Biggest Rip-off in the Grocery Store

[Jesse]

Yesterday I had a craving for mojitos, maybe due to the fact that its been hot as hell lately, so I went to the grocery to get the supplies. I was amazed to find 3/4 oz of mint for $3. Now, I just moved back so I haven't planted anything yet due to the season, but I used to have mint in my yard that grew like a weed and produced more than any human could ever use. Why the hell are they charging $64 a pound for mint? Its absurd.

[EatinAintCheatin]

The short answer is "because they can."

The real answer is probably something along the lines that we as a country have lost the desire/need for self-subsistence. We're too busy, tired, apathetic, lazy, etc. to learn to plant our own herbs/veggies. I'm certainly no Stalin fan, but he did have one good idea to help alleviate the post WWII famine. He encouraged all the peasants to learn to grow their own plot to feed themselves.

Maybe in addition to "drill, drill, drill" we should also "plant, plant, plant."

Oh, and I'm guilty too. All I have in my yard is one basil plant that went to seed and a pathetically neglected habanero pepper bush.

Now, off to a family Christmas gathering.

Merry Christmas all. And to my Jewish friends, Happy Chaunaka (as it officially starts at sundown this evening).

[hungryone]

Everyone in LA with a patch of ground should plant some herbs. This is the perfect time of year to plant dill and cilantro (from seed) and fennel & parsley (from transplants). Wait until it warms up a little bit (like early February) to put in the mint, and a little bit later for basil.

You're right that mint spreads rapidly...it likes partial shade, grows okay under oak trees, and once established, is almost impossible to kill. You SHOULDN'T pay $3 for a tiny bunch: grow-your-own. Growing your own has many benefits: you're removing carbon from the air, albeit on a tiny scale. You're saving on the packaging & transportation (environmental) costs of the $3 plastic clamshell of mint; you're providing habitat & food for beneficial insects, while deterring bad bugs (many pests hate herbs).

Last weekend, Jefferson feed had transplants of parsley, dill, mint, fennel, and other herbs. While you're at it, start saving the root ends of green onions: stick 'em in the ground and grow your own scallions. What's the point of having a yard if you aren't going to grow anything edible?

[Gourmondo]

The local chapter of the Herb Society of America has periodic plant sales and gatherings.

[Mrs. Fury]

Fresh basil is expensive as well. I cringe when I have to buy fresh herbs from the grocery. I know basil is fragile so I brought in one of my plants for the winter. It's doing quite well in my kitchen window with my parsley & chives. The ones that remain outside are the oregano, rosemary, apple mint and hot peppers. I was amazed to see the oregano last through the winter. It must be about three years old now.

[sore_bluto]

I saw a .5 oz. bag of Wood Ear Mushrooms (Chinese Black Fungus) in Sav-a-center (back when it was Sav-a-center) for $5.99. The bag I purchased from the Asian market was 2.5 oz. for 79¢! That's $191.68 per pound versus $5.06 per pound. That's a pretty big ripoff. By the way, 79¢ worth of wood ears is a multi-year supply.

[Schuarta]

There is a trend out here in the western states in some cities, that where major chain supermarkets have failed and closed, Asian markets have opened in their place. I have seen and visited both Chinese and Korean markets of this type.

Prices for many of their items can be much cheaper than their "American" counterparts. One of the best deals for us (hundreds of miles from the ocean) is the variety and price of the seafood found in these markets. Produce and herbs are usually at much better cost, as has been mentioned above.