What's your price for "buying local"?

There's a big push on these days for "buying local" whenever possible.

The concept obviously has huge appeal to a great number of shoppers who want to buy good food, "do the right thing" for the environment, and support their community growers and producers whenever possible.

But I wonder where the desire to buy local conflicts with the understandable desire to watch one's spending?

So, if we consider that there are national brand options, or at least brands that have been shipped in from otherwhere, and the same basic quality level of locally available brands, where would you fit on the buying spectrum?

I frequently buy locally produced wines knowing I could probably get a better QPR from something imported. I also prefer to buy at the local bakeries and farmers markets.

Howie, I buy local when I can too.

As a resident of the Portland/Willamette Valley area, where the localitarian trend is highly developed, a have a wealth of opportunities as well.

Most of the time the prices are comparable, perhaps sometimes slightly more. My preferred place to shop right now is my neighborhood New Seasons store (a local and locally owned chain). They put everyone else to shame.

Today, I brought fresh baked bread, bought quite a bit of produce from local buyers (everything that was in season), and when I went to the meat counter to get a special cut for a roast, a tall and rangy guy in a white stetson (but a 'used' stetson, not a drugstore cowboy hat) helped package the meat for us. He didn't do all that good a job, since he wasn't a regular employee: he was one of the local beef ranchers and part of the co-op that supplies New Seasons with their meat. So we overlooked his attempt at packaging (think the normal guy's attempt to wrap a present and you'll get the idea).

There are occasions, however, when I will hedge on buying local: specifically if the price variance is what I think is high. I believe in supporting local producers, but I also believe that being local doesn't give them the right to be non-competitive on price, whether it's to cover their poor business acumen or to fatten their pockets. Some leeway, yes. Sometimes a premium for exceptional freshness and quality. But not unlimited.

Excellent question, Hoke, and one I can't answer. I do buy local a lot, mostly from our farmers' markets and such. There are a couple of local producers I shy away from due to prices, though, and it would be interesting for me to take a closer look at just how much higher those prices are and how much lower they'd need to be for me to bite on them.

It's not easy to buy local here in Phoenix - only a few weekly or even monthly farmers markets at inconvenient locations or at inconvenient times (one long running market is on a weekday during business ours). One upscale grocery store does get some produce locally, but not much. I usually only shop there when looking for wines not available elsewhere or when I want to splurge on some prime sirloin.

I buy local produce and baked goods as often as I can between Maryland and Pennsylvania, we live close to the line. I will not, though, buy local wine as I feel it's substandard, and I hate saying that, but my palate won't support it.

Drew

Well, as Hoke knows, I'm in the Willamette Valley, too. The closest supermarket to me - Roth's, six miles - carries tons of local produce and local wines. I buy most of my beef there, too, grass-fed Painted Hills, also local. The rib roast I'll be cooking later today was $9.99 per pound. Within just a few miles of me are natural pork, poultry, eggs and raw milk.

There's a farmer's market with all local produce in McMinnville which operates on Thursdays most of the year. Oregon also has great seafood and local cheeses in abundance. I buy mostly local, it's probably easier here than it is in a lot of other places.

For me its not so much cost as it is time. Living next to an Amish Community close to the Chesapeake Bay and within 20 miles of the only Bison herd I can get almost everything local. Produce, baked goods, preserves, fish, beef, pork, bison, chicken, lamb, even turkeys. The problem is that its spread all over. There are three farmers markets within 10 miles but they all have different restrictions and the largest one does not have the same restrictions for locally grown as the other two do. The smaller ones don't have the same diversity of product. Additionally some items (hogs for just one example) aren't sold in the markets so one has to go to the house of the seller. Seafood rarely makes it to the market either as it has its own long established network of suppliers and storefronts. Throw in that the Amish grow a small subset of total produce that I desire and it is often grown for productivity and durability and not taste and it could easily be 5 different locations to get everything needed for a week and I still probably have to go the local megamart for some items.

I live in Gouge Central so a little more is OK. I'm used to it.

To me, trying to measure "bug local" by looking at cost is a false proposition. Local often means fresher, thus higher quality. It also means that small producers can find a market for higher quality goods that cannot find their way to national or regional distribution.

So when I buy a head of organic lettuce (say) at the farmers market for $1.50, it really doesn't even enter my mind whether the same variety of organic ttuce might sell for more or less at a local grocer. And it is completely out of the question to buy a head of lettuce trucked up from Mexico or from Arizona at a chain supermarket that might only cost 89 cents because I know the quality is inferior.

To me, trying to measure "bug local" by looking at cost is a false proposition. Local often means fresher, thus higher quality.

I agree. I look at quality first and that usually leads me to local.

But I must admit that I do recoil from the idea of buying herbs shipped in from Asia or Africa, even when they look better than other options.

Well, as Hoke knows, I'm in the Willamette Valley, too. The closest supermarket to me - Roth's, six miles - carries tons of local produce and local wines. I buy most of my beef there, too, grass-fed Painted Hills, also local. The rib roast I'll be cooking later today was $9.99 per pound. Within just a few miles of me are natural pork, poultry, eggs and raw milk.

Chef, where you say raw milk, are you saying unpasteurized, or is the raw as in full cream? If Full Cream, and unpasteurized, you have a gold mine going on. As a kid growing up on a farm, we milked a few cows and my Mother skimmed the cream to make butter. I can still taste it! She also allowed milk to clabber, and from that she made cottage cheese. I can still taste that too!

Well, as Hoke knows, I'm in the Willamette Valley, too. The closest supermarket to me - Roth's, six miles - carries tons of local produce and local wines. I buy most of my beef there, too, grass-fed Painted Hills, also local. The rib roast I'll be cooking later today was $9.99 per pound. Within just a few miles of me are natural pork, poultry, eggs and raw milk.

Chef, where you say raw milk, are you saying unpasteurized, or is the raw as in full cream? If Full Cream, and unpasteurized, you have a gold mine going on. As a kid growing up on a farm, we milked a few cows and my Mother skimmed the cream to make butter. I can still taste it! She also allowed milk to clabber, and from that she made cottage cheese. I can still taste that too!

Yep, I'm talking the real deal here, Bob. Real, unpasteurized milk. The only drawback is the cost - it's twice as much as supermarket milk. They have all the customers they can handle, though. Just not enough to go around. They also make several raw milk cheeses. (Anybody ever watch "Chef" on PBS?)

[Jenise]

But I must admit that I do recoil from the idea of buying herbs shipped in from Asia or Africa, even when they look better than other options.

Same here. Saw some beautiful garlic at a market in Canada yesterday and actually had it in my hand, but when I realized it was from China I put it back.

Hoke, I'm surprised at the resistance level your poll shows at 10%. In general I agree with Bernie and Rahsaan, and arbitrarily selected 33%, and now realize I should have. Since you posted this, I bought a ham and had the choice of a California Farmer John or a Washington Hempler's which I know to be a particularly good brand. The price tick up was exactly 50%, $1.99/lb vs. 2.99 so for the whole ham, or about $7 more for the size ham I was buying. I paused, but took the Hempler's.

I just upped the 50% higher option.