Has anyone else noticed a reduction..

[luvs2sing]

in quality or quantity of produce at your markets since the shutdown? I haven’t noticed anything more than I usually do during winter, but many of my friends are complaining of empty shelves and sub-par quality. Anyone else see this, or do my friends just need to shop where I shop?

[femmocrat]

1. Not yet.

But we are unfortunately relegated to walmart and their produce selection is terrible on a good day. We are getting an Aldi’s here. I see their ads on TV boasting about their fresh produce, delivered fresh every day. How is their selection?

[spinbaby]

3. Limited selection

But Aldi has all the basics and it’s all fresh and priced well.

[luvs2sing]

4. Two friends specifically mentioned Aldi's.

Also Whole Foods. The Kroger stores here are a joke. There are always empty shelves and half-rotten produce. I shop at Giant Eagle, and when I was there Monday, I got everything I was looking for, and it was all fresh.

[Moostache]

2. Depends on the quality of your grocer's supply chain...

There are markets in the St. Louis area that have hideously bad produce year round and some that are seasonally affected and others that seem to find adequately fresh produce year round.

It's definitely harder to find quality ingredients out of season though because even the higher priced stuff can be a bit bland and "hot-house" tasting in the dead of winter...

I miss spring and summer!

[luvs2sing]

7. Yes, I'm used to..

lower quality and less fresh during winter. Especially with tomatoes which are pretty much not worth eating. Although I tried salting my diced fresh tomatoes a couple hours before using them in a pasta dish, and they were much more flavorful.

I’m wondering if my friends just never paid attention to the natural seasonal cycles till now.

[tblue37]

5. Yes, definitely. nt

[violetpastille]

6. Yes

Even less local produce (Southwest Washington).

I have just had to forget about the stuff that is usually imported from Mexico.

[brooklynite]

8. Nope...

I have a well-stocked Korean Greengrocer, next to my reasonably well stocked supermarket. Also walked through Chinatown last week and saw plenty on the counters.

[912gdm]

9. Produce?

Honestly, I think it's because we are in the middle of winter.

I don't know what is happening with the imported stuff since the USDA (or FDA) isn't doing veg inspections. Are they rotting in warehouses or allowed to hit the market inspection free?


Either way, I'm sticking to canned or frozen while the inspections are halted.


I live in rural Indiana and grow a big garden every year, as do a lot of my neighbors so I don't end up buying much produce from the store during the growing season unless it's some kind of speciality item.

[maveric]

10. Yes

San Diego

[Joe941]

11. The lettuce was terrible the other night. I left it.