Meat and fruit prices

I have had a request for benchmark prices on fresh meat. And fruit for canning. So here we go.

chicken: breast anything in the vicinity of $2.00/lb ($4.40/kg)
thighs same price
whole frying less than the above since you are paying for the bones. $1.80/lb max.

pork: loin, whole or cut into chops Under $2.00/lb ($4.40/kg)
steaks or shoulder roast. Less than above, around $1.80/lb
ribs - I have to admit that I rarely buy them. They are more for show than anything. You are paying for at least 50% bone. But I will buy country-style ribs or button bones. Counry-style ribs are like a pork chop without the eye in the center (just the bone with the meaty part around it). Button bones or riblets are the ends of the rib and are must more meaty. The bone portion is actually quite edible too. I price them in the same range as the other pork cuts.
beef:
hamburger - has been quite expensive lately. The best I have seen in the last 6 months is $1.79/lb ($3.97/kg) I don't like to spend more than $1.69/lb and most prefer $1.49/lb, which I haven't seen for over a year.
roast - Inside round or outside round. These are both boneless. Outside has more fat and generally is cheaper than inside. Eye of round is the best of all round roast and is the leanest. I consider any roast that breaks $5.00/kg is worth buying. Incidentally NoFrills has eye of round roast for $1.88/lb or $4.14/kg!!! Awesome. That in itself is worth the drive out to Sylvan.
Cross Rib roast is by far the best tasting and most tender of all roasts. But it is rarely less than $6.00/kg. Also watch - could be boneless or the ribs may still be in. Generally, if the long ribs are still in, they sell them as prime rib and jack the price at least double.
Sirloin - these roasts come from the hip and are the driest and least tender of all the roasts. They are best if slow-cooked in a marinade as for beef on a bun. But generally the price does not reflect the lesser cut. It is priced higher than round roast (cut from the shoulder)
Steaks - if you are a steak person and you are going to bbq from fresh (not frozen) round steak is more than adequate. Because they are lean, you get less flare up and no bone means even cooking. But if you are wanting to be extravigant, rib roasts are very tasty. (T-bone, cross rib, etc). WARNING: You will pay a premium for steaks vs roast, so if you have the means, buy a roast and cut into steaks yourself. You will save a lot of money. Or you could be like me and only cook roasts in the first place. Your portions are much smaller than when serving steak.

Hope that helps. I am by no means an expert, since I find I get into my own rut and buy the same cuts most of the time.
If there is an interest in fish, I can shed some light on that too.

Fruit:
For canning, you don't need to get your fruit at the Farmer's Market (did I say that?)
These days with refrigerated trucks and storage, the fruit is just as fresh, just as local, and generally cheaper.
peaches/nectarines $.75/lb or better. It's still early in the season and if the crop is good, then will fall below $.50/lb. Last week, Superstore had nectarines for $.77 and this week NoFrills has them. I much prefer to can nectarines over peaches. Their flavor and texture are similar, but no need to peel nectarines. Merely slice off the pit and you are away. If you are not sure if you will like them, at $.77 you could do a batch and see how you like them and then when the BC nectarines ripen later in the summer (and should be well-priced) you will know if you want peaches or nectarines. BC are ripe near the end of July
Apricots - not as plentiful as peaches or nectarines, but good canned. Should be able to get for less than $1.00/lb. Remember that the pit is small inside, so you are paying for mostly fruit.
Cherries are easy to do, but I am not a fan of the non-crunchy texture. As you know, cherries were $1.99 at Sobey's last week, plus the 15% discount. Was a great time to get some, but I suspect this won't be the last time this season. Cherries generally are available until late July.

Hope this helps.