For those of you in northern states

sodakat

Doesn't Whole Foods have pretty much everything? I know you have that store in Omaha. They even shop there on the Food Network challenge shows so I'm pretty sure you can find whatever you need. I live in South Dakota, 55 miles from a big grocery store but even at my local market I can buy quite a bit of fresh stuff year round. When we go to Omaha I feel like I'm able to find ANYTHING! I went to high school in Papillion, NE btw .

Also, I can't imagine what you want to roast that can't be found year round. What exactly are you looking for???

tracyhodgewaugh

I guess I wasn't really specific enough with the emphasis on good. Specifically what I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple. There was zero pineapple or red onion. The broccoli and cauliflower were empty(possibly just due to time of year), the asparagus and zucchini were AWFUL. Just looked terrible. So of all the things I wanted I could get eggplant and strawberries that looked good and the strawberries were very expensive.
I've never been in Whole Foods and it's another place I forget about. So I will have to check there. I do find that I can find a great variety of frozen vegetables at Trader Joe's than I can at the Super Target where I shop. But really this thread was to get ideas of where and how people get the best produce during the off season.

marykliv1968

I am in Omaha. Have you checked Natural Grocers or Hy-vee?

AmyRhubarb

tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »

I guess I wasn't really specific enough with the emphasis on good. Specifically what I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple. There was zero pineapple or red onion. The broccoli and cauliflower were empty(possibly just due to time of year), the asparagus and zucchini were AWFUL. Just looked terrible. So of all the things I wanted I could get eggplant and strawberries that looked good and the strawberries were very expensive.
I've never been in Whole Foods and it's another place I forget about. So I will have to check there. I do find that I can find a great variety of frozen vegetables at Trader Joe's than I can at the Super Target where I shop. But really this thread was to get ideas of where and how people get the best produce during the off season.

I forget how spoiled I am living in California - fresh produce is abundant all year round, and I can grow stuff in my backyard through all the seasons too.

As far as what you're finding or not finding in your local markets and depending on where the produce comes from - broccoli & cauliflower are grown near the California coast and are actually cool season crops, so could just be an issue of being between harvests or supply and demand. Asparagus is not in season, neither are eggplant or zucchini, and any in stores could be coming from Mexico or further south, so long shipping makes for less appealing produce. Pineapple is generally from Hawaii, and I see it in stores year round out here, but who knows, weather, supply, etc could be factors.

As for frozen things, I much prefer frozen stuff to canned. Trader Joe's has GREAT green beans in their frozen section. They are the skinny ones, and I cook them up in a skillet with a little butter and toss them with some spiced walnuts - they are awesome. they have frozen asparagus and many other veggies too. I use frozen blueberries in my oatmeal all the time, and other frozen fruits in my smoothies. Berries in general are my favorite, but mango, peaches, etc are good too.

How about winter squashes? Butternut or banana squash? Those are nice roasted, and the whole butternut keeps well as long as it's not cut.

How about fresh apples? Citrus should be coming in too - mandarins/tangerines, and oranges should be ready soon - great for snacking, and I slice up oranges and serve them with dinners all the time. Good stuff.

I hope you find some good resources!

lemurcat12

We have good produce at the basic groceries. I do like WF (although it's more expensive) but for staples like you mention my local Jewel is fine, even this time of year, so it might be location. I've also had good experiences with Costco. I find that asparagus and strawberries are less tasty when not local and in season, so I tend to buy them less if at all. Broccoli and cauliflower and onions of all sorts and zucchini are all available here, though, so I'd check around at other stores.

dbmata

tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »

...I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple.

So you want good produce that's far out of season? You can have them in summer/fall again. Sorry.

dbmata

OR, you can go into the southern hemisphere and get them in season. That might be a little pricey.

tomatoey

tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »

I guess I wasn't really specific enough with the emphasis on good. Specifically what I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple. There was zero pineapple or red onion. The broccoli and cauliflower were empty(possibly just due to time of year), the asparagus and zucchini were AWFUL. Just looked terrible. So of all the things I wanted I could get eggplant and strawberries that looked good and the strawberries were very expensive.
I've never been in Whole Foods and it's another place I forget about. So I will have to check there. I do find that I can find a great variety of frozen vegetables at Trader Joe's than I can at the Super Target where I shop. But really this thread was to get ideas of where and how people get the best produce during the off season.

Ask the staff when they get things in, might have been the day of the week.

corgicake

I'm from MN and there's plenty of fresh plant foods here... they're just an arm leg n firstborn. Needless to say, I eat the frozen stuff. Brands... pssh, veggies are veggies. Go cheep on those and save your money for fruit that isn't going into smoothies.

goddessofawesome

dbmata wrote: »

tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »

...I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple.

So you want good produce that's far out of season? You can have them in summer/fall again. Sorry.

My local grocer sells tons of stuff that is out of season. They obviously get it from Florida or California and most of the time the prices are reasonable and it's not horrible looking so it's not that far fetched an idea to have out of season produce. But then again I'm spoiled this year due to an abundant garden and a freezer full of the produce we reaped.

OP: If quality and price is the issue then perhaps you need to go with frozen. You can get frozen broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, frozen strawberries that don't have any sugar in them, and the like. Sure everyone loves fresh fruits and veggies but sometimes you have to compromise and go with frozen. There's nothing wrong with frozen. They're still packed with nutrients and good for you.

Laurend224

I'm originally from the north, currently living in Alabama. I never noticed a lack of fresh produce where I lived up north. Most of it is shipped in. Down here though, I can get fresh peaches picked in an orchard 4 miles from my house. Also things I had never heard of, like muscadines that the farmer grows on his fence behind my house.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

It just sounds like your store's produce section is poorly tended. If it is out of several common items (broccoli, cauliflower), and the zucchini is limp, then that is a sign of a poorly tended produce section.

Try a different store.

SingRunTing

We do a lot of frozen veggies in the winter. My husband will also get frozen berries too.

But for fresh produce, we tend to have good luck at Market Basket or Hannafords (Massachusetts).

lohkin

LoneWolfRunner wrote: »

I live north of Pittsburgh. Between Aldi and Sam's Club, I usually don't have a problem getting fresh produce.

I also live in Omaha and have found the produce prices at Aldi to be the best (for what they carry). Because Aldi doesn't carry everything, all the time, I do shop a little more often. It's worth a try. I agree with the OP, and do not think our local Target / Bakers / Whole Foods have very good prices for produce during the winter.
To the OP - for variety, look up the cookbook "The Best Vegetable Recipes" by Cooks Illustrated / America's Test Kitchens. I think OPL carries it. The book has recipes and preparation tips for just about every vegetable you can think of. I love that cookbook and it has helped my family eat more veggies.
- Good Luck! -

chouflour

tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »

But really this thread was to get ideas of where and how people get the best produce during the off season.

Know your local stores. It isn't something that anyone non-local can tell you, and it's something that will probably take at least a year to learn. I'm in Northern California, and my year goes something like..

Winter - Costco
Spring/Summer - local farmer's market
Fall - local produce market

There's an awful lot of mixed bag weeks as the seasons change and the growing regions move. Right now, Costco doesn't have the best stuff (although we're about to hit berry nirvana) , and neither does anyone else. We're pretty opportunistic, eating implosion packed guacamole instead of avocado and citrus instead of pineapples. In addition, the week after Christmas seems to be lousy everywhere with a mix of low stock and old as the grocery stores swing from holiday staples to indulgent NYE party supplies.

SToast

Best you can do for things like pineapple in mid-winter is Costco frozen. They have a good selection of high quality frozen fruits and veggies. But there is a good chance you'll just have to settle for what you can find. I mean, I'd love a big ol' slice of watermelon right now but that's probably NOT going to happen. Unless someone on here has a hydroponic green house and is growing watermelon in the winter, in which case...

optimaltouch

I agree produce isn't nearly as attractive in the winter months here in Maine. Instead of deciding on specific veggies in advance, I'll work with whatever looks the most acceptable at the time I'm shopping. Also definitely helps to shop around at different markets this time of year as some are kept up better than others.

leggup

I've been roasting frozen veggies using these instructions: http://lifeonthefoodchain.blogspot.com/2013/05/yes-you-can-roast-frozen-vegetables-yes.html I use the sink-hot-water method because then you don't have to pat the veggies dry.

dbmata

goddessofawesome wrote: »

My local grocer sells tons of stuff that is out of season. They obviously get it from Florida or California and most of the time the prices are reasonable and it's not horrible looking so it's not that far fetched an idea to have out of season produce. But then again I'm spoiled this year due to an abundant garden and a freezer full of the produce we reaped.

Lucky you. OP obviously doesn't live where you live and was complaining about quality and cost. So, yes, tell us about how where you live is so fabulous.

I can wax poetic of the food quality and prices even for out of season stuff from my little neighborhood stores in San Francisco, but I won't because it's not relevant.

I swear, it's like you're just tempting people to get warnings.

BarbieAS

I'm in Northern IL. My produce buying/eating habits are definitely a LOT different as the seasons change.

In the winter, I try to do a few things - first, there are some fruits and vegetables that are still somewhat in season this time of year - citrus fruits, hard squash, etc. So, in the winter, my fruit serving(s) for the day tend to be oranges, clementines, and grapefruit. There are also some fresh vegetables that travel better than others and are still decent (and not astronomically priced) even when you're buying them out of season - I have good luck with lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and celery in the wintertime. Finally, I definitely mix in more frozen vegetables in the winter - typically the quality ends up being just as good as the out-of-season fresh stuff and the price is lower. I don't go 100% frozen, but several servings per week will be.

And then, I dream of summer when I can go to the farmer's market and eat 10+ servings of fresh produce per day....ahhhh.....