The latest news articles about hunger in America and the rise in food stamp usage among gainfully employed citizens in the US makes me wonder if the larger problem is due to rising commodity prices for whole grains, increased production in crop-based biofuels, and/or the lack of nutrition and food preparation knowledge. The cheapest calorie-dense foods are usually pre-packaged ones that are high in fat, sodium, and artificial ingredients. Keeping food costs down without reliance on food stamps or subsidies means that you should learn to be a better consumer (and buyer).
With the global food market, local grocery stores are able to import food that are seasonally available year-round. Distribution and packaging adds quite a bit of cost to the price of food. If you're unable to store dry goods (e.g., rice, whole grains, flour, sugar, beans, legumes) properly in air-tight containers, freeze or preserve bulk foods, you should only buy what you are able to consume in a couple months.
In the NW, some fruits are cheaper than others since they are a top agricultural crop, such as apples, pears, berries, and cherries. As for citrus fruits, well, we still import those from California, Texas and Florida. Because of the close proximity to farms in the area, u-pick pricing is another way to circumvent higher grocery store prices on fresh fruits and vegetables. Or, you could just wait for the once-in-a-season special deal from your local supermarket. Some u-pick farms also offer "we pick" pricing. If you are willing to travel to individual farms for your fruit and produce needs, I recommend not buying shares in a food coop nor buying from farmers markets; both of which have much higher prices than a supermarket. Eggs are also far more expensive at farmers markets, farm stores, or and purchased through a coop (avg $5/doz), but they would be very fresh.
Also, apples and pears when kept in plastic bags (the same ones used at a grocery store) with as much air squeezed out and in the fruit drawer of a refrigerator, will keep for 2-3 months. These fruits are cool-storage hardy. You can also preserve excess fruits by canning into jams, butters, sauce, etc., or by drying as fruit leather or fruit chips. Fresh blueberries (after washed and air dried) can be stored in the freezer in sealed freezer bags for up to a year, or more.
The following is a sampling of u-pick and farm store produce prices for Washington and Oregon:
U-Pick
Apples
Blackberries $1.50/lb
Blueberries $1.25/lb (peak season), $1/lb (end of season)
Cucumbers $0.60/lb to $1.25/lb (small, large, for eating or pickling)
Peaches $1.25/lb-$1.50/lb (peak season)
Pears $0.39/lb (Bartlett's peak season), $0.49/lb (Bartlett season start)
Tomatoes $0.75/lb (for canning, end of season)
Farm Stores (at a local farm; "we pick" pricing)
Chestnuts $5/lb (medium) $5.50/lb (large), $12/lb dried (reconstitutes to 2.5 lbs)
Corn - white, yellow, or variegated 5/$1 (peak season)
Fresh hops $10/lb
