Brainstorm: Fruit and Veg and Egg Budget

[NYC ERE]

So my food budget is $350/month. That doesn't include amortized costs associated with hunting for all my meat, and I don't see it going down by much, unless--
$170 of that budget is fruits, vegetables, onions and eggs. Why so high? I only eat eggs from pastured chickens (nice and orange; healthy and "responsible"), I eat a lot of eggs, and I live in New York City--so that's $61/mo. just for the eggs. Also, I eat organic/minimally sprayed, bought almost always at the farmer's market.
When I (likely) move to a rural place in ERE I will be growing all my food, but in the meantime maybe you can help me strategize to get this $170 number down to as close to zero as possible. Some ideas:
* grow food in a community garden--this is low-cost, but I'm concerned about air and soil quality in an urban environment and that this may not be optimal for the produce. also, this would only cover the veggies.

* ride my bike 60 miles in just about any direction besides south to a farm and barter a few hours of my labor each/every other weekend in exchange for above farm products.

* move to Brooklyn/Queens/Bronx/Yonkers/Jersey to somewhere with a backyard and grow food there (maybe find a cool landlord that will allow a surreptitious henhouse?!)

* go to a Chinatown farmer's market--the prices are lower, but it's gonna be covered with pesticide

* freeganist dumpster diving (probably the pesticide issue again, plus no pastured eggs)
Any other ideas?

[jacob]

Are you eating in season?

[NYC ERE]

yes. my fruit budget is $1.50 a day, and i don't buy berries in the winter or anything. possibly i paid too much for sweet potatoes the other day--i think they might be out of season.

[JohnnyH]

Frozen vegetables help keep my costs down... I tend to buy the "dirty dozen" organic, but compromise on the vegetables with less contamination.
I can imagine the demand for good eggs in a place like NYC. Stealth chicken might be the only way outside of knowing someone... How many eggs are you eating at $61?
You could try the warrior diet, eating 1 big meal a day.
12 Most Contaminated

* Peaches

* Apples

* Sweet Bell Peppers

* Celery

* Nectarines

* Strawberries

* Cherries

* Pears

* Grapes (Imported)

* Spinach

* Lettuce

* Potatoes
12 Least Contaminated

* Onions

* Avocado

* Sweet Corn (Frozen)

* Pineapples

* Mango

* Asparagus

* Sweet Peas (Frozen)

* Kiwi Fruit

* Bananas

* Cabbage

* Broccoli

* Papaya

[JohnnyH]

Also, not a lot of food but a window herb garden saves money and gives access to good food.
I have chives, spearmint, basil and (my fav) cilantro.

[NYC ERE]

thanks Johnny--good tips. i eat 24-36 eggs a week (paleo), and i don't always buy certified organic veg&fruit, using similar pesticide guidelines to the ones you mentioned, plus buying from the previously mentioned "minimal spray" farmers.
i'm not ready to go frozen yet on anything besides meat and fish--it just doesn't taste as good, but will keep it in mind for when i'm in a more Extreme mood.
Warrior Diet: I'm gradually shifting to two meals a day, and at some point when my body says it's okay i'll go for the one-meal-a day thing. I'm not expecting my caloric intake to shrink very much, though, as it's probably <2,200 kcal already.

[rachels]

As for the freeganist dumpster diver approach, if you get out there, you're likely to find that health food stores often offer the best finds. Almost all the fruits and veggies we get are organic. Not sure about the specifics of the dumpster eggs are (I'm vegan), but we certainly find them. Our dumpster buddies came by with a trunk load of cartons of health food store eggs to give my housemates. Eggs actually take a surprisingly long amount of time to go bad even when unrefrigerated.

[runrunruneateateat]

Hi NYC,

I buy Tello's Farm free-range, antibiotic-free eggs at the Union Square farmer's market for $4 per dozen, which seems to be cheaper than what you're currently paying. I also sometimes buy the "damaged" organic vegetables that they set aside in a box for $2/lb. at one of the stands (sorry, the name of the stand escapes me at the moment). I grew up on a farm, so a little spot on a pepper doesn't faze me This site is great for finding info on vendors at farmer's markets in NYC: http://www.whatisfresh.com/

[NYC ERE]

@runeat: Tello is exactly the place i get my eggs, actually! thanks for the 'damaged' veg tip. hope you're coming to the meetup next month!