Feed a family a healthy, organic meal for under $25 from the Columbus farmers market. Here’s how
For this installment of Columbus on a Budget, I wanted to see if I could take my $25 farther than ever and feed my entire family for that amount. To do so, I thought a farmer’s market would be my best bet, so I visited MercyMed Farm, and let me tell you: I got some deals.
According to a recent study by Lending Tree, American households spend 7.5% of their annual income on groceries, and buying fresh produce can eat up much of the food budget.
In fact, fresh fruit and vegetables are almost 50% to 53% more expensive than regular conventional produce.
Here’s what produce I got for $25
I didn’t make an actual shopping list, but I got a lot of help from the some of the vendors. Keith Sims, MercyMed Farm Manager, and Landriss Baggs from the Food Mill made some really inspired suggestions and more importantly, they helped me stay on budget.
Produce prices by weight
- Tomatoes: $4.13 ($3.75/lb with a half-off “blemish” discount)
- Bibb Lettuce: $3.00 ($1.50/head)
- Zucchini: $1.83 ($3.00/pound)
- Squash: $1.50 ($3.00/lb)
- Swiss chard $2.00/bunch (I only bought one bunch)
- Sweet potatoes: $3.75 ($2.50/lb)
- Eggplant: $3.75 ($2.50/lb)
- Peppers: $3.25 ($4.50/lb)
- Persimmons: $2.25 ($2.50/lb)
The total for all the produce (and some free flowers): $23.69
How I used the produce from MercyMed Farm
To organize my ingredients, I got a little help from my AI assistant. I typed, “I need to make a meal for three, a salad, a protein substitute and sides using the following ingredients. Suggest some dishes: tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, eggplant, peppers and for dessert persimmons.”
There were several options, but I chose the recipe my family would be most likely to eat and a recipe with “Southern” and “BBQ” seemed like the right fit. I can get my family to eat anything if I use barbecue sauce, so this was the natural fit.
Items from my own cupboard
- Olive oil
- Himalayan pink salt (but table salt is fine)
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Mild/sweet BBQ sauce (I used Sticky Fingers Smokehouse Carolina Sweet Original)
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Italian dressing (I used the packet, traditional Italian dressing would do)
Southern-inspired meatless BBQ dinner
The recipe
Heat and prep
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Line 2 pans with parchment or aluminum foil
- Chop and cut vegetables
Cook the vegetables
- Toss sweet potato wedges with olive oil, salt and pepper and pinch of garlic salt
- Roast for 35 minutes, flipping midway through
- Toss eggplant, zucchini, squash with olive oil, salt and a light shake of onion powder
- Roast for 25 minutes, stir midway through
- Pull the pan, brush veggies with barbecue sauce and return to oven for 5-7 minutes
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in skillet and toss in Swiss chard with a pinch of salt; saute 5-7 minutes
Assemble the salad
- Toss chopped lettuce, tomatoes and peppers with olive oil
- Add dry Italian seasoning from a packet (or make your own)
Make dessert
- Once the vegetables are done, add persimmon wedges to a lined pan
- Drizzle with honey
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
- Roast 8-10 minutes or until soft
If buying and preparing fresh meals still feels intimidating, MercyMed offers free cooking classes for all skill levels every Friday morning, after farm hours, and the MercyMed Farm offers half off the total price for people using their EBT and SNAP benefits.
My family enjoyed the meal, even without a traditional protein source and for what I spent, I’d say I got my money’s worth. The price also includes the flowers I snipped from their garden that come free with my purchases.
Where do you get your produce and what are you making this time of the season? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Feed a family a healthy, organic meal for under $25 from the Columbus farmers market. Here’s how."