Frugal Find Friday--Bummer!

Today my Frugal Finds were spoiled! I was going to share with you some of the ways I frugally feed our family wonderful in season, local foods by showing the bounty of our local famer's market. However, when I got there yesterday they vendors were either gone or were about to pull out!

I haven't been able to go in almost 2 weeks (it is open T, Th, and Sat) and was so looking forward to a visit. However I had to work from 11-5 and by the time I got to the market it was about 5:30. The weather was cold and rainy and I'm guessing they all headed home a little early because of it. I'm kind of thinking that the crowd gets pretty thin by then, but I do not really know as I am typically there in the early afternoon. I'm especially disappointed because I will not be able to go Saturday or Tuesday and Thursday I have the same schedule. And they close in about a month....YIKES!

The West Allis Farmer's market is made up of all local vendors. They must grow what they sell. I love the variety of items offered and find that I can often get some amazing deals. They open at noon and I'm guessing they close between 5-6 depending on the crowd. I really think that finding a local farmer's market is one of the most frugal ways to feed a family (at least during the summer) if you do not have a garden. To give you an idea of some of the best deals I've gotten this summer...

Cabbages (rather huge ones, both red and green) $1
Cantaloupe $1
Smaller Watermelons $1 and 2/$1
Green Beans $1/lb (typically they are about $2/lb there)
Zucchini (a bin of about 8 bigger ones) $1
Beets (a huge basket) $2
Eggplant 3/$1

And the list goes on and on. I do walk the entire market and really do try to find some of the best deals. However, the prices are all very good and the food is even better! There are some all organic vendors, some that sell meat and eggs, a few apple orchards, lots of sweet corn, flowers, herbs and all kinds of other great vegetables and fruits.

I'm already dreading the end of the growing season. And really it is already here as we are expecting flurries on Saturday afternoon and highs in the low 40s on Monday. Looks like winter showed up a bit early this year!

Have a great day,
Heather