Last week, I was coming home and I realized I forgot to stop at the local co-op to get the ingredients I wanted to make a crockpot stew. Instead of driving back across town, I decided to stop at Safeway and shop there instead.
My priority in buying groceries is to purchase as much organic food as I can. So, at Safeway, I set about buying organic vegetables for the stew. I was shocked when I got to the checkout and found out that the large sweet potato that I selected cost $3.41 cents.
I decided to compare prices and see if the makings for the stew were cheaper at my local co-op, Safeway, or Trader Joe’s. I’ve shopped at Trader Joe’s a few times recently because I heard an article on National Public Radio that said it had good prices and service.
Here’s the comparison for the stew ingredients:
Safeway
Beef stew meat $7.49
Russet potatoes 1.33
Sweet potato 3.41
Celery 1.25
Total $13.48
Co-op
Beef stew meat $9.99
Russet potatoes 1.29
Sweet potato 3.00
Celery 1.30
Total $15.58
Trader Joe’s
Beef for stew $8.49
Russet potatoes .74
Sweet potatoes 2.52
Celery .80
Total $12.55
Although Trader Joe’s had the lowest price, the sweet potatoes looked old and the celery wasn’t organic. In addition, the potatoes at Safeway and the sweet potatoes and potatoes at Trader Joe’s were in a bag, so you had to buy more than you needed for the recipe.
Note: None of the stew meats were organic. Also, I didn’t include the price of the chicken broth or carrots because I had those on hand and didn’t compare prices for them.
I recommend crockpot stew for wintertime meals. It’s easy to make, you have six to eight servings, and it’s a good way to eat a lot of vegetables. I like to use turnips in my stews. My mom used rutabagas. I like them, too, but not as much as turnips.
