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At the farmers' market at Hope High School this morning, native tomatoes were $3.50 and $3.75 a pound at little stands set up in the driveway.

It's harvest time, and local food, and farmers' markets, are supposed to be cheaper -- no middleman, no long-haul fuel costs, just a few cardboard boxes and a produce scale.

There were some good values: At opposite ends of the driveway, $1.50 bought a pound of ripe, sweet, tiny plums (the size of cherry tomatoes) or Butterstick zucchini, a flavorful yellow summer squash with zucchini's straight shape, bred by Burpee.

But the chatter was about how expensive things were there. Several shoppers were overheard saying an item was cheaper elsewhere before leaving without buying it.

For instance, Dockside Seafood in Warwick is advertising native tomatoes for 99 cents a pound, at least through Tuesday.

Back in 1971, I organized a food coop at the company I was working at. Those experiences in pooling buying power and labor may come in handy again yet.

Unblock: Reaction to last week's Network neutrality news, where the FCC affirmed unrestricted Net access: FCC rules Comcast violated Internet access policy

"Subscribers should be able to go where they want, when they want, and generally use the Internet in any legal means," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement.

From Ars Technica, Reactions to FCC's Comcast decision come fast and furious

It is very unlikely that the FCC's 42-year-old chief (Republican Kevin Martin) parties with the Free Press crowd. But with today's ruling, he has clearly sided not just with the FCC's "two Democrats," as the (Wall Street) Journal bitterly calls them, but with a younger, technology-loving generation that sees government as an ally rather than The Problem.

Reuters also does a wrap: Comcast FCC decision: the reactions.

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2 Comments

Elizabeth said:

Dockside Seafood in Warwick on Warwick Avenue near Sandy Lane, which you cited in your commentary above, has amazing prices on many items. I stop there on my way home whenever possible to buy meat (boneless chicken tenders for $.99/lb recently), excellent fresh fish at better-than-supermarket prices, inexpensive produce, and a limited range of staple foods and supplies. It saves me navigating the lonnnnng aisles of Super Stop & Shop, is much friendlier, and now it's saving me dinero, too.

Link | August 5, 2008 5:24 PM
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Sheila Lennon said:

I'm finding random good bargains even at Whole Foods -- they have "Old Fashioned Potato Salad" for $1.99 a quart, with very little mayonnaise as filler.

My mom knew the price of her favorite items to the penny at three markets, and drove among them to save a nickel. With computers, there should be an easier way to do that these days.

If only inventories were online.

Link | August 8, 2008 11:46 AM
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