Frozen vs fresh vs canned vs mail order

[Different Socks]

Which is better on the pocket book?

In your area, how would you rank them cheapest to most expensive?

Just trying to figure out if I should only buy one of a particular thing.
Ya know, cost of canned peas vs the smallest bag of frozen, etc.

Besides TVP, is there anything I should definitely mail order?

[jtbradyl]

One thing: if you want plant food learn how to forage. Saves room and expense.

[Different Socks]

One thing: if you want plant food learn how to forage. Saves room and expense.

Too many states with too many different wild things to eat!

[Farr Away]

Which is better on the pocket book?

In your area, how would you rank them cheapest to most expensive?

Just trying to figure out if I should only buy one of a particular thing.
Ya know, cost of canned peas vs the smallest bag of frozen, etc.

Besides TVP, is there anything I should definitely mail order?

Don't need to mail order tvp if you have any kind of natural foods store around. You can also find it at some larger groceries.

As far as the rest of your question, it depends what you're considering. Corn? Mangoes? Meat? Also depends on what you're going to do with the stuff once you get it. Take it hiking? You might need to process fresh or frozen before you could do that. Is it worth the time you would need? I've dried grapes once. Probably won't do it again unless I got a lot of grapes free. They weren't any tastier or cheaper than store-bought raisins. I dry pineapple all the time though. It's way tastier than store-bought; doesn't have or need added sugar, and is significantly cheaper than the little store-bought pouches. It also doesn't take much time - open a can; drain; put on the dehydrator.

-FA

[sarbar]

This is how I do it:
If I can't find it commercially (and of high quality) then I dry it myself. Works pretty good overall. :)

[LaurieAnn]

Which is better on the pocket book?

In your area, how would you rank them cheapest to most expensive?

Just trying to figure out if I should only buy one of a particular thing.
Ya know, cost of canned peas vs the smallest bag of frozen, etc.

Besides TVP, is there anything I should definitely mail order?

Fresh local in season is the cheapest followed by frozen. Canned is next in the expense list and mail order being the most expensive.

I try to avoid canned... especially peas. Over-salted and mushy, they are.

For dehydrating fresh or frozen works best.

Mail order... the only thing that is best mail ordered is scrambled egg mix. TVP and such you can buy at a local bulk foods store or a decent grocery store.

[leaftye]

The location, quantities ordered, and the vendor make a HUGE difference. Some items like jerky can cost about the same when bought local, from local produced, or mail order.

Since I'm in a big city, my prices agree with LaurieAnn for the most part. Mail order can be less expensive for some items, especially after the cost of gasoline is factored in.

[sarbar]

I live in the foothills of the Cascade Mts/Rainier - so for me mail order is always cheaper than driving into Seattle - and I always order enough to get the free shipping deals offered, hence making it even cheaper. (Diesel is running $3.25 a gallon these days.)

Mail order (ie...online shopping) allows one to get fun items such as soy sauce powder, butter powder, yogurt powder, freeze-dried olives - the kinds of things not found easily in stores.

I am glad we have the ability to find so many things these days. 10 years ago we didn't have the luxury of this.

PS: Canned meats are worth it IMO.

[Toolshed]

In the early nineties, many food Processing plants and Ag Co-ops, started implementing new procedures in flashfreezing vegetables (including processing within 24 hours of harvest), guaranteeing that almost all the nutrients are maintained. I would almost say there is little difference between frozen and fresh nowadays. Canned is a bit of a different horse.

[sarbar]

In the early nineties, many food Processing plants and Ag Co-ops, started implementing new procedures in flashfreezing vegetables (including processing within 24 hours of harvest), guaranteeing that almost all the nutrients are maintained. I would almost say there is little difference between frozen and fresh nowadays. Canned is a bit of a different horse.

And those frozen veggies can actually be better than fresh due to being actually RIPE when harvested unlike a lot of fresh produce that sits for weeks to months after harvest.