Grocery prices

The last several weeks, eggs have been incredibly cheap here. Like 49 cents/dozen. And I can't figure out why.

I scored six grass-fed bison sirloins today for $1.99 each. Couldn't resist.

The last several weeks, eggs have been incredibly cheap here. Like 49 cents/dozen. And I can't figure out why..

That sounds frightening to be honest. I don't think I would want to eat those eggs.

[Jenise]

Larry, your deals are unbelievable. But like Rahsaan, I'm concerned about freshness. I presume your bison steaks weren't from the green meat bin?

I wasn't even thinking about freshness, although that could be an issue too. I was thinking more about the farming practices that would lead to someone making a profit at that price. I'm not sure I would want to support those practices or consume the result of those practices!

[Robin Garr]

I wasn't even thinking about freshness, although that could be an issue too. I was thinking more about the farming practices that would lead to someone making a profit at that price. I'm not sure I would want to support those practices or consume the result of those practices!

I couldn't agree more. Call me an egg snob, but I'll gladly pay $3 to $5 for a dozen excellent, local pastured organic eggs that eat industrial eggs for free.

[Jenise]

I wasn't even thinking about freshness, although that could be an issue too. I was thinking more about the farming practices that would lead to someone making a profit at that price. I'm not sure I would want to support those practices or consume the result of those practices!

Good points--I just presumed no one was making a profit, that these were 'on clearance' and not the originally intended price.

Call me an egg snob, but I'll gladly pay $3 to $5 for a dozen excellent, local pastured organic eggs that eat industrial eggs for free.

I'm fully with you on that front. I have a general aversion to eggs from the supermarket and do everything possible to buy my eggs at the farmers market where I can talk with the producer.

Of course that's a general preference for pretty much everything, I would always rather buy direct from a high quality local producer that I can talk with at the market. But not everything can be purchased that way, so compromises do exist. Yet eggs are quite high on the list of things for which I would rather not make that compromise!

A lot of bad assumptions below.

Eggs here normally sell between 99 cents and $1.29 (occasionally bump up to about $1.50). This week, eggs at one grocery store were 49 cents/dozen and they were the everyday rotating stock, not over the sell by dates. (I consider them a loss leader, not something dangerous to eat). The bison steaks were within their sell by dates, not in the green meat section, and now they're in my freezer. Another store has bi-color corn for 5/$1 fresh from wherever (another loss leader), and I'm going to buy some more today.

I have bought many eggs for el cheapo that were within sell by dates that were organic, free range, cage-free, whatever--like the organic, free-range, amber-yolked blue and brown eggs I bought recently and ate without killing myself. I'm not a food snob, and I'm not ashamed to purchase something on sale. Oh, no, I bought a couple of jars of jelly yesterday marked down to a dollar each.

I presume your bison steaks weren't from the green meat bin?

You mean like that scene in the movie "The Odd Couple" where Oscar is hosting a poker game and offers his guests sandwiches:

"What kind of sandwiches have you got?"
"Brown sandwiches and green sandwiches."
"What's the green?"
"It's either very old meat or very new cheese."
"I'll take the brown."

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Not ashamed to buy on sale either, Larry, I love it and more power to you. It's just that in my area, I just never ever ever see anything like the prices you report, even on sale.

I think our prices may have something to do with our proximity to Mexico, but we do have good prices in general. For example, store brand cheese of any type is on sale now for 4/$6. It's not gourmet cheese, but good enough for a number of uses and works out to $1.50/8-oz block. Pretty good price. And the Albertson's white extra-sharp cheddar cheese can hold its own against the higher-price brands.

NM is blessed with cattle ranches, dairy farms (NM's dairy herds are largest in country), several cheese factories, including the second largest one in our country, tree nuts (world leader in pecans) and apple orchards, Spanish peanut farms, chile farms, and short transportation from Mexico for many fruits and veges, including organic foods. We grow things like pumpkins, watermelons, beans, and onions (we supply 85% of the onions for this country in June).

Perhaps part of the reason for cheaper food here. And many people think we're nothing but a flat, hot, and bare desert.

[Jenise]

Larry, a few weeks ago in Montana--hoping to find a few great thick Montana steaks to bring home with us, I failed to find anything of the sort. In Red Lodge's one foo-foo store, they had some steaks in the freezer---from D'Artagnan in New York!!!! WHAT'S GOING ON, I wanted to know, THIS TOWN IS SURROUNDED BY FIELD AFTER FIELD OF HAPPY BLACK ANGUS CATTLE, WHERE DO THE STEAKS GO? The shopkeeper laughed and said, "We don't know! When we want steak, we go to Costco in Billngs." Local supply doesn't always lead to local deals.

Btw, thought of you while there. Visited a small Amish market where they made their own Lebanon Bologna!

Deleting this post, thanks to Jenise.

Btw, thought of you while there. Visited a small Amish market where they made their own Lebanon Bologna!

Cool. Wonder if it's as good as Selzer's, which is no longer out here. I've had to do with Boar's Head, which is a pale reflection of the PA stuff.

Years ago we raised chickens on a farm, as a sideline. The prices of eggs in the stores gradually got so low that we stopped raising chickens.

Yeah, I get that. So the idea of roadside sales wouldn't work for you, i presume. Milk prices are like that, too, for farmers.

FWIW, I raised chickens years ago in my backyard for eggs just for us and the neighbors. I discovered for every 25 lbs. of feed, I'd get 30 lbs. of manure. It also used to be fun dropping a cicada into the flock and watching the ensuing bedlam.

Perhaps it is the newly-introduced (OK, February, but that's still new at desert speeds ) law that egg farmers over a certain size must go cage-free?

The law is not innovative and it doesn't even apply to any egg farmer actually in business in NM today but the 'government overreach' crowd has already soiled themselves over it. Maybe they're hurrying to earn money quick before the dang revenooers come to take their gu-, um, hens away!

Deleting this post, thanks to Jenise.

Deleting this post, thanks to Jenise.

Deleting this post, thanks to Jenise.

The last several weeks, eggs have been incredibly cheap here. Like 49 cents/dozen. And I can't figure out why.

Eggs are suddenly cheap here, too: 99 cents/dozen for medium.

Pumpkin thinks that demand is down because all the people who fled the cities during Covid are getting eggs from neighbors, or possibly went totally hick and bought a few chickens for themselves. Not sure I buy that but, clearly, demand is down.

Maybe I need to switch from popsicles back to ice cream.

[Jenise]

Pumpkin's reasoning makes sense.

Speaking of prices, I bought ribs at Costco this week. $5.49 for baby backs up from 3.99 for years, and 4.99 for St. Louis up from 2.99. Ergo, what I expected to be a $95ish investment was about $150. Ouch.

Returning to the quality issue of local products I had forgotten the taste difference between garden greens and store bought, even organic, greens. Prior to leaving Wisconsin at the end of May I was harvesting asparagus, spinach, arugula, escarole, dill, Chinese chives and mint. Salads were fantastic and satisfying. Made main with marinated cooked beans or thinly sliced cold steak, chicken or grilled fish. My kind of spring and summer eating. Limited to grocery produce now in western PA everything tastes like paper. Tried 2 different farmer's markets here last summer and despite being a somewhat rural area they didn't hold a candle to the farmer's markets of Wisconsin. Missing the flavor and freshness.

[Jenise]

Diamond Crystal salt. Was about $4.99, now $7.79.

Diamond Crystal salt. Was about $4.99, now $7.79.

Good thing I have a stash.