supermarkets vs farmers markets etc

[Lotte]

Basically, tell me about your food (and other sundries).
Do you only shop at the major supermarkets, or do you go to smaller greengrocers, farmers markets, local butcher etc?
Do you notice a difference in food across the different places to buy food?
What effect does where you buy your food have on what you eat?
Do you actively try to souce your food from a farmer friendly source?

We have a 50-30-20 split between farmers markets/direct from the farmer, supermarkets and local groups (Aussie farmers direct etc). This'll change when I start growing my own food.
All our meat and veg come from the farmers markets, as well as some small goods items (kabana, soap, peanut butter). What we can't buy at the famers market, or obtain from a local source, we buy at coles, unless we can make it (usually those ingredients come from coles though, so it's a bit of a so-so situation, until I find a local bulk supplier of a variety of baking goods).
Growing up in the country, and knowing how **** our farmers are treated by the big two, I tend to go out of my way if I can to get produce direct (plus it's better quality, show me a dozen eggs bought at the supermarket that were still good after six weeks and I'll eat my own words).

It can be a little more expensive, the meat is generally a bit more, but it lasts longer, and tastes way better. The veggies are usually the same price, but don't wilt as you walk out the door as well

Trying to get some opinions together, so I can compile them and present to my Guides the pros and cons of different sources of food.

[Trevor 57]

IGA Supermarkets, not Coles or Safeway\Woolworths

We get our fruit and vegies from a farmer who owns a shop and we get meat from a local butcher

**** the big 2 supermarkets

[flappist]

Almost the same as Trevor, I buy fish from the fisheries, fruit/veg from either IGA or the Co-op, meat from the butcher or very occasionally from IGA and the rest from IGA.

In saying this I usually buy grog from Dan Murphys (woolworths) as all the pubs have gone bezek with pokies etc. and have bugger all in their bottleshops.

[DJM83]

Everything we buy comes from supermarket. Me and my g/f both work there so we shop there.
Also along with places where we get things cheaper we will shop there aswell, like beer amongst other things.
Not fuel though.

[MercurySilver]

coles delivery
meat from the butcher
free range eggs from someone at work for 2.50 a dozen

[Cheese3]

I buy all from safeway/woolies . . . I shop for one so there is no point in me driving around town to fruit market or butches and waste fuel . . . If I had more than my own mouth to feed it would be a totally different story . . .

[poppa smurf]

farmers markets wherever we can, local folks as much as possible.

not easy but the local towns folks benefit.......and the food is better, spots and all.

[The Yeti]

We produce some stuff at home with my sons vegie patch providing Tomato's Potatos Lettus, Corn Egg plant Brocoli carrots and a few other things

His patch is about 750m2 and him and my father inlaw get a pretty good yeald out of it and they split the harvast about 70/30 our way (its really just a way of my father inlaw having a common interest and a good relationship rather than a way for either to save money thats why I dont get involved) we produce in season more than we can use so we trade with the neuighbors for their exsess and this means we dont need alot of vegies from the store

Eggs my son also has a dozen isa browns so we get our own eggs and also swap these for F&V with the neuighbors and sell over stock at work for $4.00 a dozen

him and his garnd father have devised a cunning plan to convert my chev farm truck in to a farm gate store, I told them they could use the L200 ute I have for little jobs but they wernt so keen, they said it didnt look ye olde farm store enough

if we do buy in there is a farmers shed store my wife drives past twice a day and we tend to buy from there, like wise with citrus fruits as we are in a citrus area we buy from the farm gate, we'll buy a box of oranges and mandys and split them with our inlaws

Meat we have a great wholsaler / butcher who I think if you did an anual spend comparison would beat WW or Coles in price, and the meat is fantastic

Bread we but off the baker and as my son is celiac we also by those items from the baker as they have a great range of quality GF breads (not cheap)

the rest is from coles as its conveniant

[xisled]

Everything comes from the supermarket. We both start at 6am and leave home around 4:30am to 5am.

We got a few bits of fruit and veg from the market next to the supermarket, but the quality was bad and the supermarket stuff was way better.

Wow 6 weeks for eggs. I would not want to eat any after 2 weeks from anywhere. The longer stuff last the more preservatives and junk added.

[iCat]

all stuff from the supermarket. If I get time i go to the Vic markets in town but that happens only rarely. Like xisled, i work long hours so my down time is precious.

xisled - freshly laid eggs last for yonks. No preservatives needed. Do the float test if you arent sure about it's freshness.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

coles delivery
meat from the butcher
free range eggs from someone at work for 2.50 a dozen

Wow thats cheap, I didnt set the $4.00 a dozen price, we have our own little egg board here at this office with a few different suppliyers, I orginaly was giving the over stock away until one of the guys from service caught me out the back one cold rainey night and threatened to smash my knee caps if I didnt lift my price inline with theres,

actualy thats not 100% true, he just said you know we are all charging $4:00 a dozen dont you, and I said **** OK and did the same. my sons stoked becasue after I take the first $12 to cover the cost of layer pellets a month the rest goes in his sky rocket

[BPXR6T]

Second weekend of every month to the town market and buy whatever is available. Usually stock up on potatoes, carrots, honey, eggs, bread, etc. Then to IGA or sometimes groceryrun. No choice unless I drive 300kms. We grow a lot of our own too, although my garden isn't well established yet as we've just moved house.

[MarkAW]

I'm only interested in getting the best quality of the fruit, vege and meat that I can and but the local suppliers are only interested in cheap so that they can compete with Woolworths. I don't care if it adds 20 or 30 dollars to the bill, but if the steak is tough its not worth eating and if the fruit and veges go off quicker then its just more money down the drain.

I don't like giving Woolworths all my cash but they have the better quality than all the local suppliers. There is one fruit shop in Penrith that really does offer great quality (in Nepean Square), but thats an extra 30 minute drive both ways, so I only go there if in the neighbourhood.

The so called local farmers markets are ********. It's full of fruit out of the Sydney markets, not best quality and no cheaper than Woolworths - what a rip off.

[Spudz27]

We shop mostly at woolies. However we are low income family. But I go to the farmers market every saturday to try and get a few things, also go to the local butcher once a week, but for the most part woolies. I go to IGA for cold meats as they are by far the best in town for that. Sadly our woolies tends to have the best fruit and veg, our coles is woefull and they seem to have a pre requisit that staff be crabby old women, so the staff attitude, poor quality food etc puts me off. I only buy brownes milk to support W.A farmers, but yeah most stuff is woolies. Probably 70/30 split of woolies and farmers market and butcher. Also although we are low income, you will not see a homebrand anything in my pantry, and I do my best to buy products made from local ingredients.

[rancidpunx]

Meat I try to get it from the village butcher although will always try to get it through a butchers shop if I can. I dont go out of my way though unless I am after something in specific. Same goes for fish.
I then shop at Woolies for everything else, its convenient. I dont like my money going to one of the big players but I dont have time to shop around and as mentioned above, the quality and in stock items is usually good. I tried IGA in the village a couple of times but a weekly shops is about $50 more. I would rather get a carton and a pizza with the money saved. I do try to buy Aussie and local items whilst at Woolies though.
We have chickens so we have plenty of fresh eggs.

[jpblue1000]

We have our Organic fruit and vegatables home delivered by a company that sources from local farmers only. Local being within 100km's of Adelaide. 100 percent organic certified and always seasonal.
Where possible we get or groceries through the same company and if anything is missing we either head to the central market which is a 5 minute walk or the new vegan shop that opened up 2 minutes away, very lucky.
We don't eat meat so I wont comment.
Having the delivery cost us less than ten dollars a week and saves us hours on the weekend or throughout the week. We trust the local and certified claims and so far have been extremely happy with the quality and longevity, especially as it's organic so preservative and treatment free.

JP

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by MarkAW

I'm only interested in getting the best quality of the fruit, vege and meat that I can and but the local suppliers are only interested in cheap so that they can compete with Woolworths. I don't care if it adds 20 or 30 dollars to the bill, but if the steak is tough its not worth eating and if the fruit and veges go off quicker then its just more money down the drain.

Mate I think if you added up the cost of the meat fruit veg etc from your independant places V the cost of the same things from WW / Coles etc you would come out on top over the year buy doing it the way you are, some weeks will be higher but others lower.

Originally Posted by MarkAW

I don't like giving Woolworths all my cash but they have the better quality than all the local suppliers. There is one fruit shop in Penrith that really does offer great quality (in Nepean Square), but thats an extra 30 minute drive both ways, so I only go there if in the neighbourhood.

The so called local farmers markets are ********. It's full of fruit out of the Sydney markets, not best quality and no cheaper than Woolworths - what a rip off.

we go to the farmers market at Castle Hill every so often and its generaly pretty good, have been to some though that I'm sure is Flemington F&V and purchased at a cheap rate for old crap to sell as "Local" at the farmers markets

for the people down Canberra way Ive been to one at Natex a few times and thats pretty good as well (much better than the Castle hill ones)

[Bucknaked]

Woolies mostly. Coles if we can't get it at woolies. Fuel at Caltex. Meat from the local butchers.

We don't have farmer markets at the local shopping centre.

[Franco Cozzo]

We mainly shop at the Preston Market, thats where we stock up from meat once a month, and veggies etc.

Short in between market runs we use the local IGA, but their produce is very average.

I looked at Aussie Farmers Direct but they don't deliver to my area unfortunately.

[nstg8a]

I use lite n easy for all my food, but my missus tries to get all her groceries from the rocklea markets, I've been along a few times and its amazing how much cheaper they are compared to any of the retailers, and if you go nice and early the quality is unreal. (She's there waiting at 6am every Saturday morning lol)

[MarkAW]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

we go to the farmers market at Castle Hill every so often and its generaly pretty good, have been to some though that I'm sure is Flemington F&V and purchased at a cheap rate for old crap to sell as "Local" at the farmers markets

for the people down Canberra way Ive been to one at Natex a few times and thats pretty good as well (much better than the Castle hill ones)

I should have clarified, the so called farmers stalls, read - the fruit and veg stalls on Old Northern Rd, Richmond Rd/Blacktown Rd are the ones full of Flemington Markets boxes with virtually nothing from any local market gardens. Like you, Castle Hill would be my closest and just too far to go.

[KIWI-1]

Meat - butcher, Fruit & Veg - greengrocer. Costs more but tastes better.

[Trevor 57]

If you are going to shop in one of the big 2 at least shop at Coles, they are Australian owned, **** Woolies and Aldi, they are both foreign owned. My recommendation is to go to IGA

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

If you are going to shop in one of the big 2 at least shop at Coles, they are Australian owned, **** Woolies and Aldi, they are both foreign owned. My recommendation is to go to IGA

Top two Wesfarmers shareholders are HSBC and JP Morgan.

[Trevor 57]

well count them out as well, shop at IGA

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

well count them out as well, shop at IGA

Why when I get it cheaper at Woolies?

[flappist]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Why when I get it cheaper at Woolies?

The same reason you buy Ford when it is cheaper to buy Great Wall.......

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by flappist

The same reason you buy Ford when it is cheaper to buy Great Wall.......

Because I can.
Same quality in my eyes and I can get it cheaper and all in the one spot. As for not buying a Great Wall, i have my reasons as to why I don't.

[XR Martin]

Edit..

[flappist]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Because I can.
Same quality in my eyes and I can get it cheaper and all in the one spot. As for not buying a Great Wall, i have my reasons as to why I don't.

Well at least you don't work for them......