After regular will increase in grocery costs over the previous six years, it’s troublesome to recollect the times when a visit to the grocery store didn’t finish in sticker shock. The common worth of eggs has lastly fallen after reaching report highs final spring, however staples like beef, orange juice, hen, bacon, and occasional are nonetheless costlier than this time final yr. As grocery payments creep increased, customers may take into account ingredient swaps to stretch their {dollars} additional — and the produce division is a superb place to begin.

Contemporary produce is a core a part of our grocery lists each week, however the costs of vegetables and fruit can range broadly. We analyzed information from the United States Division of Agriculture’s (USDA) Financial Analysis Service — initially collected in 2023 — and used the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) CPI inflation calculator to account for worth adjustments and decide which varieties of produce will doubtless price you the least at grocery shops right now.

However saving cash on contemporary produce isn’t nearly worth. In case you purchase a leafy inexperienced that turns slimy in three days and find yourself throwing half of it out, it doesn’t matter how a lot you paid. Longevity and flexibility matter, too. In order for you reasonably priced produce that lasts lengthy sufficient to really take pleasure in and might be remodeled into all kinds of dishes, begin looking for out these six components.

Celery

This culinary workhorse is an ideal instance of how good worth is about greater than worth. At a median of $0.52 per cup, celery is a bit more costly than cucumbers, which are available in at round $0.32 per cup. Nevertheless, celery lasts a couple of weeks longer than cucumbers when saved correctly, and it’s arguably extra versatile, too, working in soups, stews, and stir-fries, in addition to uncooked salads and snacks.

To maintain celery crisp for longer, wrap entire bunches in aluminum foil and refrigerate them, or refrigerate sliced, clear stalks in an hermetic glass container stuffed with water. To get the bottom worth doable, be sure you’re shopping for entire bunches of celery, not pre-cut stalks.

Bananas

As a result of many fruits are time-consuming to reap and spoil simply, they’re usually costlier than greens. However for those who’re on the lookout for a fruit that received’t break the financial institution, bananas are the way in which to go, ringing in at about $0.34 per cup (a stark distinction with contemporary raspberries, which price about $2.87 per cup).

They’ve a reasonably transient window of time by which they’re ripe, however they are often simply added to smoothies, mashed for child meals, utilized in baked items, and a lot extra. Plus, when your bananas are near going dangerous, you may simply pop them within the freezer for later use. In case you’re particularly price-conscious, it’s value asking whether or not your grocery retailer will allow you to break aside a bunch to purchase just a few bananas.

Potatoes

Of all of the gadgets on this record, potatoes is perhaps essentially the most universally standard. This is good news contemplating that their worth has remained far steadier than different grocery favorites because the onset of COVID-19. 

At round $0.32 per cup, potatoes can function a filling base or aspect for nearly any meal. When saved in a cool, dry place, they are going to final for months with out spoiling. Candy potatoes are typically a little bit pricier ($0.63 per cup) than their less-sweet counterparts, however they’re extra nutrient-dense — offering beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium — and nonetheless sits under the typical price of different starchy greens like acorn squash.

Carrots

In order for you the least costly carrots doable, be sure that to snag some which are entire and uncooked, which price about $0.34 per cup. (Peeled child carrots aren’t far behind at $0.43 per cup.) Like celery, they’re simply as scrumptious uncooked as cooked, and their gentle sweetness performs nicely with numerous taste profiles.

Storing carrots in your crisper drawer will present weeks — and presumably months — of utility. Wrap them loosely in a paper towel, pack the whole lot inside a Ziploc bag, and revel in your reasonably priced produce for the foreseeable future.

Cabbage 

Ask any meals skilled to call a vegetable that’s reasonably priced, versatile, and lasts endlessly in your fridge, they usually’ll virtually definitely title cabbage. At roughly $0.38 per cup, it’s the least costly leafy inexperienced, in line with the Financial Analysis Service’s information.

It’s a daring declare, however we’d argue that there’s virtually nothing cabbage can’t do. This hearty, cruciferous vegetable can be utilized in soups and stews, stirred into mashed potatoes, loved as a crisp slaw, and extra. It’s additionally scrumptious when ready with little greater than salt, pepper, olive oil, and a great sear on the stovetop. Saved unsliced within the crisper drawer of the fridge, it could keep contemporary for a number of weeks. A halved head of cabbage will final virtually as lengthy if tightly wrapped in plastic.

Onions

Like potatoes, the precise worth of an onion relies on the kind you’re buying. Nevertheless, you may count on the associated fee to hover round $0.45 per cup, they usually’ll final for ages when saved in a cool, darkish, dry place with ample air flow. In relation to boosting taste, you’ll be hard-pressed to search out an ingredient that does extra for its worth. And in case your retailer has a notable worth distinction between distinct varieties of onions, these alliums are virtually at all times interchangeable in recipes.