Hello this last Tuesday of January. Good golly, it is cold and messy! I sure hope you and yours are safe and snuggled in at home (here in the northern hemisphere). As cold as we are, the southern hemisphere is hot. Crazy stuff.
We ended up having snow through Sunday late afternoon (24 hours) - and ended up with 12"+ here. I had drifts that were close to 2' deep. Luckily a guy from down the road came and checked on me, and he moved the worst of the worst (I paid). I have worked on the rest over 2 days. This body is sore! Especially my hands, just achy. That is ok - I survived and I am in my home safe.
There are piles chest high in my front yard, and the cold isn't leaving for a good while - so there will be snow a plenty for a while.
Now that title today could mean a lot of things - BUT I am talking produce!!!!!
Think about looking for the oddly shaped, slightly bruised, and just different looking produce. Just because it is bruised or ugly - doesn't mean spoiled!
With people being hungry and things costing more - I can't imagine anyone throwing things away just because they don't look pretty. Stores DO!
Get to be friends with your local produce manager at the store and see if you can get a deal. They make a little money, instead of paying to have it taken away. My niece is a produce manager at a WM and she says this happens in her rural area a lot - she always works with people.
There are many things you can do with the off produce. Fruit salads, smoothies, milkshakes, cook it, dehydrate it, ferment it, jelly and jams, cobblers, pies, roast, add to soups and pasta salads, mash, puddings, freeze for later, can it, the list goes on and on.
VEGGIE CAKES/BITES
Veggies cakes - can be made like potato cakes - use any type of veggie you have. You can make into patties or just make bites (like tots). So easy to make and tasty. Great for variety.
Add veggies to stir fry, fried rice, pasta salads, rice salad - all kinds of things. Cut up - it doesn't have to be pretty.
Fried apples, or peaches, or pineapple, or pears - oh YUM! Great on top of pancakes, waffles, oatmeal or just as a side or a dessert.
You can mash up for youngsters (or oldsters). Add to wonderful milkshakes, smoothies, even make homemade ice cream. Jellies and jams.
Add to sweet breads and muffins, pie, cobbler, oh my.
Use glass jar (those you might throw away from the store) to secure partials of veggies or fruits in. Like a half an onion - no smell and keeps it fresh. Those jars are gold - they are super for dry goods, leftovers, and partial pieces of produce. Make salads ahead (no dressing) and store in jars - grab and go.
I am all for anything that keeps things out of the landfills.
The jars get re-used and you don't have to trash or recycle. The produce that may go into landfills, gets used. It is still good. You can then use scraps for chickens or wildlife or compost.
There used to be companies that sold misfits or ugly produce - not sure if there still is. I think it is just a necessary today - as so many are trying to get the best prices they can and stretch the food budgets.
Stop being so picky!
What ideas do you have on the UGLY produce? DO you try to buy the things no one else wants?
Give us your ideas. It helps everyone stretch the budget a little.
I pray you are all safe and have electricity and are well. Let us know how you are faring!
STAY SAFE, STAY IN, and STAY HEALTHY.
Smile a little. The sun is shining here - so that makes me happy. Kitties had breakfast - that makes me happy too.
Have a joyful day.
I would absolutely buy misshapen or damaged produce. I looked into a company called Misfits Market a while ago. Too expensive for me! Winn-Dixie used to put out their past-their-prime produce on Sundays. But after they remodeled, it stopped. Publix never put out even slightly damaged produce.
ReplyDeleteMom and I used to go to a nearby place called Orange Blossom Groves that sold first-quality citrus but also “second-rate” citrus and other produce in the back. We got some real bargains. The family sold the business and it is now a housing development.
All this to say at least in my area it is not as easy to find second-rate produce. I guess the best bet is to do as you suggest and talk to the produce manager. I’m at the point that I’ll leave that to others who need it.
It is chilly here (50s) but nothing like what so many states are experiencing and it is sunny. Barbara M.
We had someone scheduled to do our driveway Monday but Sunday evening we happened to look out and friends of ours were doing it. They refused to take any money, so we'll figure out some way to pay them back because there was a LOT of snow and we have a pretty big driveway. They did a great job, and they reminded us that there are still awesome people out there.
ReplyDeleteNone of our grocery stores sell seconds but the farmers market does.
I totally agree with you on keeping things in glass jars. It makes things last a lot longer.
Have a great day Cheryl.
I made it through the worst - Monday night single digits. Power and water stayed on, the woodstove kept things warm. Today is sunny, that helps. Work is delayed so not going anywhere until after lunch. :)
ReplyDeleteMaryB
Glass jars and other containers are gold! I use them for a variety of reasons. Meijer will markdown some produce but I haven't seen the "misfits" produce for a while. Going through the produce section during winter makes you long for "grow-ceries in the backyard. The Farmer was watching a YouTube video on another way to use compost in the gardens. He is talking about implementing the ideas shown in the video.
ReplyDeleteThe Farmer got out with the snowblower and did the driveway yesterday afternoon. Big drifts which will take a while to melt. The library is closed again today, which makes sense. Erin said the main road, Rockville Road, still isn't completely clear.
We are grateful to have electricity and a warm house, along with plenty of food. Glad someone did the worst of your snow removal.
My daughter gets boxes of fruit and veg delivered from a company that specialises in 'rehoming' produce that doesn't meet the big supermarkets' extremely strict criteria or is just not needed by them, as they have met their buying targets.. The boxes are expensive, but my daughter is keen to stop things going unnecessarily to landfill.
ReplyDeleteA friend of ours often sells off fruit and veg that would otherwise be binned by her family greengrocers shop at the end of the week. A lot of people seem to assume that it must be substandard and turn their noses up at a bargain. I don't!
I woke to 45F this morning, definitely the chilliest morning we've had. But no snow! A foot of snow is a lot at one time, glad your neighbour was available to help you out.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a store sell misshapen fruit or veg. I do like my veg though, and had the chance to cook with Mexican grey squash this week. Not a lot of flavour but it went well with corn, onion, chili powder, and some andouille sausage and cheese.
All good here thanks. We had about 8" and like you it's still very cold so it will be around for a while. A kind neighbour cleared our driveway for us yesterday for which we were most grateful.
ReplyDeleteI live in snow country (Wisconsin) and when I shovel my drive, I find it easy to push the snow to the edge of the driveway, like a snow plow does on the roads, rather than lifting and tossing. Depending on how much snow I have to move, I sometimes only shovel push half a shovel full, smaller but easier on an older person’s body. It takes a bit longer but it gets done.
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