Save Money On Local Food
I hear it all the time, “I can’t buy local food because it’s just not in the budget.”
That is absolutely a valid concern and if you’ve been here for a while you know that a huge belief here at Central Park Farms is that everyone deserves the right to feed their family, healthy, well produced food. But, we also understand that isn’t possible which is why a lot of our work revolves around food security projects in the communities we work and play in.
For those who feel like they can squeeze a bit more local food into their grocery budgets, here are some of my top tips for saving money along the way.
My top tips to save money buying quality meat!
Buy direct from the farmer whenever possible and pay attention to their prices at the farmers markets versus if you can pick up directly from the farm. I know farmers markets can be more convenient depending on where you live but often farmers have higher prices at market compared to visiting their farm because they have to build in the costs of attending marketing.
Buy whole chickens and either roast them whole giving you multiple meals from one bird or learn to break down a whole bird into the cuts your family loves. If you need help learning how to break down a whole chicken, Jay has multiple videos over on our Instagram account to show you how. Reach out, we’d be happy to help.
Don't forget to use that left over chicken carcass to make soup or bone broth. If you don't have time right then, pop that baby in the freezer to whip some up at a later date. Bonus points, throw all your veggie scraps into a bag in the freezer as you’re preparing your meals so when it’s broth time, you also have all your vegetable needs taken care of.
Look for ways to save money buying bulk. Many farmers and ranchers will offer bulk discounts on things like ground beef or larger quantities of berries when in season. Even things like buying a flat of eggs instead of multiple cartons.
Get familiar with less popular cuts of meat. Choosing chicken drumsticks over chicken thighs, or learning to make soup with a smoked pork hock instead of a ham will save you money.
Go with ground meat over sausages or other more pricy prime cuts. Aside from our ground white meat chicken, ground meat is typically much less expensive than their prime cut counterparts and have all the same nutritional value. Why not pick up some ground pork instead of those breakfast sausages and season it, fry it up, and add it to a nice breakfast hash? And, if a recipe calls for ground beef, try substituting it for ground pork or do a 50/50 blend of ground pork and ground beef.
Watch out for fast food. Believe it or not, on the farm we sell convenience options that cost you less than hitting the drive-thru and won’t take much more time. Check out our all-beef burger patties as an example — They cook from frozen so fast and are a million times more delicious.
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Eat less meat! As a meat producer, believe it or not I actually want you to eat less of it but better quality. No one needs to be eating a 14oz steak... and certainly not the 72oz that's become legendary at a few restaurants south of the border.
Learn how to properly store and preserve your produce. Instead of letting it go bad before you can eat it brush up on some skills to reduce the waste and stock your freezer or pantry. If you want some super easy tips, grab my free +40 page A to Z Produce Storage Guide below!
