The cost of vegetables

[MamaBearTeacher]

Has really gone up recently, has it not? Why is this?

[Bluegoat]

Drought in California?  Their whole agricultural sector is in trouble, which is what happens when an area with fragile water resources starts shipping it out all over the continent in the form of fruits and vegetables.

 

Many areas, although they could supply their own needs, aren't prepared to do so.

[MamaBearTeacher]

But there has been drought in California for some time.

[Arcadia]

I'm in Silicon Valley. Been grocery shopping at Trader Joes, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Grocery Outlet and asian supermarkets the past few days. I only noticed the price has risen for eggs, my usual vegetables and fruits has not rise in price. Hubby says gas prices has gotten up.

[cjzimmer1]

Ours has gone up a little but nothing more than the usual winter prices.  During warm weather most of my grocery stores buy as much local as possible which I'm sure is cheaper for no other reason than shipping costs are minimal.  Now that we are covered with snow and ice, the stuff has to be transported a whole lot farther to get here.  SO yes stuff has gone up from a few months ago but not any higher than this time a year ago.

[Carrie12345]

The other day, my PA store wasn't terribly high, but quite bare, with signs warning of continued slim pickings. (Does that count as a pun, or literal fact?)

Edited January 3, 2016 by Carrie12345

[Mrs. Darinski]

Here in my little corner of Canada, I was recently astounded to see imported cauliflower going for $7 a head!!!  :scared: Never in my life have I seen it this high.  Usually it will go for not more than $2 or $3.  Needless to say, we didn't have any this Christmas and won't be having any anytime soon at that price!  :(

[QueenCat]

I haven't noticed anything abnormal for the season of the year here. And eggs have gone back down in price. Gas prices are awesome ($1.69/gallon).

[Tanaqui]

But there has been drought in California for some time.

 

And the longer it goes on, the worse it gets.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's always expensive in winter where I am.  I went to several stores and could not find cauliflower.  I wonder what is up with that. 

 

 

[GailV]

I saw a headline recently about cauliflower going way up in price.  I think it has to do with a shortage, although I'm not sure the reason behind that and if it's just in certain regions.  I wondered if the trend in roast cauliflower was adding to that -- sort of like inexpensive cuts of meat that get to be trendy and then go up in price.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I saw a headline recently about cauliflower going way up in price.  I think it has to do with a shortage, although I'm not sure the reason behind that and if it's just in certain regions.  I wondered if the trend in roast cauliflower was adding to that -- sort of like inexpensive cuts of meat that get to be trendy and then go up in price.

 

What a bummer. 

 

Although of all the vegetables it is one of the few I don't mind paying more for because it can sit for a bit. This time of year one could pay $4 for a stupid head of lettuce that is half dead already.

[mathnerd]

I'm in Silicon Valley. Been grocery shopping at Trader Joes, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Grocery Outlet and asian supermarkets the past few days. I only noticed the price has risen for eggs, my usual vegetables and fruits has not rise in price. Hubby says gas prices has gotten up.

Just the last week, in Silicon Valley, I saw the price of Cauliflower $5.99/head and decided to buy some other vegetable. I believe that local prices are holding somewhat steady but the drought is creating havoc in the vegetable market for sure.

[Arcadia]

Just the last week, in Silicon Valley, I saw the price of Cauliflower $5.99/head and decided to buy some other vegetable.

That is high for cauliflower. Going to lookout when we go to india cash and carry. Have not see frozen cauliflower 12oz packs at the supermarkets for some weeks. Maybe there is a really bad cauliflower shortage.

 

I was buying my usual mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and spinach so didn't notice any price spike.

[Carol in Cal.]

Part of the problem in CA is that farmers started to consciously let their veggies go so they could save their water for the fruit and nut trees, which take a while to reestablish if they die of thirst.  So those who lost their allotments (and there were a lot of them this year) or had them cut back by 2/3 are letting veggie fields go fallow.  Even the ones without fruit trees are having to cut back on production.  It has been brutal out here.  Last year had the least precipitation for 1200 years.  And that was after 3-4 prior years of really bad drought. 

 

The early winter arctic rains have helped a lot, but it takes a lot of courage to plant when you don't know whether they are coming or not.  We are at higher than normal snowpack for this time of the year, for the first time in ages, but who knows what will happen next.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Carol in Cal.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Here in my little corner of Canada, I was recently astounded to see imported cauliflower going for $7 a head!!!  :scared: Never in my life have I seen it this high.  Usually it will go for not more than $2 or $3.  Needless to say, we didn't have any this Christmas and won't be having any anytime soon at that price!  :(

I have the same thing in Florida.  It used to be $3.00 per head.  Last month I wash shocked it was $4 and now I'm shocked that it is $5.  It has never been that high.  This is for the regular cauliflower, I saw organic for $8

 

ETA:  hadn't read ahead so now I see why this is

Edited January 3, 2016 by Pink and Green Mom

[Carrie12345]

Now I'm considering stopping by some other stores today to check their situations out. I already plan on stopping by Wegman's on Tuesday.

 

I know I read the warnings fairly early in the growing season, and then I forgot all about them. I'm kind of surprised other cold areas aren't seeing much or any change.  My supermarket is a co-op, not a corporation, so maybe it doesn't have quite the same buying power as other stores?  If I do run in my regular store today, I'm going to take a picture.  The tomato shelves were actually quite startling. On the plus side, I usually use canned in the winter, anyway.  I know the sign they posted included almonds and broccoli, but I don't remember what else. (I was NYE shopping and it was a madhouse, so I wasn't lingering.)

 

We have plenty of small, local farms to shop in-season, but none are set up for year-round supply.  I think the one down the street is coming to the end of their cool weather crop right now. Their front field looked happy through our unusually warm Nov/Dec. And most of my kids decided they no longer like squash.  :glare:

[Sarah CB]

Here in my little corner of Canada, I was recently astounded to see imported cauliflower going for $7 a head!!!  :scared: Never in my life have I seen it this high.  Usually it will go for not more than $2 or $3.  Needless to say, we didn't have any this Christmas and won't be having any anytime soon at that price!  :(

 

Here, on the edge of Canada, too - $7.99 for a head of cauliflower that didn't even look great.  Thankfully, there's Costco.  I got a whole bag of cauliflower florets for $4.99.

 

Fil was visiting and put a bag of grapes into my cart at the local grocery store - they were $14.80.  He just about had a heart attack.  

 

[Lanny]

California native here...  Apparently, the problems originated because of terrible decisions the State of California made, during the 1970's.  My understanding is that most of the water that is used for drinking, agriculture, etc., comes from Snow that falls in the Sierra Nevada range.  Until a week or so ago, recently, those mountains had received little Snow. The heavy rains recently are not a lot of use, because the majority of the rain water (80% or more?) flows back into the Pacific Ocean.  The Agriculture industry in the San Joaquin Valley (the Central Valley and the biggest agricultural producing area in the USA) has been devastated by the reduced amount of water available for farming.  Part of that has to do with protecting a fish as I recall.      Hopefully, things in Mexico are much better and stores in the USA can import lots of fruits and vegetables from Mexico.   The apples I have purchased in recent weeks come from the USA. Sometimes, they are excellent, but usually the ones from Chile have a little better flavor and are fresher.  Also, the amount of water available in California, from the Colorado River has probably been reduced, or, will be reduced, because of growth in the other states that share water from the Colorado River.  

[Lanny]

When I go to the supermarket later, I will try to remember to check the price of Cauliflower.  I just scanned some other posts in this thread and I saw  a number of references to Cauliflower.  Now, I'm curious...     I hope we are able to ship fresh fruits and vegetables up there, but please understand that part of the price you pay, in the USA or Canada, includes the cost of that produce going in jet freighters to Miami, and then being trucked to your local area.  And, depending on what it is, some things need to be refrigerated, which also adds to the shipping costs, if they need to store it in a refrigerated warehouse in MIA (Miami International Airport), before clearance by U.S. Customs and the inspections that take place to be sure there are no insects that are harmful, etc.. The "plus" side, for those of you in the USA is that the U.S. Dollar recently became extremely strong here (a financial blessing for our family), so the price the wholesalers pay, for the fruit and vegetables they buy here is very low, in U.S. Dollars.  We send you other things, in addition to Fresh Flowers, but the air freight rates for the trip to Miami, per pound or per kilo are high, when perishables are involved.   Especially if refrigeration is necessary.

[Carrie12345]

A few weeks back, maybe even a month, I couldn't find cauliflower in our store.  Now, we don't usually eat cauliflower, so it could just be that I'm a dunce who doesn't know the super secret place it's kept, but I'd think it'd be near the broccoli we eat regularly, and it wasn't.

[Closeacademy]

And this is why we decided to start growing and canning our own.  So that we would know what was in them and the cost of seeds is much less expensive than buying in the store.

[cjzimmer1]

I will agree with others that cauliflower has taken an unusually large jump compared to other veggies but it did that last winter too.  I haven't even bothered to look this winter because I remember the spikes from last year but I do remember seeing it around $4-5 last year.  My family doesn't really like cauliflower so it isn't something I buy often.

[Ethel Mertz]

Fascinating. I'll be at Whole Foods and Trader Joes tomorrow and will check the cauliflower.

[kewb]

I have noticed the prices had gone up but it is winter and they go up in winter. I have not purchased cauliflower in a while because when it hit $3 a head I was priced out. I did notice cauliflower and broccoli are higher than usual. As is lettuce.

I do remember reading early in the summer that the California drought was going to contribute to slim pickings this winter.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Cauliflower!!  So funny to see it mentioned here!  I was at Walmart yesterday looking for frozen.  The only bags they had were blends of cauliflower/broccoli.   The man stocking said he'd not seen frozen cauliflower on its own for several weeks.  I ended up going with a cauliflower seasoned with garlic, as it was only for soup.

 

I would expect cauliflower to be costly right now; it's out of season, isn't it? 

 

I haven't noticed a general increase in prices though. 

[whitestavern]

The cauliflower problem is killing me. We love cauliflower! It was difficult to find for a while. I finally saw some yesterday for $5 a head, and I did purchase it. Yikes. While I was at the store, they were out of radishes, asparagus, scallions, and another veggie I can't remember at the moment. It was very odd.

[Ethel Mertz]

I just googled and found this article on cauliflower.

[Jenn121]

I live in Northern Cali. I buy my veggies through a local organic coop that uses Vertitable Vegetables as their primary veggie source. Cauliflower is 4.06 a head. 

[Lanny]

I bought cauliflower in the supermarket today. The sign (in Spanish) said: "Coliflor Sm. 500 gr $1790".  Small Cauliflower. 500 grams is approximately one pound.  1000 grams = 1 kilo = 2.2 pounds. The official exchange rate today is 3.149,47, so if I calculate this correctly, 500 grams is $1790 COP (Colombian Pesos) or about 57 cents per pound (USD or U.S. Dollars).

 

On my receipt it shows 0.610 kg (kilograms) at 3580 per kilo and a price of 2184 Pesos or about 69 cents (U.S. Dollars) for a small cauliflower.

 

Note: I have converted the price I paid today (03 January 2016) into U.S. Dollars, at todays official exchange rate. Approximately 24 months ago, everything we purchased here in Colombia cost us approximately twice as much, paying with U.S. Dollars, as it does today. The U.S. Dollar became extremely strong here during 2015. I believe that began during October 2014. Much of the rise in the value of the U.S. Dollar has to do with the drop in the price of Petroleum on the world market.  

[scoutingmom]

Cauliflour is extra expensive here too... it was over $6 Cdn for tiny heads. I couldn't find radishes, and Celery was about $3.75 for some skinny stalks. Bell Peppers and cucumbers were above our normal winter prices too. It is going to make our roughly weekly movie night (veggie and cheese platter for supper) impossible for us.

 

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[SereneHome]

I am in New England so produce is always more expensive here in the winter.  But it is still the cheapest item on my grocery bill.

 

I am going to track things a lot closer this year as I am trying to decrease our food budget as drastically as I can.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I managed to find cauliflower at Walmart today.  $3.49. 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

A standard sized cauliflower is about £1, so USD1.50 at present.  We have a temperate climate, however, so brassicas grow fairly easily here (if you can discourage the pigeons and the caterpillars).  I had summer Brokali producing in my garden until December, and we walked by a (smelly) Brussels sprout field when we were out walking a couple of days ago.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Laura Corin

[MamaBearTeacher]

Thanks for all the explanations! Yes, it was the cauliflower I noticed most of all, then lettuce, celery, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. We eat these a lot too. I hope things eventually improve.

[Ms.Ivy]

I live in California and in my immediate and extended family, we never eat tomatoes, peppers, or zucchini in the winter. They are summer veggies that nearly everyone on my street grows in their yards, and we simply don't eat them in the winter. We eat cabbage, potatoes, greens, parsley, peas, carrots, beets, turnips, oranges, kiwis, and spinach in the winter. The in- season veggies are usually under a dollar a pound. I have never lived elsewhere so I am not sure what it's like in other areas.

[scoutingmom]

I live in California and in my immediate and extended family, we never eat tomatoes, peppers, or zucchini in the winter. They are summer veggies that nearly everyone on my street grows in their yards, and we simply don't eat them in the winter. We eat cabbage, potatoes, greens, parsley, peas, carrots, beets, turnips, oranges, kiwis, and spinach in the winter. The in- season veggies are usually under a dollar a pound. I have never lived elsewhere so I am not sure what it's like in other areas.

Well, where I live (in Canada), we go most of the months of the year without in-season vegetables.... so we just buy stuff and expect thd prices to vary over the year.

 

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[Rosie_0801]

Well, where I live (in Canada), we go most of the months of the year without in-season vegetables.... so we just buy stuff and expect thd prices to vary over the year.

 

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There is nothing much in the way of indigenous food sources? Asking because people here are starting to make a few small moves towards selling some of our bush tucker commercially. Dd also got a book on edible weeds for Christmas. They are nice and cheap! (I realise that's not an option if you are hanging out in a Canadian winter, but we had fun yesterday watching a vid on the Norse here they talked a very little about preparing food for winter.)

Edited January 4, 2016 by Rosie_0801

[scoutingmom]

There is nothing much in the way of indigenous food sources? Asking because people here are starting to make a few small moves towards selling some of our bush tucker commercially. Dd also got a book on edible weeds for Christmas. They are nice and cheap! (I realise that's not an option if you are hanging out in a Canadian winter, but we had fun yesterday watching a vid on the Norse here they talked a very little about preparing food for winter.)

 

Oh, of course there are some...  Potatoes, Tomatos, Zuchini, Onions, Rhubarb, Corn, and various other vegetables.  Oh, and there are berries: Raspberries, Strawberries, Saskatoons...

 

However, there is in my part of Canada only a single crop per year.  (And for some vegetables, you have to pick varieties with a shorter growing time....)   You are taking a huge chance if you plant a garden before the May Long Weekend (about May 24th), as a late frost will kill the crop.  (We have had snow storms occasionally after that weekend, but it is rare... but a couple of years ago my daughter with a May birthday got snow on her birthday....)    You generally need to harvest by the end of August, as there is generally a snow sometime in September (although this year we did Halloween in light jackets!  That is RARE).

[Serenade]

I just googled and found this article on cauliflower.

 

 

Interesting.

 

I didn't know cauliflower was such a popular vegetable. 

[Bluegoat]

There is nothing much in the way of indigenous food sources? Asking because people here are starting to make a few small moves towards selling some of our bush tucker commercially. Dd also got a book on edible weeds for Christmas. They are nice and cheap! (I realise that's not an option if you are hanging out in a Canadian winter, but we had fun yesterday watching a vid on the Norse here they talked a very little about preparing food for winter.)

 

I'm in Canada and I get most of my veg from local sources throughout the year.  I'm lucky because my province is betetr than most for finding sources, in some places it is difficult because globalization has so badly affected local production.

 

For me, I am getting local califlower for $4 a head, which is actually cheaper than the imported ones.  However, they will probably not be on the shelves soon as their storage possibilities run out.  We will have broccoli a little longer, and Brussel sprouts, along with potatoes, turnip, carrots, onions, kale, and parsnip the whole year.  Also things grown under cover are often available like pea shoots or spinach.  Squash, beets, and celeriac may be around all year, but not always.  We can usually get local hothouse tomatoes though they are fairly expensive and don't have great flavor.  Apples and frozen blueberries are the main winter fruits. 

 

Winter isn't a great time of year to be a vegetarian here for anyone serious about local food.

 

ETA - a few years ago I joined a winter CSA.  It was great, we always got potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, and garlic, and a green, and then a few special things and a few preserves.  Unfortunately the farmer got a job at the urban farm so they aren't available any more.  I'd love to grow my own winter veg, but storage in my suburban home is an issue, though my husband is going to make me a proper cold room which should help.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Bluegoat

[Carol in Cal.]

Canada peeps--there is a great book by someone who lives in upstate New York (so, pretty far north for the US, and a pretty cold climate) that might be applicable to your own gardening.  It's called 'This Organic Life', and it's an entertaining memoir about someone achieving 'vegetable self-sufficiency' in that climate. 

 

I imagine that there are also Canadian reference books that are very good, but this one is entertaining from a semi-homesteading perspective.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Canada peeps--there is a great book by someone who lives in upstate New York (so, pretty far north for the US, and a pretty cold climate) that might be applicable to your own gardening.  It's called 'This Organic Life', and it's an entertaining memoir about someone achieving 'vegetable self-sufficiency' in that climate. 

 

I imagine that there are also Canadian reference books that are very good, but this one is entertaining from a semi-homesteading perspective.

 

I find this incredibly hard to believe.  I live in upstate NY.  Either we are the worst gardeners in the history of gardening (possible) or it's really really really difficult around here.  Some years we do very well.  Some years we get almost nothing.

 

This past summer would have been decent if it weren't for a gopher eating most of our stuff.  : (

[SparklyUnicorn]

ground hog or gopher...one of those....

 

 

[Ethel Mertz]

Cauliflower, this morning, in New England:

 

Whole Foods - conventionally grown head of cauliflower: $4.99

 

Trader Joes - 12 oz package of cauliflower florets: $2,49

 

I'm thinking of doing some container gardening this summer. Cauliflower will be on the list.

[Tanaqui]

I find this incredibly hard to believe.  I live in upstate NY.  Either we are the worst gardeners in the history of gardening (possible) or it's really really really difficult around here.  Some years we do very well.  Some years we get almost nothing.

 

Well, it's gotta be possible. People have been living there for ages before we were transporting food all over the continent.

 

[Luckymama]

Mid-Atlantic Costco this evening------cauliflower florets, $2.19/lb.

[Bluegoat]

I find this incredibly hard to believe.  I live in upstate NY.  Either we are the worst gardeners in the history of gardening (possible) or it's really really really difficult around here.  Some years we do very well.  Some years we get almost nothing.

 

This past summer would have been decent if it weren't for a gopher eating most of our stuff.  : (

But, people lived here before there were imported vegetables available.  Now, sometimes they starved, but not on a yearly basis.

 

I think the methods and attention paid are a little different when you actually depend on the food.  And we also have to some degree lost some of the skills (and infrastructure) for keeping things through the winter.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Bluegoat

[umsami]

I actually have noticed prices coming down again.... milk has dropped down again... eggs have as well.  I bought organic red delicious apples at Target for $2.49/pound which seems downright cheap.  

[Arcadia]

$2 for frozen cauliflower 20oz pack at Safeway. I forgot to check the non-frozen kind.