The Real Cost of Veggies in Tarma

We've already mentioned how inexpensive the fruits and vegetables are here in Tarma, Peru. For example, Scott purchased all the vegetables shown here (plus a small bag of beans) for US$1.20 (in other words, almost free):


But here's the real cost: It took Scott a full hour just to wash, soak (in Clorox), rinse (in bottled water), and dry (with a paper towel) these vegetables to sanitize them and get them ready so he could start preparing dinner.

It took him another half hour to prepare this meal of tossed salad (it's against the mission rules for young missionaries to eat lettuce because it usually hasn't been cleaned) and egg-omelette burritos (one of our favorites). You can't buy tortillas or salad dressing in Tarma; we purchased them in Huancayo last Monday:


We eat very well here in Tarma, but the price is high: lots of our time.