Good Produce

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi everyone,

Have you found it hard to get GOOD produce? Is this just a bad year, or does it just take practice in picking out the right produce.

I probably have thrown out over half of what I have bought. I had 1 good watermelon this year. Cantaloupe was good for a while, but I think I have thrown out the last 5 or so that I bought. Not buying anymore cantaloupe!!!! Avocados went pretty good for a while, but now when I open them they are black on the inside. I had 1 good peach this year. Rest - thrown out. Plums??? 50/50. Mangos? Threw just about everyone out. I had 1 great one and maybe 3 or 4 ones that I could eat about 1/2 of them. Currently orange are pretty soft (I get only organic oranges).

Is it just me?

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[tglasco4]

Its true Helen, I usually look at at least 2 and sometimes 3 different markets in search of good produce. Honestly, I end up eating some of it, juicing it or making smoothie out of what is not so good because I can't stand to waste money. It does take time and patience. Isn't it something that we can find all the boxed, bottled and packaged junk we want, but the stuff our bodies really need is like trying to find gold in the hills!

Peace and blessings to you and may you find good fruit.

Todd

Hi everyone,

Have you found it hard to get GOOD produce? Is this just a bad year, or does it just take practice in picking out the right produce.

I probably have thrown out over half of what I have bought. I had 1 good watermelon this year. Cantaloupe was good for a while, but I think I have thrown out the last 5 or so that I bought. Not buying anymore cantaloupe!!!! Avocados went pretty good for a while, but now when I open them they are black on the inside. I had 1 good peach this year. Rest - thrown out. Plums??? 50/50. Mangos? Threw just about everyone out. I had 1 great one and maybe 3 or 4 ones that I could eat about 1/2 of them. Currently orange are pretty soft (I get only organic oranges).

Is it just me?

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Todd,

Does it get easier? How long have you been actively looking for the perfect produce? If it's been for a number of years, has it gotten easier to pick out the fruits and veggies? Or is it just trial and error all the time? I sure do hope I just need practice and will be able to toss out less and less as time goes on.

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[Curtis]

Actually at most grocery store's I have been to in the last few years the quality of the produce has went down. By that I mean it seems it is handled worse than it used to be. So I guess I need to find a farmer's market around here. :)

[ConsciousCuisine]

I buy only Organic foods and have done so for many years. The quality of foods goes up and down...

This year, the avocadoes have been terrible! They rot before they ever have a chance to ripen and I end up with 1/2 rock hard 1/2 black and mushy avocadoes!

I could *not* find a decent peach or nectarine. Not once. I gave up after spending $2.99 a lb. only to have them all turn out mealy and mushy with no true juicy ripeness.

I think that even organic farmers pick the fruits too soon at times, leaving us with a not-ready product...

Vegetables have never been a problem for me. No issues :)

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Same here - veggies have been okay. It's the FRUITS!!! Fruits which should be the majority of my diet, but by the time I throw out the fruits, not much is left.

Bananas are fine. I can only handle 1 apple at a time, occasionally. These seem to be fine too, if I could only eat them in higher quantity. Maybe someday I will be able to. (I get diahrrea from them).

I'm hoping to start my garden this Spring. But the only fruits I'll have will be cantaloupe and watermelon. I'm going to plant strawberry plants, but I've heard it takes a few seasons before I'll produce fruit (not sure on this one).

Maybe I'll have better luck at the Farmers market. It's just so far away and with my schedule . . . . but I guess it should take priority. I like to get as much organic as possible and I found more conventional than organic at the farmer's market. They don't post, you have to ask them.

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[tglasco4]

I am not sure what "perfect" produce is. But I find plenty of fruit and vegetables that I can eat. Like you, I order organic oranges from my local health food store (they ship them in from California these days). But yes, I do have to search in a couple of supermarkets for good produce at times.

Peace.

Hi Todd,

Does it get easier? How long have you been actively looking for the perfect produce? If it's been for a number of years, has it gotten easier to pick out the fruits and veggies? Or is it just trial and error all the time? I sure do hope I just need practice and will be able to toss out less and less as time goes on.

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[tglasco4]

I also have had trouble with the peaches and nectarines this summer. Peaches happen to be my favorite fruit (when they are ripe and juicy that is). But just about 2 or 3 weeks ago, a large shipment of perfect peaches came into the area from somewhere. I bought alot because I knew I wouldn't be seeing that again for awhile. I have been using the hard dry nectarines for both fruit juices and smoothies as that is pretty much all they have been good for.

Peace.

Todd

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Todd, Curtis & Conscious Cuisine,

"Perfect" to me, means I don't have to toss it out :) I don't mind cutting bad spots out. It's when I open something up and there's no way it can be eaten.

After reading some of the posts, I see that others are having a bit of difficulty too. I guess it depends on the area we live in, where the produce is being shipped in from and what our own personal skills are in selecting the produce.

I appreciate everyone's imput on this. I'm not going to let the amount of food that I have tossed out stop me from eating the way I want - raw. I'm just happy to know it wasn't just me with the problem.

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[smasty]

Well...pickens is slim in Des Moines most of the time. Forget watermelon, the 5 mangoes I bought last week were terrible...they wouldn't soften up, I finally cut them and they were hard and kind of rotten...yuk! The new apple crop is arriving though (not organic).

I'm in Phoenix till Wednesday, just hit Whole Foods for supplies...incredible place. I feel so happy walking into WF...please please please let one open in DSM sometime soon.

I got some type of persimmon that looks great, apples, bananas, wonderful looking cut watermelon (for my hotel room), a nice big salad, and olives from the olive bar.

[Sweet lips]

Today I went to the Amish market and bought beautiful kale, pears and gala apples. Like the rest of you - I had ony 4 good peaches this summer, that was all. Would had 6, but I shared them with someone. The local farmer here said that peaches are mealy because they are picked too early and place in cold storage. I pray we have better peaches next year. I had some good plums, and yellow kiwi's and an abundance of good cherries - but it has been slim pickens.

Like Todd if I can whirl it , I do, I have had to do that with melons cause they haven't been sweet just wet. I do not do all organic, I try to patronize the local farmers here, and we have a decent grocery in town that has some good stuff - although the tomatoes from the locals were 10 times better than any in the grocers. Perhaps next year , we can all just go to Kirk's for a picking good time.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

A question . . . if farmers pick their peaches too early and once consumers realize the peaches aren't any good and won't buy anymore, won't the farmers lose money from not selling what they produced and picked too early? I hope they realize this and will wait just a little longer before picking. When I buy peaches, I buy just 1. If it's good I'll go back and buy more (of course this never happened this year!!!!!!). If it's not good, it gets tossed and I go on my merry way!

<>< Helen of Tennessee