Julie the Bove wrote:
>
>Anyone else noticing produce problems in their area? Seems no matter where
>I go, they have more bananas than usual.

Why are you so focused on the bananas, I rarely notice them... bananas
are usually off to the side at the back of the produce section and
another display in the cereal aisle... you must be obsessed with the
shape of bananas, I bet you can't resist feeling them.

>They do look good.

Just what I thought you'd say. hehe

>As for the rest... There seems to be less
>variety than usual for this time of year, and often I leave the store with
>less than I wanted or even an alternate thing. And it's not just one store
>but every store.

How many stores in a day do you shop for produce? I can find whatever
I want at one store.

>Husband loves asparagus. I got some that was good but can't remember where.

How can you not remember where you got the good asparagus???

>Two other stores had none. Then I found some but it was really big and
>woody.

I'd think you'd have enjoyed those! LOL

>I wanted green bell peppers. I was craving them. But all of the green ones
>were so wrinkled and mushy I was a bit shocked that they were even out there
>for sale.

Normal people don't "crave" green bell peppers... the Bove is a green
bell pepper addict... I imagine her going through withdrawal,
kvetching her ass off about everything... wait, that's the Bove all
the time.

>Have to really pick through the onions to find good ones.

What's to pick... you can't tell good ones without tasting, about all
one can do is smell them and look for bruises, if woofy they are
rotting. I buy the onions in mesh bags, I look for a bag with
assorted sizes because I'm not going to cut into a large onion if all
I want is a couple three slices... I never save cut onions, they begin
to rot within the hour, how well wrapped makes no difference, a cut
onion is the same as a bruised onion. If all I want is a small bit of
onion in a cooked dish I use dehys. I always keep dehys on hand,
plain and toasted... I much prefer toasted dehys to onion soup mix, I
can use all I want without over salting. I keep diced dehy bell
pepper on hand too, I like Penzeys red & green blend.. for a small
amount it's easy enough to separate the colors but I don't bother... I
like to whiz a bit to season potato/macaroni salads. Dehy bell
peppers are good to have for the times you want some for a stewp and
discover you have none or the last one in the fridge has turned to
mush. I keep all sorts of dehy veggies in my larder, they don't
spoil, I keep an assortment of dehy 'shrooms, and a jar of dehy soup
greens. I don't keep dehy celery, it takes too long to rehydrate,
even after an hour in cold water it's still a bit woody but it's fine
for cooked dishes so there's enough in the soup greens.

>This may have somewhat to do with our weather. Draught. Then too much
>rain. Freak heat wave. Now cold. Or it may have to do (at least with some
>stores) with whatever they are doing with the Albertsons/Safeway/Haggen
>mess. Dunno.

Um, no one in yjr PNW is growing peppers this time of year.

>I will just be happy when I can get a good salad again.

I don't need nor does a green bell pepper make a good salad.

>Having to make do
>with greens, onions, nuts, beans, olives and rationed tomato. Because when
>I do find a good tomato, it's usually just the one. That's not necessarily
>a bad salad but I like other veggies too.

You oughta try walking in the front door instead of dumpster diving at
the back door. I shop for produce at two stores, at the local market
in town and at BJs some 20 miles away, both have excelent produce,
naturally I need to consider the season, no summer fruit this time of
year, I'll need to wait for peaches, apricots, melons, and fresh corn
too. However I've no problem finding fresh salad veggies, a large
variety of leafies and last week at BJs I found a 3 lb clamshell of
Romas, 15 perfect tomatoes, from Mexico but so is other out of season
produce. I buy great lettuce at the Tops Market in town, and they had
gorgeous large fennel bulbs with perfectly fresh fronds... I bought
two and ate two over the weekend, I love raw fennel with just a little
kosher salt for dipping. The lettuce and fennel was from CA... none
growing here this time of year, nor the PNW. There is also lots of
hydroponically grown produce these days, perfect strawberries all
year. I can always get very nice staples; spuds, onions, carrots,
celery, garlic, etc.
I don't believe the Bove can't buy excellent produce this time of
year, she lives a lot closer to CA and Mexico than I do... she needs
to quit dumpster diving and shopping the used produce bin.
I like Romas for salads/sandwiches, they're mostly what I grow, for
this time of year these are perfect:
http://i65.tinypic.com/2h6fsjt.jpg
BJs has these 3 packs of cukes, excellent quality, no wax/small seeds:
http://i65.tinypic.com/r8tc1g.jpg
For tonight's dinner, added a can of small white beans and sliced in
the old maid baked spud from the pork roast:
http://i65.tinypic.com/2u5xdlu.jpg
I prepared enough salad for two days, this is the last of it... I mist
it with apple cider vinegar, it will keep fresh for a nearly a week.
Those Green Giant cukes have thin skin, no wax, no peeling necessary.
I buy carrots in town, 5 lb bags/$3.99... I know the price because
I've been buying them at that same price for 12 years, the deer get
most. I get five pounds for the price of three one pound bags, and
carrots keep well, plus the deer eat them long before they can go bad.
For salads I peel carrots and slice with the peeler, thin tender
slices.