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About This Page: This is a discussion on Food and Beer Reviews within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. Produce has been increasing in price quite steadily lately, as I'm sure all of you have noticed. No doubt this is due to increased operating costs to growers from whatever
Produce has been increasing in price quite steadily lately, as I'm sure all of you have noticed. No doubt this is due to increased operating costs to growers from whatever cause (labor, fuel, etc). On top of that, you add the costs for every company that touches that fruit or vegetable before you purchase it. The increase in cost is understandable, given the present state of the U.S. Dollar.
What isn't understandable to me is the apparent decline in quality of the fresh produce I'm seeing. It used to be that the grocery store I frequent had some of the best produce around. Very fresh, clean, available pre-ripened. But I've noticed that over the last three or four months, the quality of what I've been buying has gone to crap.
We don't buy anything fancy. We like Braeburn/Fuji/Golden Delicious apples, pears, bell peppers, bananas, strawberries, grapes, sweet yellow onions, red onions, zucchini, corn-on-the-cob, avocados, etc. I've noticed several things about these:
1) The fruit is generally smaller, less juicy, and less sweet. Citrus has much thicker rinds and is way pulpier. Grapes are small and often on the sour side.
2) Potatoes are unusually full of eyes, and are often found sprouting in the bag within three or four days of buying them (used to have to neglect a bag for weeks to find sprouts)
3) Onions are smaller and have gone to seed and are starting to produce their shoots (i.e. the middles are green, leafy, and hard).
4) Bananas go bad MUCH faster. It used to take about a week. Lately, if I buy a bunch of more than a half dozen (which takes us about four days to go through) I end up throwing out the last two.
5) Bell peppers are REALLY bitter. Reds are better, but no where near as flavorful as they used to be.
I'm finding this sort of thing not just at the store I normally go to, but at other supermarkets and at TJ's as well.
Is anyone else having any issues with produce?
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
The Following User Says Thank You to FlyBoeingJets For This Useful Post:
I have to buy produce twice a week for both stores and yes it has gone from about $65 for mushrooms, shredded lettice, tomatoes, 4 way salad lettice to (Ijust got it this morning) $99. I can't believe it. And the lettice is yellowish in the vaccummed bag before I even open it. Good thing most produce comes with a warrenty of some type, at least the wholesale side. I know 1 time I had to buy at Sam's Club and the tomatoes went bad within 4 days, and they actually took them back and replaced them. It's harder if you go to a Staters, or other grocer because there not going to want to take that hit. But, yes and yes to answer your questions. Yes the price is at least doubled, and yes the quality has plummeted!
Go to Henrys Market for all your produce. Its the best price and Ive never had an issue with quality. Ive recently started eating more Granny Smith Apples and Ive yet to have one thats been pithy, brown, or wormy.
__________________ "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
It depends on where your farmer's market is getting their product. If they have to bring them any distance, then they have to pick before they are fully ripe. I've heard that more produce is coming from foreign markets because of the cost of ground shipping. But, I've had some pretty good luck lately. I bought some oranges at Sprout's which is a store similar to Whole Foods, and they were among the best I've had. I would rate them very close to the oranges I have picked myself from a local grove.
__________________ Wasn't thinking of anything specific
Like in a dream, when someone wakes up and screams
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Has anybody seen corn on the cob in a supermarket? I've been looking for the past 3 weeks and the only corn on the cob I can find is the prepackaged trimmed kind wrapped in cellophane(sp?) Is it to early in the season or is all the corn going to make ethonal?
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Unfortunately Farmer's Market produce often times is no better than supermarket produce...we just feel better about the purchase...
I don't agree. There are farmer's out there with sub-par produce, but if you do your homework, find out who the quality, local farmer's are. You can get some excellent produce. If you are looking for produce that is out of season, then you are going to buy sub-par produce.
I've had good luck with the Torrance FM.
FYI - Sprouts and Henry's are sister stores, but Henry's is owned by Wild Oats, which is now owned by Whole Foods. I'm not sure if Sprouts is an independently owned chain.
I do like the produce in both Sprouts and Henry's. I have both of them within a few miles of my home. Both stores purchase local produce and have an organic section.
Has anybody seen corn on the cob in a supermarket? I've been looking for the past 3 weeks and the only corn on the cob I can find is the prepackaged trimmed kind wrapped in cellophane(sp?) Is it to early in the season or is all the corn going to make ethonal?
Albertson's typically sells a brand from Arizona that is about the sweetest yellow corn-on-the-cob I've ever had. Haven't seen it in a while, though.
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
FlyBoeingJets
Produce (Quality and Cost)... 
