martin’s, but that truly isn’t comparing apples and apples. Big grocery store chains bring in their food from all over the country (and really all over the world). It’s being mass produced on factory farms thousands of miles away, so they’re able to sell it for cheap. If cost is your only concern, then a big super market will definitely be cheaper. However, did you know, that as soon as food is harvested it begins to lose nutrients? This means that the sooner it gets to you, the more nutritious it is. Since grocery stores buy produce from thousands of miles away, the produce you get there isn’t as nutritious as what you get through Seasonal Roots.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Finding produce of our quality at the grocery store is tough, but the closest you’ll come is at places like Whole Foods and Fresh Market. The produce at these places is often organic, but not necessarily locally sourced, so it still might not be very fresh. We re-created a Breakfast Basket by shopping at these stores, to be able to show you a direct price comparison.
Seasonal Roots Breakfast Themed Basket:
Notable: All local, within 150 miles, and delivered to you 48 hours dirt to doorstep
1 Pint Blueberries
1/2 Pint Blackberries
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Sweet Candy Onions
Eastern Peaches
1 Dozen Pasture Raised Eggs
Kale
TOTAL: $32, plus tax with free delivery
Fresh Market Breakfast Bounty:
Notable: We lucked out by walking into a sale, but unfortunately that’s not always the case
1 Pint Blueberries – ON SALE – $4.99
1/2 Pint Blackberries – $4.99
Yukon Gold Potatoes – $3.11
Sweet Onions (didn’t have exact match) – $2.80
Eastern Peaches – ON SALE – $1.28
1 Dozen Pasure Raised Eggs – $5.99
Kale – $5.98
TOTAL – $29.87 w/tax
Whole Foods Breakfast Bounty:
Notable: Whole Foods didn’t have the same type of onions or potatoes, so we subbed something comparable. Plus, their peaches were from the west.
1 Pint Blueberries – 5.99
1/2 Pint Blackberries – 2.99
Russet Potatoes – 3.78
Vidalia Onions – 1.94
Western Peaches – 6.35
Organic Eggs – 5.29
Kale – 5.98
TOTAL – $33.13 w/tax
So, this comparison goes to show you that if you shop at high-end stores focused on the quality of their produce, our prices are a pretty good deal, especially since we deliver it! Plus, Fresh Market and Whole Foods sell non-local produce, from unknown farms, and there is no telling how recently it has been harvested. We found that these stores didn’t have the variety that we do, which is why we had to sub our more unique items for more standard grocery store items.
We are happy to answer your questions about where your food is coming from, we think it is really important to know who your farmer is. Our food is fresh, local, and sustainably grown – guaranteed.
About Seasonal Roots
Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our neighborhood market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grass fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.