For those of you in northern states
tracyhodgewaugh
Posts: 6 Member
I live in Nebraska and I'm having a heck of a time finding decent fresh produce. And what little I find is very expensive. For those of you also living in an area where your fresh stuff is coming from somewhere else, do you have any tips? Any stores where you find better quality or selection? Any favorite frozen brands/varieties?
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Frozen fruit and veggies for me, up north or down south. Frozen fruits are a little different, but very good in their own way. I cannot eat veggies without cooking them, so the difference between fresh and frozen is minimal (or nonexistent) for me.
I get canned peaches. I get the lite ones, but not the ones with aspartame. The aspartame ones taste horrible. Peaches are sweet enough without it, anyway.0 -
Have you ever tried to add frozen fruit to your drinks? What about roasting frozen vegetables? Does it work. Those are my 2 biggest concerns really.0
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Frozen veg can be roasted, but completely defrost and dry with a napkin first.
Frozen fruit is best for smoothies and other drinks.0 -
I find thawed berries great for yogurt or smoothies. Peas are pretty good frozen. Asparagus, brussell sprouts and green beans will be sad all wimter.0
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I love adding frozen raspberries to smoothies. I can buy a ton in summer and make them last all winter. If i do run out before summer comes around again then i either buy them frozen or you can buy them jarred as preserves.
I like to eat frozen fruit before it thaws completely, especially peaches.
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I'm in Upstate NY. Not too much fresh here. Fresh is: bananas, apples, citrus, cucumber, baby carrots, avocado, peppers (if I get a good deal). We do a LOT of frozen. It's too expensive to buy fresh and in many cases around here this time of year frozen will be fresher. I buy Frozen produce from Aldi. 12oz berries (mixed and blueberries) are $2.29 (wegmans is $4.49 for 16oz) and I buy frozen peas/corn at aldi for $0.89/lb or wegmans at $0.99/lb. Berries go in my shakes and on my oatmeal. I heat them up for a fruit for my 1 year old. Peas/corn get added as fillers to meals, green beans are served with dinner as a side. I do canned crushed tomato instead of canned pasta sauce (I put in pan and heat with italian seasoning, oregano, pepper, etc. It cuts down on the sodium and gives it a stronger "tomato" taste).
I don't really have favorite "brands." I am used to wegmans brand (local grocery store here) and their quality is amazing (they even own their own local organic farms), and since they are much cheaper than say, green giant...I could never justify spending 50% more.0 -
Hmm this is news to me, I live in southern Canada and often in minnesota and north dakota and always fresh produce hear and there.0
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Why does the produce have to be fresh?
If you prefer fresh for the flavor, I am out of ideas. Eating in season you (and I in Massachusetts) would depend on cellared potatoes and other root vegetables, squash, cabbage, and other things in the cabbage family.
If it is for nutrition, frozen vegetables are very good in that regard. I depend heavily on frozen vegetables including single type and mixtures.
Canned vegetables are also good. Really. Especially beans. I normally do not bother making beans from scratch.
IMO, frozen fruit is often better than fresh in smoothies because freezing bursts the cells of some fruits and makes them mush up better.
Which reminds me, we have 4 pounds of frozen blueberries. They are gonna add flavor to my next batch of beer.
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tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »I live in Nebraska and I'm having a heck of a time finding decent fresh produce. And what little I find is very expensive. For those of you also living in an area where your fresh stuff is coming from somewhere else, do you have any tips? Any stores where you find better quality or selection? Any favorite frozen brands/varieties?
Since it's a land locked State in the middle of Winter I'm not sure there is much fresh.
I buy from Trader Joe's, Natural Grocers, sometimes Open Harvest, sometimes regular grocery stores.
Frozen berries are great this time of year, nothing wrong with buying frozen fruit in the Winter if nothing else if available. Great in smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal etc.
I live in a Winter state, trust me, I do understand! I belong to CSA's in the Spring/Summer/Fall months and they've now got one in the Winter. Might want to check that out if you have any in the area you live in. They also have Winter Harvest days where they sell veggies that grow in the late Fall. Pretty much like a Farmers Market smack dab in the middle of Winter... minus the Spring veggies etc.
Where in NE do you live? A bigger area (O or L) or small town?
I started buying Steamers, when they are on sale, or steam my own.
Ugh...just read about Wegman's.. we don't have them here. 0 -
I'm in Omaha. The reason I am looking for fresh is really just to find ways of cooking it to make it more palatable for my family. I have a husband who won't eat vegetables other than corn. And he is teaching our kids to hate vegetables. If I can roast frozen vegetables that will help a lot because I think I can get them to eat some roasted veggies. I'm also going to try using things like zucchini and eggplant that aren't hard to find. Fruit is not really a big deal other than just trying to find ways to enhance my water. I've been drinking a lot of Crystal Light and I need to cut back on it. I have trouble drinking plain water so just looking for options. I will have to try Trader Joe's. I tend to forget it's there. I do love frozen pepper strips for cooking. Just trying to find the best way to make this a permanent change.0
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South Dakota here and I find Hyvee for us is the best place. We also stock up on fresh fruit from the local school when they do their fundraising. I have terrible luck at Walmart. Back up plan is frozen for us. I have to hide veggies in meals because I hate them. Something I struggle with.0
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Costco's quality seems the best I can find in the winter in MN0
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »I belong to CSA's in the Spring/Summer/Fall months and they've now got one in the Winter. Might want to check that out if you have any in the area you live in. They also have Winter Harvest days where they sell veggies that grow in the late Fall. Pretty much like a Farmers Market smack dab in the middle of Winter... minus the Spring veggies etc.
I do this--it's pretty limited, though. Until recently we've had winter squash, root vegetables, and cabbage, but my understanding is that the winter proper is dried items (like beans and peppers), cellared items (apples, potatoes, etc.), and greens from the green house. I like to go to the green market during the winter, but mostly because they also sell eggs and meat. (I have picked up popcorn and grains from time to time also.)
For health, frozen are great, but I understand the OP's preference for non-frozen and share it, just based on how I like to cook things and how they taste, so I also do lots of transported in from somewhere they grow veggies (whether one calls this fresh or not depends on your own definition, IMO). IME, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini/summer squash, eggplant, and Brussels sprouts all tend to be generally available, not much more expensive in the winter, and taste good. I also like winter squash (which is available now like crazy), all root veggies (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, parsnips, turnips, etc.), and greens of any sort that look good. Onions and related items are also fine, and cabbage, of course. Asparagus usually isn't that good (although I just bought some white asparagus), and I use only canned tomatoes when I can't get them fresh. (I'm in Chicago, so we might have more of a selection than some smaller areas, not really sure.)
I also like the blueberries in the stores this time of year just fine, although frozen berries work great in smoothies if that's your intended use, as others have said. Beyond that, I might buy pears, apples, or bananas, as those tend to be good any time of year, or those clementines. In fact, if you like oranges, bananas, or any other more tropical fruits it hardly matters as in a northern state those are never local.0 -
We try to eat local as much as possible, so winter produce is mostly frozen, canned, or dried. Lots of stews, vegetable soups, pasta/lasagna type one dish meals (oldest son loves pasta with garlic, olive oil, seafood, and frozen sugar snap peas; middle son loves lasagna with lots of vegetables I sneak into the sauce or even spinach lasagna), pot roast (carrots and potatoes), etc.0
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Also in this boat! I live in Council Bluffs, work in Bellevue!!!! I buy the most of my fresh stuff at Aldi's when in season but frozen is good for veggies.0
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I live in Iowa (I'm close enough to Omaha that I'm there several times every month). The difference between me and you is that I live in a small town and cannot find as much variety of produce in general... for example, if I want to make borscht with fresh produce, I have to bring beets home from Omaha (about 90 min. away).
So while I don't think you have it as bad as it could be, my suggestion on improving taste for your family is to try to make variety. Make stir fry one day and then a stew another day. As far as a roast, carrots and onions (and potatoes, though they are more dense in calories) go well, and a sweet potato in the oven works well (not so much in a roast).0 -
I buy Frozen produce from Aldi. 12oz berries (mixed and blueberries) are $2.29 (wegmans is $4.49 for 16oz) and I buy frozen peas/corn at aldi for $0.89/lb or wegmans at $0.99/lb.
I don't really have favorite "brands." I am used to wegmans brand (local grocery store here) and their quality is amazing (they even own their own local organic farms), and since they are much cheaper than say, green giant...I could never justify spending 50% more.
Hi from Syracuse! I like Aldi's fresh produce selection as well; it's much better than you'd expect. And a big "hell yeah" to Wegmans brand. I don't think I buy name brand anything anymore.0 -
Costco, Winco, Safeway.
You can also buy a lot when the harvests come in and preserve/pickle.0 -
We have a huge international market (mostly caters to Asian tastes) that has the BEST produce.....and stuff that I have never tried before that I have found super yummy. And it's not expensive. I can go in there and get a basket full that will last me at least a week, if not more for under $30.00. I've started looking for places like this to get new ideas for dinner and my daughter loves coming up with new recipes.0
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I live north of Pittsburgh. Between Aldi and Sam's Club, I usually don't have a problem getting fresh produce.0
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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???
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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.0 -
I am in Omaha. Have you checked Natural Grocers or Hy-vee?0
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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.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.
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!0 -
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.0
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So you want good produce that's far out of season? You can have them in summer/fall again. Sorry.tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »...I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple.
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OR, you can go into the southern hemisphere and get them in season. That might be a little pricey.0
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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.0 -
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.0
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So you want good produce that's far out of season? You can have them in summer/fall again. Sorry.tracyhodgewaugh wrote: »...I wanted when I went to the store was broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, fresh strawberries, and fresh pineapple.
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.
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