One of the scariest parts of going vegan is the fear that it might be expensive. But that simply isn’t the case. Sure, if you pack your cart full of processed mockmeats and cheeses every trip to the grocery store, you probably won’t be saving any money. But going vegan doesn’t have to mean going broke.
In this chapter, we will compare the costs of an animal-based diet and a plant-based one. We’ll show you how to save money by skipping the highly processed faux foods and shopping for “ingredients” rather than for “food.” We will also discuss the importance of shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, using the local farmers’ markets, and growing your own gardens to save extra money. We will talk about how adopting a plant-based lifestyle will save you money in the checkout line, and it will also save you money on your health care bills.
Probably the best way to save money by going vegan is to grow your own food. You can also save money by joining a co-op, community-supported agriculture (CSA), or shopping at a farmers’ market. But we understand that those options don’t work for everyone.
The good news is that even when shopping at a grocery store, switching to a plant-based diet will save you money. We’re always amazed when people try to tell us that eating healthfully is more expensive. Let’s look at the type of food you would eat on a plant-based diet and compare that with the food a person eats on a Sickness and Disease-promoting Diet.
For a plant-based lifestyle, the main staples that you would purchase are beans, leafy greens, vegetables, rice, potatoes or sweet potatoes, grains, fruits, and nuts/seeds. We recommend that you purchase as much as you can in bulk and start cooking the basic components of your meals in batches. One of Gerrie’s favorite mottoes is “Cook once and eat three or four times.” The more you can cook in larger batches and store in containers to be frozen or used during the week, the easier a plant-based lifestyle becomes.
The bulk section in your grocery store offers the least expensive way to purchase your food, because packaging is the most expensive part of any product. For the type of foods that you will be eating, the product will cost just pennies, but the packaging will cost dollars.
Hopefully we’ve convinced you that going vegan will save you money on food costs. It will also save you money on health care. Here’s why.
When you calculate the cost to your health caused by the Sickness and Disease-promoting Diet (aptly abbreviated as SAD!), there is no comparison. It may be easier to drive through a fast-food restaurant to purchase your burger, but you’d better add the cost of insulin for type 2 diabetes, blood pressure medication, or worse yet, for heart bypass surgery or the hospitalization costs for a heart attack or stroke. Facts have shown that it is just a matter of time before you suffer some type of Western disease when you indulge in a diet filled with overprocessed foods that are lacking in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.
Obviously, not everyone has the luxury of living on a few acres out in the country where you can have your own organic garden year round. Most of us are lucky to even have a window where we can grow a few pots of herbs! But that’s okay. Fresh herbs are sometimes all it takes to turn a bland, boring meal into a culinary masterpiece that would have cost way more had it been purchased in a restaurant. Here are some tips for growing your own food at home, whether in an apartment, a house, or on a farmstead.
Start with organic seeds. They will be clearly marked and are readily available at nurseries, garden centers, and health food stores or through online sources. By starting out with seeds that are free from genetic manipulation, you are ensuring your crop is off to a good start. If you are a bit impatient, you can also start out with organic living plants.
Many food plants are available for purchase. Herbs are a great example of this. Some supermarkets sell basil, cilantro, rosemary, and other herbs already fully mature in pots ready for use in your culinary creations. You can transplant these mini plants into larger, more practical containers for the home. (This is how Joni rolls when it comes to her home gardening.)
Know your zone. If you’re growing outdoors, research your plant hardiness zones. Most plants and seeds list what zones and time of year in which the plant will thrive. By knowing these facts up front and choosing appropriate plants and seeds for your zone, you’ll set yourself up for success.
Plant in pots. If you have limited space (or even if you don’t!), planting in pots makes growing your food much more manageable. In addition, growing in pots helps keep weeds at bay. It also allows you to move your plants should you need to.
Go vertical. Vertical gardening is a great way to grow in a small space, even indoors! Using hydroponic (water-only, no soil) techniques, a vertical garden tower is a great way to grow a potted garden in a small space with minimal mess and an easy watering system. If you have a little extra space to spare, you can grow towers full of plants designated for different uses. Only your imagination can set the limits on configuration—a salsa garden, a salad garden, an herb garden.
Have a plan for care. Growing your own food takes time and patience. Schedule time to tend to your plants. Use this time as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and as a time to connect with your food.
Think of each meal you eat that uses something you’ve grown yourself as a reward for your hard work and dedication to your well-being!
Almost every community has a co-op, a CSA, or a farmers’ market. If you’re lucky, your community may have all three! Each and every one of these options is a great way to spend less on your grocery bill and have the chance to enjoy seasonal fresh fruit and veggies at their peak. Let’s talk about each in turn.
A food co-op (short for cooperative) is a collectively owned grocery store. It usually focuses on making natural foods more affordable for members. Communities of all sizes have food co-ops, ranging from very small to quite large. Most commonly, there are two types of co-op, private and public. Both of them share the common values of group management and decision-making, social responsibility, and equality.
In a private food co-op, only members may shop at the store. To become a member, you pay a small initiation fee and usually invest a set amount of money in the organization to purchase a share. Some co-ops allow members to purchase multiple shares, or require an annual fee, which causes long-term members to own more shares. In some cases, members also join work crews, contributing a few hours of work to the running of the co-op. The frequency and duration of work shifts varies from co-op to co-op.
In a public food co-op, anyone may shop at the store, but only members receive special discounted prices. Anyone may join the co-op. The prices for non-members in this type of store are often lower than at other retail stores to encourage people to shop at the co-op even if they cannot join. To find a co-op near you, visit www.coopdirectory.org
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a system in which you can “share” in a farm. In return, you receive a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly box of fresh produce. These boxes might be delivered directly to your door, or you might pick them up at points throughout the community. CSAs do not really allow you to choose what produce you will receive; rather you’re given a variety of what’s in season. The prices can vary, but they are generally far lower than that of any grocery store.
Some advantages of joining a CSA include the opportunity to eat fresh, local food, full of flavor and nutrition; getting exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking; getting to visit the farm where the food is grown; developing a relationship with the farmer who grows your food; and learning more about how food is grown.
To find a CSA near you, visit LocalHarvest.org and enter your zip code into the search function. You’ll be connected with one of more than 4,000 CSAs registered throughout the country.
A farmers’ market is another way to meet and get to know the people growing your food, all while saving money on the freshest seasonal local produce. Local farmers, bakers, and other artisans and entrepreneurs get together in a public place—usually a parking lot, park, or along the sidewalk—and provide their wares to the local community for a discounted price. Many communities host at least one farmers’ market every week.
Some produce at farmers’ markets will be certified organic. Other times, farmers use organic practices when growing, but because of the time and money needed to get certified as organic, they are unable to label their produce as such, therefore making organic produce far more affordable. How can you find out how a crop is grown? Simply ask the farmer at the market! By going to farmers’ markets and talking directly with the farmers, you can find out how your food is grown, and you can support local farmers and business at the same time. To find a local farmers’ market near you, visit FarmersMarket.com and enter your zip code.
So far we’ve shown you that adopting a well-balanced plant-based diet is better for your health and the environment, and for your wallet, too. Continue on to read how it also helps the animals.
ANDREA CRAWFORD, FOUNDER AND FARMER AT KENTER CANYON FARMS
Joni was lucky enough to meet Andrea on a tour of one of her ranches in Ventura County, California. She was a gracious host and tour guide. She told of the land’s history, and the passion in her voice was evidence that she really cares about what she does. As we walked through the fields admiring the organic herbs and baby greens (and often picking a few to eat!), she shared her story.
Andrea was a landscape painter and lived on a boat moored in the Berkeley Marina with her then-husband, Dennis Peitso. She wanted to grow herbs and lettuces to paint. Back then, you were lucky to find fresh cilantro and parsley, let alone other fresh herbs, frisse, baby arugula, mesclun, or even kale, at the local grocer. She also worked at a restaurant called Chez Panisse, which was owned by Alice Water.
Andrea didn’t have her own yard in which to garden, so Alice allowed Andrea to use hers. And garden she did. Andrea wondered what she would do with all of the lettuces she grew and couldn’t use herself. So, Alice used the lettuces in her restaurant.
In 1981, Andrea had a newborn son, and she wondered what she was going to do to make a living. Alice sparked Andrea’s entrepreneurial spirit by offering to pay Andrea for her lettuces. So Andrea’s garden grew. And word started to get around. Soon, Andrea got a call from Wolfgang Puck, offering to pay for space for Andrea to grow and supply lettuces and fresh herbs for his new restaurant, Spago, in Los Angeles.
With a shorter growing season in Berkeley than in sunny southern California, and an offer that seemed too good to be true, in 1985 Andrea and Dennis decided to moor their boat in Marina Del Rey and give the LA farming scene a go.
Andrea and Dennis planted their first garden in the backyard of Puck’s pastry chef’s father in Encino. But more space was needed, so they became urban farmers and leased some ground space under the electrical wires in Tarzana and Agoura Hills. Andrea began growing more, selling the lettuces at local farmers’ markets and, of course, to Wolfgang Puck.
Andrea’s farm needed a name, and it was serendipitous. The power lines overhead were the DWP Kenter Canyon Power Lines, so she named her farm Kenter Canyon Farms.
Longer growing seasons and more space allowed the business to grow. In 1988, Andrea and Dennis amicably divorced and split the company. Dennis kept the Agoura Hills and Tarzana farms and renamed them Maggie’s Farms, while Andrea moved Kenter Canyon Farms to Filmore. That’s where Andrea, now remarried, runs the organic farm that Joni was lucky enough to tour.
“Kenter Canyon Farms is a family farm located in Ventura County, growing lettuces, herbs, and specialty crops year-round in the fertile soil along the Santa Clara River,” Andrea says. “Our produce is harvested daily, washed and packed in our own certified facility, and distributed every day to local customers, including farmers’ markets, restaurants, hotels, produce purveyors, and retail stores. Our dedication is to quality and freshness and to growing produce that we ourselves wish to eat every day. We are committed to sustainable agricultural practices and to our employees who sustain our farm year-round.”
Humble beginnings have led to a life-changing career path. From a shared backyard garden to a sustainable organic farm! Now, after more than thirty years in the farming business, Andrea owns and operates many ranches throughout California with her husband that focus on local distribution, all sharing the same mission of sustainability.
After the tour, Joni was treated to a farm-fresh lunch that included a variety of herbs and greens grown on the farm and prepared in a delicious salad, an amazing Kenter Canyon Farms Greens Goddess Dressing (see the recipe on page 140) made with herbs grown on the farm, and artisan loaves of freshly baked bread made with flour milled with the three varieties of heritage wheat grown on the farm. “I have never had such an amazing meal. Talk about connecting with your food,” says Joni.
