Saving at the Market

Where do you buy your produce items? My dad frequently buys fresh produce from fruit stands and farmers markets. I’ve often heard these alternatives to the grocery store are cheaper, so I tried to find out if there are advantages to buying items at the market.

Here’s the tip of the day:

Buy your produce at the fruit stand or farmers market - it's fresher, said John Turner, the owner of Martinez Farm Fresh at 233 Bobby Jones Expressway. It’s also cheaper if you buy in bulk, he said.

“By the time things get to the grocery store, they probably go through a couple of days in the warehouse,” he said.

Mr. Turner buys his produce goods, which are mostly local items, from Columbia, S.C. “What really benefits people and where they can get their best savings is buying in bulk,” he said. “I have a lot of people who come in here and buy items by the bushel and half bushel.”

For instance, he sells a pound of tomatoes for about $1 or $1.20 per pound. However, customers could buy a 25-pound case for $18, which is only about 75 cents per pound, he said. If someone bought the tomatoes in smaller quantities, the retail price for the box of tomatoes would be $30. He recommends for people to can or freeze their produce items.

In the past, Mr. Turner has helped neighbors to co-op or order large quantities of produce goods. One day a week, customers could purchase items by the bushel. Then, they would divide the produce among themselves.

If two or three neighbors bought a box of produce instead of individual baskets, each person could save almost half the price, Mr. Turner said.

Martinez Farm Fresh also gives active military families 10 percent off all items.
The produce stand is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Here are some tips for buying produce, according to Mr. Turner:

1. Handle produce properly. Don’t squeeze fruit, such as peaches, because you will bruise them and they won’t last as long.

2. Know where to store your produce. For instance, “ugly” tomatoes should not be refrigerated.

3. Join a co-op. Buy in bulk with family and friends and divide the produce to save cash.

The Georgia Farmers Market at 1150 Fifth Street also sells produce in bulk, such as by the box, bushel and crate. The market publishes its prices in Richmond County Neighbors each Thursday.

Here are some sample prices from this week:

Apples (bushel) – $38 to $40
Bananas (box) – $18 to $19
Lima beans (bushel) – $21 to $22
Cabbage (50 pounds) – $14 to $16
Collard greens (dozen) – $15 to $16
Cantaloupes (crate) – $15 to $16
Romaine (box) – $34 to $36
Grapefruit (box) - $19 to $20
Oranges (box) – $20 to $21
Eggs (case) – $42 to $43

For current prices, customers can contact the Georgia Farmers Market at (706) 721-3004.

Where do you find savings on produce? Write in to The Pinch to let me know.