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Grocery produce very poor #6621266
09/20/19 12:56 PM
09/20/19 12:56 PM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 578
Iowa
B
beeman Offline OP
trapper
beeman  Offline OP
trapper
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 578
Iowa
Has anybody else noticed the quality of produce in their grocery store not what it has been in the past?

As an example a head of cauliflower the size of a softball was $3.99 and was brown on the edges. Head lettuce similar, small size, brown edges and high price. Peppers were soft and wrinkly. Peaches we bought were rotting from inside and were mealy. (I am sure our store will make this right with us).

We shopped two different stores and quality was poor and prices high.

What's going on?

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621267
09/20/19 01:00 PM
09/20/19 01:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 3,172
Wyoming County Pa.
Hornady Reloader Offline
trapper
Hornady Reloader  Offline
trapper

Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 3,172
Wyoming County Pa.
Having the same problem here in Pa.

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621275
09/20/19 01:10 PM
09/20/19 01:10 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
trapperkeck Offline
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trapperkeck  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
There is a lot of home grow produce being utilized now, so a lot of produce at the store doesn't move very fast. Seems like we get better produce from our MN grocery stores in the middle of winter.


"The voice of reason!"
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621296
09/20/19 01:39 PM
09/20/19 01:39 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 19,691
pa
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hippie Offline
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hippie  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 19,691
pa
I can believe that. Can't go a mile or so without passing a produce stand around here and we haven't bought from a store since about June.

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621297
09/20/19 01:41 PM
09/20/19 01:41 PM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,536
Champaign County, Ohio.
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KeithC Online content
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KeithC  Online Content
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,536
Champaign County, Ohio.
The produce at Krogers and Walmart near here is terrible. I think most of the problem with fruit is that it is picked well before the sugars develop, so that it can be shipped, long distances.

I want to start going to some of the Amish produce auctions. Prices are dirt cheap and the produce is fresh. I just wish the Amish auctions were a little closer.

Keith

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621298
09/20/19 01:42 PM
09/20/19 01:42 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,759
Central, SD
Law Dog Online content
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Law Dog  Online Content
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,759
Central, SD
Even the can goods are not what they had been in the past we get what allow really and we let them lower the standards over time.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: KeithC] #6621307
09/20/19 01:51 PM
09/20/19 01:51 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 19,691
pa
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hippie Offline
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hippie  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 19,691
pa
Originally Posted by KeithC
The produce at Krogers and Walmart near here is terrible. I think most of the problem with fruit is that it is picked well before the sugars develop, so that it can be shipped, long distances.

I want to start going to some of the Amish produce auctions. Prices are dirt cheap and the produce is fresh. I just wish the Amish auctions were a little closer.

Keith



I'm smack dab in the middle of Amish. There's an auction place just a couple miles away, but it's fairly large batches. Good if your gonna can a batch, but for eating we just stop at their house.

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621319
09/20/19 02:10 PM
09/20/19 02:10 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,441
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon Offline
"American Honey"
Sharon  Offline
"American Honey"

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,441
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
In this area there are some fresh produce and eggs offered on a local level, and I really like supporting those sources.

Also , a local farmer's market on weekends has fresh produce.

All that is seasonal, of course, so any specialty items not available in northern climes , just have to find the best outlet possible.

Local co ops also are possible sources.

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621325
09/20/19 02:16 PM
09/20/19 02:16 PM
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,804
Greene County,Virginia
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run Offline
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run  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,804
Greene County,Virginia
Buy your produce from a local farmer if possible or grow it yourself.


wanna be goat farmer.
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621331
09/20/19 02:28 PM
09/20/19 02:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,960
Northern Nevada
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Bob Offline
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Bob  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,960
Northern Nevada
We have a decent farmers market. This year somebody planted veggies in a big vacant lot in town, probably 1/3 acre, and when things started to ripen they just put up a sign next to the road “Free garden, you pick”
I thought that was really neat. I bet a lot of people got good healthy dinners they might not have been able to afford because of that.


"I have two guns, one for each of ya."
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621345
09/20/19 03:02 PM
09/20/19 03:02 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 25,692
nm
A
adam m Offline
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adam m  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 25,692
nm
Same issues here. I have found Sprouts and Trader Joe's to be cheaper and better. Also I hardly go to them but the Mexican stores usually have great produce. Now that I'm staying in a different area Mexican grocery stores are near by so I'll be frequenting them more now

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621380
09/20/19 04:06 PM
09/20/19 04:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,759
Central, SD
Law Dog Online content
trapper
Law Dog  Online Content
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,759
Central, SD
The Hutterites have all kinds of produce cheap here.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621504
09/20/19 07:17 PM
09/20/19 07:17 PM
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,829
KY.usa
rex123 Offline
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rex123  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,829
KY.usa
The quality part is that a lot of it is bought from Mexico .

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: rex123] #6621655
09/20/19 11:35 PM
09/20/19 11:35 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,294
East-Central Wisconsin
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bblwi Offline
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East-Central Wisconsin
What I have noticed a lot of the last year is just more dirt or dirty produce. Especially celery, but others as well and also quite a bit less "shelf life" on some items like grapes, mushrooms, strawberries, mostly.

Bryce

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621703
09/21/19 01:49 AM
09/21/19 01:49 AM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Rochester, MN
Teacher Offline
trapper
Teacher  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Rochester, MN
I would recommend you do something to that “low quality” produce to enhance the flavor. Wash it in something other than water!

There are a number of cleaning products on the market. They’re designed to remove the wax and everything that’s under the wax. By doing so, enhances the flavor. About 90% of grocery store produce has been waxed to reduce the moisture loss. It’s an FDA acceptable process. But the wax does contribute to a odd after taste if you don’t get it off. It’s also why kids often don’t like vegetables (and some fruits) .

Vinegar at the concentration of 1 part vinegar + 3 parts water. A 2-minute soak followed by a quick rinse will take off most of the wax but not the pesticides.

FIT by Procter and Gambles works for everything. It’s been around for 15-20 years. Trader Joe’s has a product that works in a similar fashion. There are several other products on the market that will do this as well. To be fair and honest, I now work with a company that makes a fruit and veggie wash. It takes off the wax, the underlying pesticides and significantly reduces surface pathogens to the point the human body can fight them off.

Once you start eating cleaned fruits and vegetables, even canned vegetables, you’ll notice the difference when you eat produce that hasn’t been cleaned. It won’t taste as good.


Never too old to learn
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621704
09/21/19 02:12 AM
09/21/19 02:12 AM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Rochester, MN
Teacher Offline
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Teacher  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Rochester, MN
As part of my work for the company, I actually hand out cleaned grapes to customers and answer their questions. The grocery stores give us the grapes and I’ve found that from about the 7th of June to about the 7th of January, all the grapes and a significant percent of the rest of fruits and vegetables are produced in the US. After that first week in January, however, an awful lot of the produce we eat comes from Mexico and regions south.

Having worked with FDA staff over the years, I know foreign countries work closely with FDA, USDA and the USPublic Health Service representatives to get their products into the US. The problems arise when we don’t wash fruits or vegetables in anything but water. For waxed produce, water and wax don’t mix, so spraying with water only doesn’t take off anything but surface dirt.

Last edited by Teacher; 09/21/19 02:17 AM. Reason: Word change

Never too old to learn
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621723
09/21/19 05:38 AM
09/21/19 05:38 AM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,972
South Dakota
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Rat Masterson Offline
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Rat Masterson  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,972
South Dakota
Produce has been waxed since Shep was a pup. There is way more to it than that.

Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621784
09/21/19 08:03 AM
09/21/19 08:03 AM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Rochester, MN
Teacher Offline
trapper
Teacher  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,168
Rochester, MN
What has changed over the years is the type of wax being used. Today’s produce waxes are called parabens. Parabens are known in the medical field as endocrine disrupters and are not good for kids and young adults. If all you do is rinse berries, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, apples, nectarines, etc, under the faucet, you’re only getting surface dirt off. I suspect berries, celery and broccoli aren’t waxed, but some, like strawberries, have a porous surface. And a good portion of them are treated with pesticide. If you look at the skin of a strawberry under a microscope, for instance, you’ll see the pores. Dirt in these pores doesn’t come off easily. You need a surfactant of some sort to remove it. Most of the fruit/veg washes are a concentrated citric acid and essentially are surfactant in their abilities to clean. Vinegar takes off waxed but doesn’t remove pesticides.

Products like lettuce, cabbage and what are classified as “leafy greens”, also benefit from washing beyond just a rinse under the faucet. If you use a citric acid type wash you’ll taste the difference. It’s pretty profound. I still teach adult food safety classes and work as a technical consultant for a large restaurant and catering company. They swear by this stuff and were using it before they hired me.


Last edited by Teacher; 09/21/19 08:15 AM. Reason: Word change

Never too old to learn
Re: Grocery produce very poor [Re: beeman] #6621787
09/21/19 08:07 AM
09/21/19 08:07 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,863
SE Kentucky
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kytrapper Offline
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kytrapper  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,863
SE Kentucky
The produce manager years ago would reject inferior product. Now some kid is the produce manager that doesn’t know or care what quality the product is. It’s easier to just check the box and buy it than spend effort to get the customers good quality.

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