Organic Without the Price

Living organic seems to be a big deal in the West these days. When I was living in America, I could certainly see the benefits of eating this way, but we just couldn't afford to spend the money it took to buy a $6 "certified organic" gallon of milk or to pay $4 for 2 organic green peppers.

One of the highlights of living here in Tanzania is that I have no choice but to buy organic. Nearly everything fresh is organic, and I like that. No - I love it!

Every Friday, I go to our local open-air market to buy our fresh fruits and vegetables. Here are some of the things I bought this week and the approximate total price I paid in US Dollars:

1 kilo Nyanya (tomatoes): $0.82

Matango (Cucumbers): $0.68

Pilipili Hoho (Green peppers): $0.68

1 kilo Vitunguu (Onions): $1.31
(I paid a little more because they were large)

1 kilo Viazi (Potatoes): $0.41

Karoti (Carrots): $0.34

Cilantro and Pilipili Mbuzi (Hot peppers): $0.13

Ndimu (Key Limes): $0.34

I buy other great organic items weekly too. Some of these items aren't as cheap, but I'm still glad that I can get them:

Nanasi (Pineapple): $1.03 each
Ndizi (Bananas): $0.10 each
Nazi (Coconut): $0.41 each
Maziwa (Fresh milk, delivered to my house 3 days a week, from which we also make yogurt) - 1 Liter: $0.68
Mayai (Eggs, delivered to my house once a week) - $4.48 for 30

Oh, and some of the best things in life are...

Mapashon (Passion Fruit): FREE from the vine in my yard!