Suppose you’re feeling hungry for something sweet and healthy, and decide to buy some grapes for yourself. Grapes are typically sold in bags weighing one point each and can be found in most grocery stores in your area. But how much is the average cost of grapes per pound?
How much is the average cost of grapes per pound?
While the price of grapes depends on each store and the time of year, one pound of grapes typically costs somewhere between $1 and $4 US dollars. As of May 2022, the average price of one pound of seedless grapes was $2.20. Out of season, they can cost as much as $12.
Why are grapes so expensive?
Although exact prices will vary, several key factors can make grapes expensive to buy. For one thing, grapes are a seasonal crop there’s only a two-to-four-month window in which grapes are ripe enough to harvest. It also takes special attention to soil and climate (as close to Mediterranean or Middle Eastern as possible) for grapes to grow healthily.
The highest-quality grapes are grown in the Mediterranean region and exported all over the world, which means these grapes come with importation costs built into their price. Meanwhile, grapes can be grown domestically in North America, at many different times of the year. But these grapes are grown in artificial conditions and may not match in quality with seasonal grapes. On top of that, grapes spoil easily, and they can be very fragile, breaking and squishing easily during transportation.
When is the best time to buy grapes cheap?
Buying grapes in the late summer will often get you the best deals. This is right off the harvesting season, so the grapes will still be nice and fresh. Eating seasonally can be a great way to manage your budget.
Where is the best place to buy cheap grapes?
The best place to buy good-quality grapes at a reasonable price is from a farmer’s roadside stall or the local farmer’s market. That way, prices won’t be hiked up from delivery costs, and your product is less likely to have been damaged by transportation.
How do I find out the price of grapes at stores near me?
Most produce stores have online inventories that can be searched by location. If you can find your nearest stores on company websites, you should be able to check prices as well as stock and recent deals. You can also check prices at several different close locations at the same time using the online search engine.
Conclusion
While an individual pound of grapes cost less than $5 on average, the average price is noticeably higher than the price of most other kinds of fruit. Grapes can be expensive because they’re not available year-round, require special growing conditions in order to produce quality fruit, and need care in transportation to keep a bag edible and intact. However, grapes of decent quality are available year-round at most grocery and big box stores.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I pick out quality grapes?
There are a few things to look for when choosing quality grapes:
Stay away from grapes with bruises or visible discoloration.
Grape stems should be green. This is a sign that they were grown from a healthy plant.
Size doesn’t have much of an impact on taste or sweetness. Bigger grapes won’t necessarily have a better taste.
- How do I store grapes?
Grapes have a limited shelf life roughly 20 days on average so it’s important to keep them stored away safely. Because they need to be kept cool, the best place to store grapes is your refrigerator. Grapes keep best at around 30° Fahrenheit and 90-95% humidity, so sticking them in your crisper (the coldest part of your fridge) will get the best shelf life for your product.
- What can grapes be used for in cooking?
Grapes are flexible food and have many uses in cooking. You can eat them off the stem as a snack, or you can also treat yourself to a pack of raisins (which are dried grapes). You can also add grapes to many different kinds of salads and desserts, and blend them into your own homemade smoothies.
- Are there any grape substitutes in cooking?
If you decide you’d like to save a dollar or two and use something else in your cooking, grapes are easy to substitute for other fruit, no matter what you’re looking for. Here are a few examples:
Blueberries are similar in size and texture to grapes and have a similar taste to black grapes in particular.
Gooseberries are even closer to grapes in terms of size and taste than blueberries, although gooseberries are somewhat underappreciated as fruit. They can be difficult to find if you live outside the United States.
If you’re making a fruit salad, then pears work very well if you’re looking for a substitute that keeps the strong taste without too much tartness.
