My second delivered organic-produce basket looked so good it should have been in a food magazine photo spread. It tasted just as good as it looked too.

All this rapture over fresh, colourful greens got me thinking; how much would it cost to buy this amount of organic vegetables at my local grocery store? It turns out, plenty. Not only in terms of cash but in time.

I had to drive to four local grocery stores (IGA, Metro, Provigo le marché and Tau) in order to find and price all the fresh, organic produce in my farmer’s basket this week. Many organic vegetables were grown in Quebec but an equal number of them were imported, despite being seasonally available in Quebec.

My farmer’s basket included: arugula, carrots, green onions, spring garlic, radish, turnips, mesclun lettuce mix (washed), basil, kale and asparagus. The quantity was enough to keep my family of three eating veggies for a week. The retail value of the basket was a surprising $33.

The highs and lows were: $4.99 for organic arugula at IGA, same for a mesclun salad mix and $1.79 for turnips at Metro and .99 cents for a bunch of radishes at Tau.

If I bought organic produce at grocery stores each week, assuming I spent the same each week, the cost over the same 11-week organic basket-delivery period would be $363 not including gas to drive around town. It’s slightly less expensive than what we paid for the Ferme Tourne Sol delivery service ($392) but doesn’t include the 5 fruit baskets included in the farm price.

In the end, I may not save money but it’s quicker, more environmentally friendly and my family helps a small local business.