Fruits and Veggies

[fctjc1979]

How does everyone afford all the fruits and veggies that kids need? I know some of you are on food programs once you become licensed, but are there other ways of keeping this cost down?

[momofboys]

How does everyone afford all the fruits and veggies that kids need? I know some of you are on food programs once you become licensed, but are there other ways of keeping this cost down?

I am not on the food program but we tend to buy what is in season & when it is on sale. So this week, grapes were on sale for $1.19 lb & we bough 6 pounds! We also stocked up on strawberries b/c they were 3 packs for $5. This weekend we are going to go pick strawberries also. When nothing good is on sale we do lots of bananas & we buy apples from an orchard b/c they are much cheaper.

[momofboys]

I forgot to comment on the vegie aspect of your question. We buy tons of baby carrots (the 1 lb bag) when they are on sale for $1. The older kids can eat them with no problem but we steam them for the younger kids. Other than that we mostly do frozen vegies which are in most cases just as healthy as fresh. So I guess what I am saying is we just buy it when it is on sale. We don't pay full price.

[Lianne]

I'm in Canada, there is no food program here. The daycare kids and I eat mostly fresh produce. I buy what I buy because the kids and I both need to eat it. Yes, it can be expensive but it's worth the money. I don't do any canned vegetables and very rarely store-bought frozen. I keep store-bought frozen corn and peas on hand to add to soups or casseroles in the winter but otherwise we use fresh produce or produce I've frozen myself, even in the winter months.

Produce is half of my grocery budget but well worth it. I buy what's in season and on sale but even better, I buy locally. I'm growing a garden this year and we'll have lettuce, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, onions and several herbs. I have several farm stands just outside of town and a farmers market in town. In fact, the kids and I are walking to our Farmer's Market toorrow to stock up for next week. I also invested in some good quality containers that help keep produce fresh for weeks longer than usual. Today we just finished a head of broccoli that I bought four weeks ago that was as fresh today as when I bought it. And strawberries that I bought two weeks ago are still fresh and ripe.

None of my produce goes to waste. When I see vegetables in my fridge that are beginning to turn, I steam them and puree them then throw them in the freezer to add to casseroles, soups or sauces. Some vegetables and most fruit get blanched then frozen if we won't use it before it goes bad. I then use the fruits or vegetables to make meals or muffins or smoothies.

[fctjc1979]

Some vegetables and most fruit get blanched then frozen if we won't use it before it goes bad.

Blanching is like a quick boil right?

[Greenshadow]

I grow most of my own but what I cant grow, I buy locally or on sale.

[mac60]

We mostly eat canned veggies. Corn, green beans, and peas, and a couple of the kids them won't eat any of them. For fruit, canned as well, plus bananas and apples. I am going to start buying gallons of veggies and freezing them in containers, much less waste. I do that with a gallon of peaches and applesauce too.

[fctjc1979]

Thanks for all the ideas.

[nannyde]

Thanks for all the ideas.

If you are willing to do the work to put up fruits and veggies you couldn't be in a better place.

Watch Craigslist to buy in bulk in season. Start searching mid summer for whatever you like. People will sell their extras for cheap.

If you want to do frozen.. watch HyVee in August. They will usually do a HyVee or Midwest Fare frozen sale at about .70 a poiund for corn, green beans, peas, and mixed. They are cleaning out the previous years stock to make room for the new season.

I've switched to all organic so I do meats from Bontrager Farms, grains from Pauls Grains, Milk from Pickett Fence, and fruits and veggies all local in season. I buy my rice at an Asian store that has 25 pound bags of organic.

[MarinaVanessa]

We buy fresh when in season or frozen when it's on sale. The canned stuff is a last resort for me since there's not much nutritional value in it but hey, sometimes you do what you have to do.

[fctjc1979]

If you are willing to do the work to put up fruits and veggies you couldn't be in a better place.

Watch Craigslist to buy in bulk in season. Start searching mid summer for whatever you like. People will sell their extras for cheap.

If you want to do frozen.. watch HyVee in August. They will usually do a HyVee or Midwest Fare frozen sale at about .70 a poiund for corn, green beans, peas, and mixed. They are cleaning out the previous years stock to make room for the new season.

I've switched to all organic so I do meats from Bontrager Farms, grains from Pauls Grains, Milk from Pickett Fence, and fruits and veggies all local in season. I buy my rice at an Asian store that has 25 pound bags of organic.

I'm going to go ahead and do some research on the most effective ways of preserving fruits and veggies. I have a small deep freezer that usually holds the tv dinners and other premade foods that my husband buys when he's out and about. (Which is weird since he doesn't eat them, ) I'll have to clean it out and start using it to freeze stuff that I buy when it's on sale. I have easy access to a Hyvee so I'll have to put that one on my calander. Thanks!!

[fctjc1979]

I THINK I found a good site about preserving food but there is a lot of info on here that I'm going to have to sort through. If anyone's interested it's http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/
Like I said, I'm going to have to do some exploring and experimenting before I know if their info is good.

[melskids]

We buy fresh when in season or frozen when it's on sale. The canned stuff is a last resort for me since there's not much nutritional value in it but hey, sometimes you do what you have to do.

same here....and i have to add....anything they get canned here (which is rare) is still better then some of the junk i know they get at home.

[nannyde]

same here....and i have to add....anything they get canned here (which is rare) is still better then some of the junk i know they get at home.

Thank God all my day care kids eat home made food at home.

Having a group of kids that chow anything you put in front of them makes me feel honored to cook for them.

I really love feeding kids.

[grandmom]

Blanching is like a quick boil right?

Yes, boil the water. Then drop the food in for the specific period of time for what you want. It begins the cooking process, that stops them from continuing to ripen (read: spoil). Then you throw them immediately into ice cold water, to stop the cooking process. Then you freeze them.

Get a book, or look it up online about how long to blanch each item.