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View Full Version : suburbs need better shopping



reneec83
09-09-2008, 01:56 PM
I'm about 25 min north of Pittsburgh, and if I want to go to Trader Joe's or The East End Food Co Op, I have to drive 35 min to get there...(there's a Whole Foods too, but their prices are to high for me.) Anyway, I don't make a special trip, to wasteful, but when I'm down that way, about once a month, I stock up. There's plenty of farm stands around here which is great and the 2 local grocery stores are staring to carry local produce. Our grocery store, Giant Eagle, has a natural section, but their prices are worse than Whole Paycheck's. It's hard to eat local and natural on a budget, but I do my best. There's still alot of "boxed" foods I need to cut out, but my teenage son makes it hard for me, he thinks frozen burritos and pizza are mainstays, and sometimes I'm just lazy, but I'm working on it.
Renee

AbbeyLehman
09-09-2008, 03:40 PM
That's one way Cleveland & Pittsburgh are the same, that's for sure. I'm trying SOOOOO hard to wean disabled MIL off her boxes and freezer quickies, too. SIL is mentally handicapped & before we moved in, it was all the 2 of them could do (MIL can't walk/is on oxygen 24/7). SIL moved to an assisted-living type place after we moved into the house & now I do all the cooking. She's had a hard time accepting that I make 95% of our food from scratch & keeps wanting to "make it easy on me." *I* have a hard time accepting that and tend to take it as an insult that she doesn't want me to cook. Hopefully it will work out over time. *Please* work out over time....:rolleyes:

Sinfonian
10-01-2008, 11:10 AM
We're lucky to live 20 min out of Seattle so we have a Trader Joes and a Whole Foods not too far away. Every year we have had a fresh produce stand open just down the street, but it only opens during the summer harvest. Its nice but it is so short lives. And produce is hard to come by here locally most of the year.

I sure hope my hoop covers work well. Hehe

plantoneonme
10-07-2008, 05:23 AM
The winter months are most depressing for me in the quality of fresh foods offered. I much prefer to eat most things either raw or very lightly steamed so they still have lots of crunch. The selection is pretty dismal with our local stores. I try to eat in season as much as possible. Sprouts, at least, help me get something truly fresh to eat during these times.

herb girl
10-11-2008, 08:13 PM
Living in the boonies as we do I feel pretty fortunate as there are farms all around selling local. We DON't however have a good farmers market OR a health food store. Trade offs wherever you live! I drive from farm to farm to get what I want and also have to order from a large co-op truck for health food items.

Most of the farmers around here sell to the city folks by way of farmers markets. They will drive up to two hours to get where the money is.

When we lived in Chicago area I was happy at the abundance of health food stores but surely missed my fresh produce and raw milk off the farm!

ecogirl
04-08-2009, 06:03 AM
I live in the suburbs as well! I don't think it's different in the UK than the US as there are fresh foods except they get REALLY expensive! We have a co-op near our home (yes there is a co-op in the UK) but its a supermarket which sells high-priced products. A fresh fruit and vegetable shop called just natural is quite expensive but everyday they have a offer, but they don't make the offer that cheap. So we usually have to drive all the way to a supermarket or farmers market in town just to get food. We might write a letter to the government that their should be better shopping in the suburbs!