Guest guest Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 Hey everyone, I'm new here, name is Brena. I'm a 21 yr old african american oakland native, now living up near napa. I'm new to the vegetarian lifestyle as well. Both my mother (recently diagnosed with gastric cancer) and I both decided to cut the meat out of our diets for health reasons. It's been hard on my mother mentally, but we're still, kickin. We would love to stick to organic foods but found it so expensive. We're both looking for things to eat around the house because 140 dollars lasted about 4-5 days.(We're used to costco =/ ) Can someone suggest a market place (near or far) where the food isn't so expensive? Can anyone relate? -Brena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 Hi Brena, Welcome to the list. From my experience as a 21 year veggie (16 year vegan) into organics whenever possible, I suggest that you look for Farmers' Markets in your area. The weekly ones in San Francisco and San Rafael have a lot of organic produce at prices far lower than most natural food stores, largely because the middle man is cut out. There might be one in Napa or nearby. You might also consider asking other shoppers in your natural food store. There are also organic produce cooperatives that deliver weekly orders to you at reduced prices. Perhaps someone on this list or another customer at your local natural food store knows about one in your area. Good luck and best wishes for your mom's speedy recovery. Pete - " Brena " <quiettypecalifemmefatale <SFBAVeg > Monday, April 21, 2003 12:51 PM [sFBAVeg] Hello, I'm new. Organic anyone? > Hey everyone, > I'm new here, name is Brena. I'm a 21 yr old african american > oakland native, now living up near napa. I'm new to the vegetarian > lifestyle as well. Both my mother (recently diagnosed with gastric > cancer) and I both decided to cut the meat out of our diets for > health reasons. It's been hard on my mother mentally, but we're > still, kickin. We would love to stick to organic foods but found it > so expensive. We're both looking for things to eat around the house > because 140 dollars lasted about 4-5 days.(We're used to costco =/ ) > Can someone suggest a market place (near or far) where the food isn't > so expensive? Can anyone relate? > > > -Brena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2003 Report Share Posted April 22, 2003 > now living up near napa. I'm new to the vegetarian > lifestyle as well. > We would love to stick to organic foods but found it so > expensive. > > -Brena Hi all, Brena, welcome to the group and welcome to being a veggie!! I'm not familiar with anything in Napa... but since you don't have a Rainbow Grocery Co-Op nearby (a large natural foods grocery store in SF with reasonable prices), here's an alternative that might work for you. Mountain People's Warehouse is the distributor that many natural foods store purchase from, and they offer " Buying Clubs " for individuals. You have to buy in " Costco " quantities (by the case, typically), so that's why it's good to be with a group. Plus there is a $500 minimum to purchase direct from them. The prices for Buyer's Clubs are less than manufacturer's suggested retail price, but a bit more than the wholesale prices that retailers buy for. They carry everything that natural food stores do, as well as produce. (I've found that for items that I buy, prices at MPW are comparable to Rainbow Grocery, and at Rainbow, there's no minimum purhcase required) Here is their URL: http://www.mtnpeopleswhs.com/ Call them for more information. Ask if they have a buying club in your area, and a delivery route. I'd echo Pete's suggestion of looking for Farmer's Markets. And you might also check out local grocery stores or encourage them to carry more organics. Sometimes since they buy in bulk, they can get better prices than the small mom-and-pop natural food store. Trader Joe's also carries some organic salad greens at reasonable prices. They've also got some other organic vegan food items too. If you need a good cookbook, I'd suggest looking for " The Peaceful Palate " by Jennifer Raymond at your local library. It's great that you and your Mom are doing this together. I wish you both well and if you have other veggie questions, do ask!! Cheers, Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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