Raise Your Garden

Musings on the Seedier Side

in Just for fun

Money actually saved by gardening – July

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Are you the type of person who can eat the same meal again and again without getting bored? How about if the food is organic and free…does that make a difference in how you think? After all, you know exactly where this food came from. Your own backyard. I can eat zucchini as my staple vegetable for every meal weeks on end when grown organically in my garden. I try to spice it up by preparing it differently each time to take the monotony out of it. Still, it’s worth it. When I consider what it costs to buy organic zucchini in January I am even more motivated to get it out of my system while I can for free. So today I just wanted to talk about what Tom, I and the girls have been eating from our garden and compare notes with all of you! Are you saving some serious cash this summer like we are? Even in this crazy drought? Before I get started I do have a confession. This is what we spend each month on groceries in the winter months.
naturally growing and organic nasturtiums for saladsPicture

Don’t forget to add your nasturtiums to your salads & soups this summer!

Between $800-$1000. Yep. It’s true. We tend to shop the perimeter of the grocery store eating lots of lean meats, fruits and vegetables with little else. Eating healthy adds up to one whopping grocery bill each month. Especially when I splurge on grass-fed beef, organic eggs and produce; rare due to the excessive cost.

We have to save in summer while we can! And no, we don’t go out to eat much. I’m too freaked out by what’s in a lot of restaurant food. Besides, it’s a ridiculous expense for what I consider to be tiny portions of subpar food.

Everyone told me don’t bother with salad this year. Too hot. Not enough water. It won’t come up or will just wither away. I’m sure glad they were wrong! I love the tender salad I’m plucking these days for chicken salads, taco’s and just plain eating. In fact, we eat a salad with just about every meal. You already know what organic salad costs in the grocery store – a mortgage payment I tell you!

The supply is dwindling now, but I’ll be sure to plant more in late summer/early fall for yet another crop. I’d estimate we eat about $5 a day in salad for a total savings of $35 a week. Not too shabby for planting just a few seed packets.

sugar snap peas growing in the gardenPicture

peas

Those same naysayers who said don’t plant salad also told me don’t bother this late with peas. Wrong again! My peas, despite the ridiculous heat and zero rain are doing fantastic in my raised beds. A real bumper crop. When I was at Tops, the local grocery store, a 15 ounce bag of peas was selling for $6.99. I could eat a bag (okay 2) in one sitting. That $14! Yikes.

In my garden, I’ve been pounding them raw and in salads. And I don’t have to remind you that my peas are organic whereas the $6.99 bag of peas in the grocery store are non-organic.  (You don’t even want to know what the organic bag of peas cost). Thus far, I’ve pulled about two 15 ounce bags of peas from my garden and more are coming. Not a bad investment on a $1.50 pack of seeds.

There is no comparison between cherry tomatoes bought at the local grocery store and cherry tomatoes growing in your garden. One tastes like a watered down tomato, the other like the best healthy candy ever! If you live in a warmer climate then mine, you’ve been enjoying them for weeks now.

I plant roughly 10-15 cherry tomato plants each season because it’s my most requested crop. And I pull buckets of tomatoes out of the garden each year. I can’t even put a price on this feat when you consider a pint of non-organic cherry or grape tomatoes ranges between $1.99 and $3.99 in the store. And the taste is….bleh.

No salad is complete with some fresh cucumber. And don’t you find that they make a wonderful and light afternoon snack all sliced up? So much better than munching on cheese curls and fish crackers. Cucumbers are about $1 each in the store in-season (at least for the non-organic variety) and at least 50 cents at roadside stands. I enjoy the convenience of walking out my backyard and plucking one at will. I eat dollars of them every day. 
I love broccoli but find it very difficult to grow in my soil. So I opt for zucchini, both the yellow and green variety because they thrive. And we eat it with just about every meal although I do change it up. The small ones I cook on the stove with garlic and onion, the larger ones I grill. Sometimes I shred them to bake with them. And you already know how good chocolate and zucchini go together, especially in breads or a muffin. I typically spend about $20-$25 a week on green veggies to accompany every meal, so this savings is greatly felt in my budget.
As I write this post, I am munching on garden green beans which is making it extremely difficult to type. Straight from the garden, their sweeter taste makes them great to chomp even raw. If making a ham with them, I will lightly steam them but they are a nice break from the zucchini as the green veggie of the day.

Green beans are selling for $3-$4 a quart at all the local stands this summer. And I’m pulling a pint or two out of my garden every day. Good deal! And don’t you agree that they taste best when plucked while still young and tender? Crunchy as they are delicious. It never ceases to amaze me how many green beans I’ll get just from one plant. 

If you knew how much garlic I ate, you probably would never speak to me again. You wouldn’t want too! But to me, it’s the spice of life and I add it fresh to just about every dish. Nothing beats the taste of fresh, organic garlic in-season. Tomatoes, chicken, basil, oregano, garlic and a little Parm cheese, you can’t top that. Zucchini and garlic. Chili with garlic. So nutritious, you’ll add it to all of your dishes. I go through about 5-10 cloves a week. Not kidding! Just make sure you save the biggest cloves to plant for next year!
Recently, I’ve discovered the joy of fresh, red onion in my salads. Since I’ve never used salad dressings because I’m anti-oil, I like to add a little kick to my salads with red onion instead. And guess what else?!? I didn’t plant any this year from seed. They all just came up on their own from last year! Like garlic, red onions last months without going bad. A huge benefit if you get frustrated by your zucchini or cucumbers rotting too soon on you. Plus, red onion on kabobs is fabulous. 
No dish is complete without fresh herbs. Wilted, grocery store herbs have zero taste and are loaded in pesticides. Sure, even mine get a little buggy, but I don’t care. This year, I’m growing lots of basil, cilantro, tarragon, rosemary, oregano and parsley because they are my favorites. I’m slowly drying any excess for the off-season. I save at least $10 a week on herbs not to mention what I save by using my dried herbs in the winter. And maybe the best part about fresh herbs is that they allow me to pass myself off as a better cook than I really am!
How are you saving money from your garden this year?

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“And he who waters will be watered himself.”
• Proverbs 11:25 •