Blemished and discounted vegetables

Rosyrain

Rosyrain

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Location
Washington, USA
At my local grocery store there is a small section that is reserved for the blemished vegetables and ones that did not sell through very quickly. The veggies are still perfectly good to eat, they are just not the most beautiful pieces and so the store does not want to add them to the main display. I recently shopped this section and got 2 pounds of baby yellow potatoes for $0.99 a pound. They tasted perfect when I roasted them with some herbs and olive oil and I got the benefit of a side dish that cost me less than $2! Do any of you shop the discounted vegetable section at your grocery store? What kind of deals do you find?
 
I would WELCOME a blemished or irregular veggie section in my grocery store. We have a "day old" bin that sells really ripe produce for $0.99 a pound and I will gladly scour it daily for my veggie of the day. I've heard and read that many farms are wasting tons of irregular fruits and veggies because they aren't "grocery store" quality when it comes to how they look.

Too bad there isn't a better system for selling these at a discount. I know plenty of people who would gladly put a buffer back in the grocery budget even if it means misshapen fruits and veggies.
 
The idea of buying blemished fruits and vegetables is a good one when considering a saving on the pocket. However, when we buy fruits or vegetables like this, we have to be sure to use them up quickly before they spoil on us. If we can use them the same day or at least the day after, then nothing is wrong with buying them. However, I tend to go for the fresh produce and that is why I shop on days when I am likely to find more fresh fruits and vegetables. If I buy the blemished ones, I cannot buy a whole lot at one time, since I would not be using that much in one day, and what is left over will then have to be thrown out. I buy a good amoiunt of the fresh ones which would last over a longer period of time.
 
A friend of mine lives has a farmers' market every Sunday close to where he lives. He often buys misshapen fruit and veg there because they sell it off cheaply. For some reason, a lot of people seem to only want stuff that looks perfect. Pure brainwashing.
 
Caribbean girl said:
The idea of buying blemished fruits and vegetables is a good one when considering a saving on the pocket. However, when we buy fruits or vegetables like this, we have to be sure to use them up quickly before they spoil on us. If we can use them the same day or at least the day after, then nothing is wrong with buying them. However, I tend to go for the fresh produce and that is why I shop on days when I am likely to find more fresh fruits and vegetables. If I buy the blemished ones, I cannot buy a whole lot at one time, since I would not be using that much in one day, and what is left over will then have to be thrown out. I buy a good amoiunt of the fresh ones which would last over a longer period of time.
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You make a good point Caribbean girl, but the thing I find (and i don't do the bulk of the shopping) is that the blemish fruits and vegetables are sometimes being sold as "fresh" produce. Back when I did most of the shopping I would be appalled at produce that looked flawed being passed off as prime products. I think we need areas in our Supermarkets set aside for blemished produce.
 
Attach the word organic to the mis-shapen/imperfect, up the price and they'll fly of the shelves.
We've got fussy over the years and now anything that isn't perfect is considered substandard. They may have even come from the same plant.
 
I shop for the blemised bananas which are often put in a bag which you can get for a good price. I use the bananas to make bread and smoothies. I freeze what I will not use right away. When I get bruised veggies, I blanch them in hot water and then freeze for later use.
 
The grocery store standard of the perfect looking fruits and veggies is ridiculous. There is no difference in taste whether you buy a perfect oval shape potatoes or one that you can't really identify what shape it is. I love going to the farmers market during the summer because you can buy vegetables the way they are supposed to look and pay a lot less for them.
 
On the odd occasion I have seen some things on the shelves that should be thrown out and others that should be given away being offered as regular or unblemished goods. Perhaps it has something to do with there being a shortage of staff not merchandising well? My 'walk across the street' mini mart owner tells me she gives away the bananas when they are getting soft. That pleases me as I know someone can benefit from making some banana bread.
 
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Pat said:
I shop for the blemised bananas which are often put in a bag which you can get for a good price. I use the bananas to make bread and smoothies. I freeze what I will not use right away. When I get bruised veggies, I blanch them in hot water and then freeze for later use.
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I always thought bananas were one of those fruits that you could not freeze for some reason. Now that I know you can freeze them, I am going to purchase a lot more of the older ones and save them for bread making. It is way too hot to bake right now, but it would be good to have some in reserve.
 
classic33 said:
Attach the word organic to the mis-shapen/imperfect, up the price and they'll fly of the shelves.
We've got fussy over the years and now anything that isn't perfect is considered substandard. They may have even come from the same plant.
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TBH I guess they can't call it 'organic' unless it is - which I find odd really as the plant ingests chemicals - it doesn't know [or care] if they come from compost or a tractor and sprayer.
Years ago when my father had a greengrocers shop, when we had some well ripe tomatoes we sorted them out labelled them 'frying tomatoes' and everyone loved them. Now they would probably be regarded as 'past sell by date' and binned
 
sidevalve said:
TBH I guess they can't call it 'organic' unless it is - which I find odd really as the plant ingests chemicals - it doesn't know [or care] if they come from compost or a tractor and sprayer.
Years ago when my father had a greengrocers shop, when we had some well ripe tomatoes we sorted them out labelled them 'frying tomatoes' and everyone loved them. Now they would probably be regarded as 'past sell by date' and binned
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The plants wouldn't know, its just that use of the word organic seems to allow for a greater tolerance by the buyer.
No need for them to be perfect.
 
I get free past its best stock from my veg supplier ,I use it in soups,purées,cnutmeys,sauces,jams there is always something to do with it
We turned some runner beans into a pickle this week with turmeric and coriander seed just had to trim them deeper
 
Some people's junk is other people's treasure! I really enjoy searching the bleminshed section of the grocery store because I find some amazing deals on still beautiful (to me) fruits and veggies. It is sad that we as consumers have become so picky at the way things look now that we do not appreciate that anything that comes from nature is not necessarilly going to look perfect, but the taste is still there. I wish people would focus more on the simpler joys of life.
 
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