# What is with the price of onions?



## danpeikes (Apr 26, 2010)

What is with the price of onions? In the Chicago area for decent onions we are paying at least $1.30 a lb.  I heard rumor about a frost or something.  Does anyone know exactly what the cause is?


----------



## marigeorge (Apr 26, 2010)

I don't know why onions are so expensive but they have been for over a year in my area. I bought some Saturday at $1.99 lb. I hated paying that price but I can't cook without them!


----------



## CharlieD (Apr 26, 2010)

Well, unfortunatelly everything is up in price.


----------



## danpeikes (Apr 26, 2010)

CharlieD said:


> Well, unfortunatelly everything is up in price.


 I agree with you but this is like 3 times as much as it should be.


----------



## BigAL (Apr 26, 2010)

danpeikes said:


> I agree with you but this is like 3 times as much as it should be.


 

Don't buy them.  Consumers set the price, supply/demand.


----------



## CharlieD (Apr 26, 2010)

Yeah, they are pretty expensive here too. The cheapest I've seen lately was like .99 per pound. Wich is also too much.


----------



## Selkie (Apr 26, 2010)

BigAL said:


> Don't buy them.  Consumers set the price, supply/demand.



Actually weather and availability of water (for irrigation) set the price, both of which have presented problems this past season.


----------



## ChefJune (Apr 26, 2010)

I don't know. I'm still getting a 3-pound bag at the Greenmarket for $1.50.


----------



## Selkie (Apr 26, 2010)

ChefJune said:


> I don't know. I'm still getting a 3-pound bag at the Greenmarket for $1.50.



You may be fortunate in having a local grower! 

California, Georgia and Florida onions are kind of pricey right now.


----------



## bigdaddy3k (Apr 26, 2010)

Dan,

Last year's fall floods in our area made a lot of the onions rot in the mud. (there is also a shortage of onion cheese from Wisconsin!!!)


----------



## danpeikes (Apr 26, 2010)

bigdaddy3k said:


> Dan,
> 
> Last year's fall floods in our area made a lot of the onions rot in the mud. (there is also a shortage of onion cheese from Wisconsin!!!)


 Sounds like the same thing that caused the pumpkin shortage.


----------



## babetoo (Apr 26, 2010)

Selkie said:


> You may be fortunate in having a local grower!
> 
> California, Georgia and Florida onions are kind of pricey right now.


 
i certainly know calif. has pricey onions. just me most of the time to cook for. so i buy three or four when i grocery shop. will last me almost a month. now you want to talk pricey, lets talk about lemon and limes. again buy four or so of lemons. in the park here are many lemon trees. just don't know neighbors and don't want to steal em. lol limes harder to come by.


----------



## BigAL (Apr 26, 2010)

Selkie said:


> Actually weather and availability of water (for irrigation) set the price, both of which have presented problems this past season.


 
supply.   

Most farmers(in our area anyway) know how much water they can use before they plant a crop.  Is it different over there?

Weather, the largest variable.  Just don't make her mad!


----------



## Selkie (Apr 26, 2010)

BigAL said:


> supply.
> 
> Most farmers(in our area anyway) know how much water they can use before they plant a crop.  Is it different over there?
> 
> Weather, the largest variable.  Just don't make her mad!



I've seen on TV news that there's a political battle going on between a California state water board commissioner (or some other fancy title), and two congressmen who's districts are large tracts of central valley farm land that depend on irrigation. As a result of the dispute, many crops are not getting the amount of water they say they require.

Georgia and Florida do indeed have weather problems.


----------



## Claire (Apr 26, 2010)

I don't care what the politicians and pundits say, yes, the price of food has increased considerably in the past few years.  Since I have a very limited choice of where I can shop for groceries (Wal-Mart and Piggly-Wiggly) I honestly don't keep track of what individual items cost, only the totals.  Wal-Mart is cheaper overall, but P-W gives me a gas discount at a local gas station, which adds up quickly.  I have a terrible memory, especially for numbers (it kills me that my mother has a half-dozen choices of grocery stores and can tell you exactly what each item costs at each store.  Why didn't I inherit that gene?).  Anyway, onions are an item I'll buy no matter what, so I can't say I've paid attention.  Looked for my receipt, but must have tossed it already.  What kills me though is when I buy a bag (especially this time of year) and have to throw away much of each onion.  I don't mind too much paying for groceries, but throwing it away just kills me.  My husband continually wonders how he can say, "Claire, I think we need to tighten the belt a bit," and I can scale back the budgets for food and other necessities ... and still have no idea what the individual items cost!


----------



## bigdaddy3k (Apr 26, 2010)

Yeah but Dan and I are midwesterners (we wear boots but like delis) and last year we had a lot of fall floods. I remember saying (holy creep, thank God its not snow) in Oct. Onions are left in the ground until they need them, just like potatoes. Onions are also native to marshy land so they are often planted in low lying areas that gather water easily. Wisconsin is our onion provider here in Illinois and they got nailed last year.


----------



## Andy M. (Apr 26, 2010)

On a related but different note, has anyone else noticed the jump in price for green bell peppers?  

The normal price we see is $0.99 per pound.  They are up to $2.89 per pound!  I passed on them last week.


----------



## spork (Apr 26, 2010)

Likewise tomato prices, blamed on the past winter's frosts.  It's hard to cook without the two.  Sometimes I wonder if the economic recovery is being clandestinely engineered by food/survival prices, not a pure market function of supply and demand (since taxes are involved).


----------



## CharlieD (Apr 26, 2010)

Claire said:


> I don't care what the politicians and pundits say, yes, the price of food has increased considerably in the past few years. Since I have a very limited choice of where I can shop for groceries (Wal-Mart and Piggly-Wiggly) I honestly don't keep track of what individual items cost, only the totals. Wal-Mart is cheaper overall, but P-W gives me a gas discount at a local gas station, which adds up quickly. I have a terrible memory, especially for numbers (it kills me that my mother has a half-dozen choices of grocery stores and can tell you exactly what each item costs at each store. Why didn't I inherit that gene?). Anyway, onions are an item I'll buy no matter what, so I can't say I've paid attention. Looked for my receipt, but must have tossed it already. What kills me though is when I buy a bag (especially this time of year) and have to throw away much of each onion. I don't mind too much paying for groceries, but throwing it away just kills me. My husband continually wonders how he can say, "Claire, I think we need to tighten the belt a bit," and I can scale back the budgets for food and other necessities ... and still have no idea what the individual items cost!


 


I could sign under every word. I'm in exactly the same situation.


----------



## babetoo (Apr 26, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> On a related but different note, has anyone else noticed the jump in price for green bell peppers?
> 
> The normal price we see is $0.99 per pound. They are up to $2.89 per pound! I passed on them last week.[/
> 
> unless they are to be stuffed, i use frozen in a bag ones. assortment of colors. just thaw and then use however you like. had some in a salad last night. can't always use fresh ones for me, before they go bad. don't remember the price off hand. but is better than discarding because they are rotten.


----------



## CharlieD (Apr 26, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> On a related but different note, has anyone else noticed the jump in price for green bell peppers?
> 
> The normal price we see is $0.99 per pound. They are up to $2.89 per pound! I passed on them last week.


 
And red ones are up to $4.69 if you can find them. There was none in Rainbow the other day when I went shopping.


----------



## danpeikes (Apr 26, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> On a related but different note, has anyone else noticed the jump in price for green bell peppers?
> 
> The normal price we see is $0.99 per pound. They are up to $2.89 per pound! I passed on them last week.


 Yah I notices that as well.


----------



## PattY1 (Apr 27, 2010)

unless they are to be stuffed, i use frozen in a bag ones. assortment of colors. just thaw and then use however you like. had some in a salad last night. can't always use fresh ones for me, before they go bad. don't remember the price off hand. but is better than discarding because they are rotten. [/QUOTE]
I buy the bags of frozen multi colored peppers and onion. I add them to soups, stews and stir fries ect. Just grab out what you need and throw the bag back in the freezer. I only buy fresh when they are not going to be cooked.

Back on the hi-jacked theme, I just paid $ 1.39 for a 14 oz. can of  tomatoes!! I guess I will just have to stop eating.......


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 27, 2010)

Makes me happy I'm not going grocery shopping this week.  Last week was sorrowful, I've never seen my food budget go so fast and have so little to put away when I got home.


----------

