How To Save on Groceries… By Growing Your Own

 How To Save on Groceries… By Growing Your Own

Getting food from your own backyard can beat the supermarket any day, on both taste and price. Think that’s too much work? You’d be surprised.

You don’t need to have a green thumb or a massive backyard to plant and tend to your own garden.

Mint.com user Paula Olson of Carrollton, Texas, began growing tomatoes in a windowsill container in 2000, after noticing store prices on her favorite produce jump. Now she has a backyard garden that also includes peppers, squash, Brussels sprouts² and green beans, among other veggies. She’s spent $50 on garden supplies so far, and expects to get more than $250 worth of produce (based on last year’s yield). “It’s not like I’m getting rich off it,” she says. The real payoff shows up at the dinner table, hearing her kids ask for more vegetables. “Homegrown produce just tastes better.”

So what’s a novice³ gardener to grow? Like Olson, start by considering which fruits, vegetables and herbs account for a hefty portion of your grocery bill. Then look to those you pass up as too expensive, says Julie Parrish, the chief executive of Coupon⁴ Girls, whose sites include HotCouponWorld.com and OrganicGroceryDeals.com.

Many of those refrigerator-drawer staples⁵ — including tomatoes, lettuce⁶, peas and carrots — are also among the easiest to grow. “They’re hearty⁷; not tender [plants] that require special care,” says Rebecca Cohen, the president of Rebecca Plants, a firm that coaches novice gardeners. Most can even work in containers on a balcony or even a windowsill. All you need is a space where the plants can get six hours of sun and daily watering. Before you buy, check with your local garden center that your area has the right climate to grow a particular item.

To get the most produce for your buck⁸, don’t put all your seeds in the ground at one time. Plant a row every week, Cohen says. That way, veggies ripen⁹ in stages, instead of leaving you with more strawberries than you can possibly eat one week and none the next.

Try these nine fruits, vegetables and herbs, which can yield bumper¹⁰ crops with very little effort. (What should Frugal¹¹ Foodie grow on her balcony? She’s leaning toward blueberries, basil, lettuce and peas. Weigh in!)

Basil

Instead of paying $3 to $5 for a bunch of fresh basil at the supermarket, plant a $2 pack of seeds to harvest enough for year-round enjoyment¹². Instead of drying basil and other herbs after harvest, chop them and put them in an ice cube tray with a little water and freeze, says Maria Finn, the author of “A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces.” The perfectly¹³ portioned cubes can be popped in soup, stir-fry and other dishes to add flavor.

Blueberries

One blueberry plant can produce as much as 20 pounds of fruit during the summer, says Parrish, who planted a hedge of them in her yard. “This year we’re going to get an insane amount,” she says — likely more than 100 pounds. For immediate¹⁴ results, buy a bush that’s already a few years old and ready to start producing fruit. You’d pay about $15 for one in a five-gallon tub. Not bad, considering that even in peak season blueberries go for $2.50 per half-pint at the grocery store.

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Green beans

“They’re almost like a weed,” Parrish says. “The more you pick, the more they seem to sprout¹.” Green beans are also easy to prepare. Cook three minutes in boiling water, then blanch¹⁵ for three in cold water and they’re ready to go to the table for dinner or the freezer for storage.

Peas

“Peas don’t require a lot of worry,” Cohen says. “It’s a great way to get started.” Peas can be planted as early as April, when the temperature is still in the 40s and 50s. They grow easily — so easily in fact, you may want to invest in an inexpensive trellis to encourage them to grow up rather than out.

Peppers

Most varieties of pepper do well grown in containers. They also produce a bountiful harvest. “I end up giving away lots of peppers,” Olson says. Go beyond bell peppers to try haba?eros and other spicy¹⁶ varieties, which dry well for use over the winter.

Perennial¹⁷ herbs

Oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage¹⁸ are hardy¹⁹ perennials²⁰, meaning your one-time investment in seeds or a small plant can help you save for years. Just clip off what you need before you start cooking, Cohen says.

Salad greens

Lettuce likes cooler temperatures and thrives during the spring and fall. But it can last throughout the summer if planted in a shadier spot. Finn likes to plant several types of salad greens so she can mix something buttery (like lettuce), spicy (mustard greens) and bitter (arugula). “Don’t cut the whole head off to harvest,” she says. “Just peel off the outer leaves.”

Strawberries

“You’re not getting enough to make jams, but it’s enough to put a few in your cereal,” Finn says. That is, if you can wait long enough. (Frugal Foodie likes to eat them straight from the plant.)

Tomatoes

Tomatoes can be tricky²¹ to grow from seed, so novice gardeners should start in May with seedlings²², Cohen says. Use stakes for support, allowing the plants to save space by growing upward. Even windowsill gardeners can try tomatoes — cherry varieties grow especially well there.

Frugal Foodie is a journalist based in New York City who spends her days writing about personal finance and obsessing²³ about what she’ll have for dinner.

1 sprout   

n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条

参考例句：

• When do deer first sprout horns?鹿在多大的时候开始长出角？
• It takes about a week for the seeds to sprout.这些种子大约要一周后才会发芽。

2 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

4 coupon   

n.息票，配给票，附单

参考例句：

• The coupon can be used once only.此优惠券只限使用一次。
• I have a coupon for ten pence off a packet of soap.我有一张优惠券买一盒肥皂可以便宜十便士。

5 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

6 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

7 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

8 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

9 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

10 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

11 frugal   

adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的

参考例句：

• He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
• The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

12 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

13 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 blanch   

v.漂白；使变白；使(植物)不见日光而变白

参考例句：

• We blanch almonds by soaking off their skins in boiling water.我们把杏仁泡在沸水中去皮弄成白色。
• To blanch involves plunging food into boiling water,usually very quickly.漂白是将食物放进开水里，通常非常快。

16 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

17 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

18 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

19 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

20 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

21 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

22 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 obsessing   

v.时刻困扰( obsess的现在分词 )；缠住；使痴迷；使迷恋

参考例句：

• Why is everyone obsessing over system specs right now? 为啥现在人人都对系统配置情有独钟？ 来自互联网
• A nitpicker, obsessing over dimes, is too stiff to place orders. 一个连一毛钱都舍不得亏的人，因太过拘谨而不能下单。 来自互联网