It's far too expensive for us too. But I look for products that need the least transportation. And in my garden I have berries, bramberries. I get apples from the neighbour a few weeks in august.
Some farmers are willing to make a deal when you can find 10 or 25 people who want to buy fresh fruit and vegetables each week. You can say what you don't like, and they make a box for a prize and bring it to a central location so people can get it there.
Very interesting. It doesn't matter to me you know the writer as a friend. In a way it helps me as a reader to trust what she says. I wish her good luck with the book.