Village Farmers Markets Hold Up In Price, Freshness Comparison To Chain Groceries

Peter Straus seems to be having fun as he tells those passing his Twin Gardens Farm booth at the La Grange Park farmers market to, "step out of your comfort zone," and try a sample of his Mirai hybrid sweet corn.

''Oh, my God, it's so sweet,'' says one woman. She buys a sack of the corn—selling for $4 for six pieces or $7 a dozen—from the 52 dozens on sale at Straus's booth, all of which had been picked the day before from a farm in Savanna, Ill.

Shoppers at the weekly La Grange Park and La Grange farmers markets say the freshness, taste and nutrition of local produce, picked the day of or a day before the market, is worth the sometimes-pricier tags.

The locally grown produce available at the markets is nutritious, area nutrition and horticulture experts say, because a smaller amount of time passes between the crops reaching ripeness and being picked. But an official from an area chain grocery store said the store's produce is fresh, too: it is never picked "long before" peak ripeness; it is inspected for quality and is offered seasonally from local Midwest farms.

In a price comparison, common berries can be purchased at similar prices at both area chain grocery stores and at the villages' farmers markets, with the farmers market prices ranging from $.50 cheaper than chain grocery stores, to $1 more expensive.

"You can't get more fresh than us picking it at 4 p.m. the previous day and bringing it to you," said Rhonda Dinges, daughter-in-law of the owners of D & R Gardens and Orchards, a vendor at the La Grange Park farmers market that year after year grows only enough fruit to sell at farmers markets, including the crops for their array of jams.

"Most people are willing to pay a little more to get fresh, knowing it was picked today," said Robert Ware, executive director of The West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors both villages' farmers markets. "Or, they go to a vendor because they have gotten to know him or her on a personal basis."

J.W. Morlock and Girls, a vendor based about two hours away in Watervilet, Mich., sells at both villages' farmers markets and has enjoyed that personal-basis relationship with customers.

"Most of our regular customers know where to find us," said Melissa Morlock, one of the owners' three daughters referred to in the company name. "They can't have [the produce] any fresher. It is reasonable. You're getting good quality food for a good quality price.''  

Comparing prices between chain grocery stores and local farmers markets can be difficult due to differences in the size of containers and the availability of discount cards and sales at chain grocery stores. But recently, without discount cards, blueberries at Jewel-Osco in La Grange Park were $3.99/pint; at Trader Joe's in La Grange they sold for $2.99/pint. At the farmers markets, vendors J.W. Morlock and Cap Farm both sold blueberries for $4/box; D & R Gardens and Orchard for $3.50/box; and Skibbe Farms for $2.50/pint.

In another comparison of the same stores and vendors, strawberries were selling for $3.99/pound at Jewel-Osco; $4.49/pound at Trader Joe's, and for $4.50/box at J.W. Morlock's farmers market booth.

But price should be weighed with freshness for best nutrition practices, experts say.

"Produce you get from a local farm is picked at the peak of ripeness," said Jennifer McCaffrey, nutrition educator for the University of Illinois Extension in Westchester, Ill. "It has the most nutrition at that time- vitamins and minerals."

McCaffrey said the amount of nutrients lost during shipping of non-local produce varies greatly, depending on when the crops are picked, how they are stored and the specific type of produce.

Her colleague, Matt Kostelnick, a horticulture educator at the University of Illinois Extension in Rolling Meadows, Ill., said locally grown crops have better taste and better texture.

"The closer to the day it's picked, the better the taste," Kostelnick said.

Kostelnick said some fruits, most often bananas, are picked before becoming ripe to extend time allowed for shipping and shelf life. And some vegetables, such as carrots, are genetically altered to be harder and stronger so they can be more easily pulled out of the ground by machines, which alters the flavor and texture, he said. Another example, he said, is the genetic modification of some tomatoes to harden skin to withstand shipping and extend shelf life, which also leaves the inside of the tomatoes hard.

Managers at Jewel-Osco in La Grange Park directed questions to Karen May, external communications manager at Jewel-Osco corporate headquarters, who said Jewel does not buy produce picked "long before" ripe and does not purchase produce genetically engineered to avoid shipping damage and lengthen shelf life.

There's a local connection at Jewel-Osco, too, May said. The grocery store carries more than 40 varieties of Midwest-grown produce during the July and August peak season months, she said, and the store has a history of working with local growers, including its "Locally Harvested" initiative aimed at expanding its sourcing and selection of locally-grown produce. 

Before reaching the La Grange Park grocery store, May said produce is inspected at its distribution center in Melrose Park, Ill., where any produce that does not meet its quality standards is removed. The store's suppliers are screened to make sure they follow all required food safety practices, a process local farmers cannot necessarily guarantee, May said.

Trader Joe's in La Grange did not return calls for comment in this story.

More Information

La Grange Park Farmers Market

When: Tuesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., through October 26

Where: Memorial Park parking lot, between Oak Avenue and Homestead Road

La Grange Farmers Market

When: Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., through October 28

Where: La Grange Village Hall parking lot at the corner of 6th Avenue and Harris Avenue