Replacement apples

[Boar]

how many of you get these?  replacement apples, wife comes home with a bag of apples from the grocery store, sets them on the counter, and I take the old bag out of the fridge and replace them with the new bag. Im thinking on geting a bunch of plastic fruit to put in the fridge. 

[leechlake]

Amen.  Also, I've become Archie Bunker about the money we spend on fruit.  I didn't grow up in a poor house and we had a few fruit items around probably apples OR oranges. Grapes were kind of a treat and any type of berry bought at the store was rare.

Our fridge now looks like a Farmer's Market with fruit.  To the point I've looked up fruit nutrition numbers.  I'm not saying fruit is bad for you but we treat it like it's the Holy Grail of good eating.  Kid plows through $8 worth of fruit watching tv and then after is still hungry and eats 6 cookies and a soda.  

"hey dad, we don't have any fruit."  I look in the fridge and there are apples, those tiny oranges, and kiwi or something.  No fruit???   We spend as much money on fruit as meat.  You'd think we live on a fruit ranch around here.

Finally, Boar.  I went shopping last weekend early in the morning being nice.  Fruit didn't make the cut but I did buy a bag of apples as a consolation prize.  One apple was tasted and rejected by a snot nosed kid.  We have a bag of those apples less one.  It's all yours!!!

If anyone gives me a fruit speech Boar and I will be at your door with two bags of apples (less one apple) breaking your windows.  Good morning!

[Boar]

lmao, tru dat double LL do you have replacemnt lettuce also?

[leechlake]

lettuce?  Hmmm.  I think it costs 99 cents for a head of lettuce.  We buy bags of lettuce for three times as much.  It works better so there is more surface area to go bad faster.  There's also less lettuce in a bag than on a head so that's nice too.  

I'm going to go clean the garage, be more fun than Boar getting me going...

 

[Dotch]

The sheep are big time apple and lettuce consumers so they're the lucky recipients of fruit and vegetables gone bad. Oddly enough, we never seem to have that problem with limes. No malaria or scurvy issues either.  I do have some 9 - 10 year old dill pickles though if anyone wants them. Green olives too. At least I see there's some moldy cheese again. Not giving that away. Can peel 'er down and make cheese burgers one of these nights. It's bomb! Speaking of apples, if I keep dawdling, I'll run out of time to prune the trees or drive the Studebaker. Decisions, decisions.... 

[Boar]

dang now I need a sheep, reb you have a few to spare right? or are they in therapy??

[ThunderLund78]

I work with a lady who does one of those community crop share things - can't remember exactly what it's called, but you pay into some communal fund and it pays a local farmer to raise a bunch of veggies.  She gets a big box three times/year with a wide variety of vegetables.  So she's always bringing all kinds of creative soups and dishes for lunch that incorporate all the things that came in that delivery.  She says that her and her family eat through every box and don't throw anything out.  Meanwhile, in the ThunderLund household, a bunch of Chaquita bananas are sitting on my counter, nearly black as night and we have  an occasional fruit fly buzzing through the kitchen.

[KEN W]

LOL.......you guys need some general advice when it comes to buying fruit and veggies. Since retiring, I have worked part time in the produce dept of the largest grocery store in Fargo.First of all...NEVER buy apples in a bag. Buy what is on sale and pick them out 1 apple at a time. Be aware of where the apples come from.

Right  now they are from last fall,  kept at 34 degrees and 90% humidity. They go downhill and become mealy very quickly when removed from that environment. Wait until apples start showing up from Chili or New Zeeland. How can you tell? All apples from the US have food grade wax on them to polish them shiny and keep them from shriveling.All apples from out of the country are not shiny.

As for lettuce, buy romaine or loose leaf in bulk. It will always be fresher. When you get home peel off the leaves and put them in cold water for an hour. Put them into a lettuce spinner and into a container in the fridge.

This is the poorest time of the year to buy fruit.....only citrus is in season. If you want the best oranges.....get tangelos. They have twice the juice as others. I basically eat them over the sink because the juice squirts out all over.

Edited February 28, 2016 by KEN W

[leechlake]

I will give you my wife's email address.  She has the problem.  

We went to the store today for a minor stop.  I had the cart and she made me stop to get fruit.  She grabbed two bags of grapes and I just kept moving out of the produce section and had the cart, problem solved.  We ended up with two bags of grapes because her hands were full, two 97 cent a pound pork shoulders, 7 pizzas for $11 and ice cream.  The grapes cost more than a 9 pound pork shoulder.  Ok I'm done complaining about fruit.

She fooled me in the dairy section and bought a bunch of greek yogurt when I wasn't looking and she got picked off by the Girl Scouts as we left.  I actually caught myself veering the cart away from the girls and she's a sucker and stopped and grabbed a "free" sample from them.  I then stood at the car in the cold with the cart because she had the keys and was buying cookies and probably telling the girls her life story as a Girl Scout back in the 1970's.

 

[Boar]

wow thanks for that insite Ken. greatly appreciate it!

Thats awsome doubleLL, greek yourgert tho is awsome, can be use in place of stuff, not sure what but wife uses it to replace the fattier things, Im not sure what, hope she dont make a steak mold out it or something.DONT MESS WITH MY MEAT!

[leech~~]

7 minutes ago, leechlake said:

I will give you my wife's email address.  She has the problem.  

We went to the store today for a minor stop.  I had the cart and she made me stop to get fruit.  She grabbed two bags of grapes and I just kept moving out of the produce section and had the cart, problem solved.  We ended up with two bags of grapes because her hands were full, two 97 cent a pound pork shoulders, 7 pizzas for $11 and ice cream.  The grapes cost more than a 9 pound pork shoulder.  Ok I'm done complaining about fruit.

She fooled me in the dairy section and bought a bunch of greek yogurt when I wasn't looking and she got picked off by the Girl Scouts as we left.  I actually caught myself veering the cart away from the girls and she's a sucker and stopped and grabbed a "free" sample from them.  I then stood at the car in the cold with the cart because she had the keys and was buying cookies and probably telling the girls her life story as a Girl Scout back in the 1970's.

 

Hey, you guys weren't by chance the hubby and wife right in front of us at the Wal-Mart in Maple Grove today were ya?

[KEN W]

We should start to see grapes from Chili soon and  the price should come down. But be careful and test them. They will take a couple weeks to get here on container ships and will start getting soft.

Strawberries show be in season soon from California. Then the price should come down also.

Cantaloupe grown in California are picked before they are ripe. They aren't supposed to be crunchy and taste like cucumbers. They should be turning a golden color if they are ripe. I never buy cantaloupe at this time of the year. Wait until Athena's start to show up....they will be a yellow/gold color and have distinctive ribs. Don't believe the store if they say take them home and let them sit on the counter for a few days to ripen. Once they are removed from the plant they will get softer, but not sweeter.

Look for gold/yellow pineapples. Pineapples ripen from the bottom up. So the most sugar is in the bottom. You want a pineapple that is gold in color. Don't buy those all green ones. The more green they are.....the less sweet they are. Even when on sale I don't buy those green ones.

[leechlake]

42 minutes ago, leech~~ said:

Hey, you guys weren't by chance the hubby and wife right in front of us at the Wal-Mart in Maple Grove today were ya?

We were at Cub in Plymouth.  As bad as you are with geography that's a dang good guess though

 

 

 

[lovebigbluegills]

Thanks for the great info Ken!!!

[delcecchi]

1 hour ago, KEN W said:

LOL.......you guys need some general advice when it comes to buying fruit and veggies. Since retiring, I have worked part time in the produce dept of the largest grocery store in Fargo.First of all...NEVER buy apples in a bag. Buy what is on sale and pick them out 1 apple at a time. Be aware of where the apples come from.

Right  now they are from last fall,  kept at 34 degrees and 90% humidity. They go downhill and become mealy very quickly when removed from that environment. Wait until apples start showing up from Chili or New Zeeland. How can you tell? All apples from the US have food grade wax on them to polish them shiny and keep them from shriveling.All apples from out of the country are not shiny.

As for lettuce, buy romaine or loose leaf in bulk. It will always be fresher. When you get home peel off the leaves and put them in cold water for an hour. Put them into a lettuce spinner and into a container in the fridge.

This is the poorest time of the year to buy fruit.....only citrus is in season. If you want the best oranges.....get tangelos. They have twice the juice as others. I basically eat them over the sink because the juice squirts out all over.

California strawberries are now being sold, at least in southern California.

Cara Cara are good as are the regular navel oranges. 

And there is more to storing apples than just temp and humidity.   Controlled Atmosphere was a huge development.    

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, leechlake said:

We were at Cub in Plymouth.  As bad as you are with geography that's a dang good guess though

 

 

 

Well there was a very nice couple in line with a ton of stuff and they let us go in front of them. But since my geography is so off, so would the Thank You I was going to say.

[SwivelDigger]

Way too funny, I thought my house was the only one with a fruit/ veggie problem. Not kidding but I know I could walk to the fridge and spy probably 10 kinds of fruit and 4 kinds of lettuce at least. Some fruits are just for " drying" though....... Maybe we need to start a support group. 

[KEN W]

Controlled atmosphere is temp and humidity....34 deg.at 90% humidity. You can get close to that at home in your fridge. When apples are on sale in Sept to mid Nov. I always buy a couple large bags full.  When you get home.....empty your veg crisper. Put 1/2 inch water in. Put a garbage bag in and fill it with apples.....they will keep for months.

Like I said......strawberries will be in season soon.

Also if you have never tried a tangelo. You don't know what you are missing. If you have ever watched QVC, they usually have them on sale about now. Only they call them Honeybells.  The guy stands there and squeezes and squeezes a lot of juice out. Upside down they look like a little bell. They are a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit. But look like an orange.

Edited February 29, 2016 by KEN W

[delcecchi]

There was quite a variety of citrus at the La Jolla open aire market this morning....  I got Carlsbad strawberries, honest vine ripe tomatoes, flowers, and a small head of cauliflower.  And a BBQ tri tip sandwich.   MMmmm

[reinhard1]

Thanks Ken, I don't know much about produce and that sure helps.  Going to try one of those tangelos.  I've been doing the shopping for as long as I can remember.  I've been buying Pink Lady's and Opal's lately.  They seem to be the crispest apples so far.  Honeycrisps are way up there in price.  Cucumbers seem to vary a lot.  Big displays and you end up squeezing a lot of them before you find solid ones.  Thanks again Ken.  good luck.

[smurfy]

Man I never have issues with to much fruit! Even apples. Gotta be a pretty crappy one before I toss it