For years, I was ignorant about organic and/or locally grown fruits and vegetables. I can't remember whether I even really enjoyed eating them.
Now at 33, I am hooked on Whole Foods and farmer's markets. Sometimes it's a pain to go to Whole Foods because of the immense crowds and parking lines (unless I go at 10 AM on a Monday--a benefit of running my own business). But when I go to a store that's more convenient to where I am, like Giant, Safeway or Trader Joe's, I'm reminded why I don't shop there. They suck for produce.
I'm sure some people will tell me how they found great this or that at those stores. But to me, the produce tastes like a duller version of that at Whole Foods and farmers' markets. For example, I bought a huge container of strawberries at Trader Joes this week. The berries were large, red and looked very ripe and juicy. When I ate them, it was as if I had burned the tastebuds off my tongue. Dull, dull, dull! If my life were threatened and I had to guess what I was eating while blindfolded, I would probably guess strawberries from the shape, texture and hint of taste, but they were certainly not something I would look forward to eating.
At Lee Highway's Giant (where people living under rocks come out to shop; I saw a Gollum-like character pawing the tomatoes), I bought some kiwi fruit that looked innocent enough. But again, the fruits were dull tasting and had a weird consistency. These are just two examples of many that I could write about all day.
So I have a few points:
1. If you think you don't like vegetables and fruits, try getting them at Whole Foods, a farmer's market, or another local store like MOM's. Harris Teeter also gets a shout out for decent produce.
2. It's sad that most people who cannot afford to spend alot on food must settle for dull tasting produce.
3. It's scary to think about what the crappy produce goes through (chemically and otherwise) before making it's sorry way here.
4. If you are trying to lose weight and the food doesn't taste great, stop eating it.
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Yup, I used to be fine with fruit and veggies wherever they came from, but now I'm sold on Whole Foods. Trader Joe's produce is just horrible. I guess you get what you pay for.
ReplyDeleteMeaghan and Damon just joined up with a new Farm Collective that delivers to Capitol Hill. I need to find out the name of it. It's pricey (I think $700.00 for 30 weeks), but if you really break that down, it's only about $23.00 / week. And you have to plan (and I do mean *you*) what you're going to cook around the veggies that become available. But I had the best strawberries in my life yesterday at their house!
Hilarious! I was just about to post a comment about our CSA share strawberries! We get our fruits and veggies from Jug Bay Farm, in Upper Marlboro, MD. You can read what was in our shares this week on their blog: http://jugbaymarketgarden.wordpress.com/
ReplyDeleteIt's great because everything is superfresh and guaranteed local, and there's no crowds or ginormous parking lot. It's more expensive than we said, though: it's $730 for at least 20 weeks (depends on the growing season). But it is probably cheaper than Whole Foods prices.
You can read about how the CSA share works on their website: www.jugbaymarketgarden.com. They are closed for Capitol Hill pickup this year but there are other farm shares in the area.
Here's a national CSA database: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
Thanks Meaghan! We did a CSA last year, but we didn't get any fruit. My plan is to do more farmer's markets this year so that I have more choice, but I may look into the Jug Bay Farm idea since we eat so much fruit.
ReplyDeleteDoes Gollum like tomatoes? "Precious" tomatoes? I feel the same way about the ones that come straight from my garden, still warm from the sun.
ReplyDeleteAbout meat. If you do eat meat, try Westover Market Butcher on Washington Blvd. Wed - Sun 12 - 7. They only have organic, free range, "happy" meat in limited quantities and at an excellent price for the value. I'm a meat freak, being from the midwest and this is honestly some of the best I've ever had. I think the prices may be lower that whole foods, comparable with HT on sale, and for the quality, it can't be beat. Also, the staff are friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable.