Market Monday

With today being Monday and the start of a new week, it was the day I go to the market.   The open market is where I get all of our produce for the week.  It is very expensive to get fresh produce in the States, but here in our part of Uganda that is not the case. It makes it very nice to be able to get fresh fruits and veggies to feed the family.

Bags containing things like rice, beans,  sugar, g-nuts, posho

The market is always an adventure. I have come to know roughly what each item should cost.  I am also able to bargain and make good deals with people.  When something seems too high I always ask “Is that Muzungu price.” This always seems to get a laugh from everyone and I get a better price.  The tough part is that you may have 15-20 different people selling the same item and they all want your business. Each person is just trying to support themselves and their family, so it makes it hard.  

Here are some examples of what we get in the market and the current market prices converted to US dollars. .

Our haul from the market today

Tomatoes = 26 cents per pound

Irish potatoes = 20 cents per lb

Green Peppers = 9 cents each

Fresh Pineapple = 50 cents each – The pineapple here is amazing!  Jason would not touch it at home, but loves to eat it here.

Watermelon = 76 cents each

Cucumbers = 35 cents per lb

Rice = 43 cents per lb

Beans = 34 cents per lb

Posho =  26 cents per lb – Posho is maize that is ground up to make a flour.  This is a staple of the Ugandan diet.  We have learned to make a wonderful corn bread with it.

Shelled G-nuts (peanuts) = 69 cents per lb

Avocado = 19 cents each – The avocados here are huge!

Matoke Bananas = 3 cents per banana – These are a type of banana that is picked while still green.  They are peeled and boiled to make a dish called Matoke.  You then pour a sauce of ground up g-nuts over the top like gravy.  It is another staple for Ugandans, Jason and the kids love it.


The amazing deals and the incredible taste of the fresh produce here is just one of the many things that I love about this country.  Just wanted to share a little bit of what life is like shopping for our family.