How Much Did We Spend?

Posted on by Laura & Brett

IMG_3899I haven’t done one of these in a while, but after the slim pickings at the Kalaheo farmers’ market a few weeks ago it’s been rewarding to see all that’s available at our weekly neighborhood market.

The above is what we bought two weeks ago:

  • 1 bunch carrots
  • 1 large bunch parsley
  • 1 large bunch mint
  • 1 large bunch cilantro
  • 2 bags tomatoes (16 total)
  • 1 large mango
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 3 limes
  • 4 dragonfruit
  • 1 bunch bananas (8)
  • 1 large bundle of green onions
  • 3 sweet onions

The tomatoes, cilantro, onions and limes were used to make some pico de gallo; the mint and parsley went into the quinoa and tabouli salads (tomatoes, too); the carrots were used in curry and the Killer Noodle Salad (which also used up the rest of the cilantro). The remainder of the mint made an appearance in some mojitos! I am very happy to see dragonfruit back in the market again – it has become my favorite local fruit (I was afraid of it the first summer we were here). There are only a couple of vendors with lychee this year, but they are very expensive so we will probably skip buying them until next year. Pineapples have started to appear, and last week we found a nice one at a good price.

So, how much did we spend on all that’s in the picture? Hint: the dragonfruit were the most expensive items, and the mango was a bit spendy too, but their season is short.

(The total for all this beautiful locally-grown goodness will appear in Sunday’s post!)

Published by Laura & Brett

Slow traveling the world with a sense of adventure!

12 thoughts on “How Much Did We Spend?”

    1. A good guess but still low – the dragonfruit and mango were an expensive splurge, but we had to have the dragonfruit. Mangoes will be gone in a short time.

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    1. Your guess is closer, but the dragonfruit and mango were expensive. Last year it seemed were bumper crops for everything (mangoes, lychee, dragonfruit, etc.), and the fruit was available for a long time. It almost felt like farmers were giving the stuff away. This year there doesn’t seem to be as much available, and the prices are much higher. One thing though we’re seeing a lot of this year is broccoli – kind of amazing considering how hard it is to grow here.

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  3. $38.50, but only because you are such good shoppers, and locals as well. How do you eat the Dragon Fruit? I have never had it.

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    1. You’re pretty close! Today (Wednesday) was market day again, and both Brett and I were surprised by how few mangoes, lychee, and dragonfruit there are this year. Last year there was so much, and it was available all summer. When we drive by a mango tree there are only a few or no fruit on the tree – last year the trees stayed loaded for months. Same with the lychee. Maybe they’re an every other year thing? Whatever, they’re all hard to find, and very expensive this year.

      Dragonfruit looks intimidating, but it’s very easy to peel and eat. I cut the fruit into sixths or eighths and the peel slips right off. The fruit inside can be either white or bright pink with lots of teeny tiny black seeds. We prefer the white ones because they’re a little sweeter. The taste of the fruit is very mild, sort of like a fig, but the fruit is very crisp and juicy. Some people put it in the freezer, but I haven’t tried that yet. The fruit actually grows on a cactus plant.

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  5. Mama only had one mango on her tree this year and the avocado tree has been dropping quarter size fruit for the past three weeks. Not sure if it’s climate change or not. The warm weather had a definite effect on the Florida peaches as production was cut almost in half.

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    1. The weather might have had something to do with the small harvests this year, but they may also be cyclical, producing one year and then cutting back the next year. I think it’s more likely something to do with the weather though because that makes more sense than three different fruits being on the same good year/bad year cycle.

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  6. Well I was going to guess $34 but after reading the comments I’m raising it to $41.50 🙂 It all looks so fresh and good.

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