I have recently been given a new portfolio of clients at work. One of whom is a FMCG food client. So as part of this I need to get up to speed with food pretty quick. I have always enjoyed cooking, but I need to start to love it as food is going to consume a lot of my time over the next few months.

My first insight is that eating well is expensive. A big shop at Woolies or Coles with fresh fruit and vegetables plus good meat will set you back a lot of money. Take a stroll down the aisles of Thomas Dux or a whole food store and you will be shocked at what they are charging for various items. When you compare these costs to cheap rice and pasta based meals, it is little wonder that those on a tight budget struggle to eat well.

I have found that the fruit and vegetables from large chain super markets to be quite ordinary also. You buy a lettuce or a cucumber and within a day or two they have gone to water. No doubt the product of having been frozen for the last 2 months. To counter this I have started going to fresh produce markets and Harris Farm. Not only is it cheaper, it has a far greater shelf life.

On Fridays, at Homebush, there are growers markets. It is a shame it is so far away because it is fantastic. It is all fresh and tasty. Plus it keeps for ages. A lettuce will last a week. During my time working at Homebush, it was the highlight of my week. Which, mind you, wasn’t hard achieve.

An even better initiative is the growing number of organic markets appearing around the place. Now this is where you can start forking over some serious money. Given the still niche nature of organics, the costs are very high. But it is only through supporting these initiatives that the prices will ever come down. There is a fantastic one at French’s Forrest. Well worth a short road trip on a Sunday morning. It also means you don’t have a thumper of a Saturday night.

I noticed on the weekend a store around the corner from me is selling organic produce. You don’t get much more convenient as I can walk to the shops to get my organic fruit and vegetables. It’s almost like I have grown them myself.

Which leads me to my next initiative.

I don’t really have the space to have a veggie patch on my balcony, but I am going to look in to growing one in the grounds of my building. I’m sure I can find a small patch to call my own. A spare square if you will. I need to do some more research in to what to grow when and how much space it all needs.

But it is a cost effective way of eating healthy and pretty rewarding.

Nothing like eating a meal you have grown yourself!