Is anyone else noticing lower food prices at the grocery store?

[caseydog]

I've tried the Kroger brand chips and, you're right, they're pretty good. But they don't make a "lightly salted" version (at least not that I have seen) and the regular chips are way too salty for me, now that I'm used to eating the lower-sodium version.

Well, I just checked the Kroger website, and they do still have a lightly salted chip, but only the Wavy version (which I actually prefer because I like to dip my chips). The regular version, which was just like the Lay's original chips, seems to be gone, now. I don't know why.

CD

 

[medtran49]

I noticed this week peaches are 89cents/lb, and they are pretty good.

It's peach season so they are going to be cheaper.

I'm just going to write this, don't mean anything against anybody. Unless an egg substitute is really good and the difference in taste and texture is practically nonexistent, I'm probably not going to like a cookie that is a favorite if it isn't made with the ingredients per the recipe.

 

[caseydog]

I noticed this week peaches are 89cents/lb, and they are pretty good.

I had a peach tree at my last house, and the first two weeks of June were harvest time. I'd have 300 or more peaches ripe and ready during that two weeks. I had to give most of them away to friends and customers.

Grocery store peaches are only good for a short period of time, too. Usually they are hard as apples. I need to check to see if they are good right now. I don't care about the price, as long as they are tender, juicy and sweet.

CD

 

[Andy M.]

I try store brand products where appropriate and find some good and some not acceptable.

My idea of a great peach is soft (not mushy) and juicy. Supermarket peaches around here are hard and crunch like an apple when bitten. I gave up on them.

 

[caseydog]

My idea of a great peach is soft (not mushy) and juicy. Supermarket peaches around here are hard and crunch like an apple when bitten. I gave up on them.

Yup, same here. Pears are usually the same, too crunchy and dry.

I've been smelling the strawberries lately. We are just getting into the best time for strawberries (from California). When they are right, I can smell the sweetness, so I know they are fully ripe, and red all the way through.

CD

 

[pepperhead212]

Most fruits are always in the "Dirty Dozen" list of fruits and vegetables, for the insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides found on them. Strawberries are almost always number one, and peaches and pears almost always in the top 6. In case anyone "worries" about this in their food:

Dirty Dozen™ Fruits and Vegetables with the Most Pesticides

Check out EWG's Dirty Dozen list to help decide when you should splurge for organic produce – part of our annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

www.ewg.org

 

[Linda0818]

Well, I just checked the Kroger website, and they do still have a lightly salted chip, but only the Wavy version (which I actually prefer because I like to dip my chips). The regular version, which was just like the Lay's original chips, seems to be gone, now. I don't know why.

CD

Yes, I occasionally see the wavy ones, but I prefer the classic style, which is why I still spend the extra money for Lay's. Luckily I don't eat them often (Sunday while watching movies) so one bag will last me about a month.

 

[GotGarlic]

Most fruits are always in the "Dirty Dozen" list of fruits and vegetables, for the insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides found on them. Strawberries are almost always number one, and peaches and pears almost always in the top 6. In case anyone "worries" about this in their food:

Dirty Dozen™ Fruits and Vegetables with the Most Pesticides

Check out EWG's Dirty Dozen list to help decide when you should splurge for organic produce – part of our annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

www.ewg.org

The EWG is a dishonest advocacy group that promotes organic food. They don't do research and they misrepresent the extremely low risk of pesticide residue on conventionally grown food.

From the Journal of Toxicology:

It is concluded that (1) exposures to the most commonly detected pesticides on the twelve commodities pose negligible risks to consumers, (2) substitution of organic forms of the twelve commodities for conventional forms does not result in any appreciable reduction of consumer risks, and (3) the methodology used by the environmental advocacy group to rank commodities with respect to pesticide risks lacks scientific credibility.

 

[blissful]

It's peach season so they are going to be cheaper.

I'm just going to write this, don't mean anything against anybody. Unless an egg substitute is really good and the difference in taste and texture is practically nonexistent, I'm probably not going to like a cookie that is a favorite if it isn't made with the ingredients per the recipe.

We do tend to eat what is in season and what is on sale.

Until you've tried egg substitutes you won't really know if they make a difference in taste or texture of a recipe. Recipes can be good or lousy, no measure of whether a cookie turns out the way you want them. Some people prefer crispy, some chewy, some like the combination of both.

In the recipe I'm substituting for eggs, 3 eggs, there are 11 cups of other ingredients and the substitute is used to 'glue them together', not taste. I don't believe you or I would be able to tell the difference.

 

[taxlady]

The EWG is a dishonest advocacy group that promotes organic food. They don't do research and they misrepresent the extremely low risk of pesticide residue on conventionally grown food.

From the Journal of Toxicology:

While they don't do their own research, they use research from the USDA.

How they present that research is where I have issues. They rank food by the number of pesticides found, not by how much pesticide or how possibly harmful to humans that/those pesticides are.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Until you've tried egg substitutes you won't really know if they make a difference in taste or texture of a recipe. Recipes can be good or lousy, no measure of whether a cookie turns out the way you want them. Some people prefer crispy, some chewy, some like the combination of both.

I agree, I have had mixed results but everything was edible without apology or explanation.


I’ve had good results with flax meal and water as a substitute for eggs in muffins and quick breads.

Here is one example.

2023 Edition - What are you baking?

Why don't you try it and let us know taxy. Curious minds would love to hear! But my first thought is, if it is a pocket pita, won't it balloon?

www.discusscooking.com

 

[GotGarlic]

While they don't do their own research, they use research from the USDA.

How they present that research is where I have issues. They rank food by the number of pesticides found, not by how much pesticide or how possibly harmful to humans that/those pesticides are.

Right, but they present themselves as a research organization. I want to make sure it's clear that they're not, as well as make sure people understand that the way they present data from the USDA is deliberately misleading.

 

[jennyema]

I have tried a lot of store brands. Hardly any of them were good, IMO.
Except Wegmans

So I usually pay the extra for brands I know are quality.

Regarding peaches, although there are peach trees in MA and you can buy them in the supermarket, they are usually gross and mealy. Nectarines can be good btw.

A few years ago the garden store a few blocks from my house hosted The Peach Truck from down south. You had to buy, like 50 near-ripe peaches. A bushel?

Since peaches are a close second to Tater Tots as my favorite food, I gladly did so. I gave a dozen to my SIL and either ate the rest (most) out of hand or baked something simple with them.

I'll probably do this again in a few weeks.

 

[medtran49]

A few years ago the garden store a few blocks from my house hosted The Peach Truck from down south. You had to buy, like 50 near-ripe peaches. A bushel?

Since peaches are a close second to Tater Tots as my favorite food, I gladly did so. I gave a dozen to my SIL and either ate the rest (most) out of hand or baked something simple with them.

I'll probably do this again in a few weeks.

I've heard of them or a similar service. I couldn't even get Craig to agree to Georgia peaches at the farmer's market today. Don't know why, he didn't know himself. He used to love peaches before his medical issues in 2020.

 

[blissful]

I'm going to suggest that with the higher prices on fruits and vegetables, a garden and fruit trees/bushes/vines are a better investment in time and energy than 4 years ago.

 

[BAPyessir6]

I have tried a lot of store brands. Hardly any of them were good, IMO.
Except Wegmans

So I usually pay the extra for brands I know are quality.

Regarding peaches, although there are peach trees in MA and you can buy them in the supermarket, they are usually gross and mealy. Nectarines can be good btw.

A few years ago the garden store a few blocks from my house hosted The Peach Truck from down south. You had to buy, like 50 near-ripe peaches. A bushel?

Since peaches are a close second to Tater Tots as my favorite food, I gladly did so. I gave a dozen to my SIL and either ate the rest (most) out of hand or baked something simple with them.

I'll probably do this again in a few weeks.

Aw man as a Minnesotian who adores peaches, I can't tell you how hard it is to find good peaches come late August, early September. Some years they're really good, and some years I gotta turn them into peach jam. I love peach cobbler and after a bunch of trial and error, can make a cobbler that my dad says is as good as his grandma's and takes him back. Unfortunately I couldn't make it last year for him as a birthday present (his birthday is in September) so I just gave him some peach jam and some cherry jam I canned instead as EVERY SINGLE PEACH I found that year was mealy and gross. It was sad. On a better note, he loved the jam for breakfast.

 

[taxlady]

Aw man as a Minnesotian who adores peaches, I can't tell you how hard it is to find good peaches come late August, early September. Some years they're really good, and some years I gotta turn them into peach jam. I love peach cobbler and after a bunch of trial and error, can make a cobbler that my dad says is as good as his grandma's and takes him back. Unfortunately I couldn't make it last year for him as a birthday present (his birthday is in September) so I just gave him some peach jam and some cherry jam I canned instead as EVERY SINGLE PEACH I found that year was mealy and gross. It was sad. On a better note, he loved the jam for breakfast.

Are the mealy and gross peaches still tasty? I ask, because it seems that you are using them for jam.

 

[caseydog]

Are the mealy and gross peaches still tasty? I ask, because it seems that you are using them for jam.

From my experience, the bad peaches at grocery stores have very little flavor at all. They are like most of the fresh tomatoes I can buy in stores near me... they don't taste like much of anything.

Right now and for the next month or two in North Texas is the best time to buy a lot of fruits. Peaches and strawberries are usually good about now. Cantaloupe will start getting good in the next few weeks.

People from other parts of the country, and other countries often wonder why I cook with canned tomatoes and frozen fruits. It is because they usually taste better than what I can get fresh.

CD

 

[BAPyessir6]

Are the mealy and gross peaches still tasty? I ask, because it seems that you are using them for jam.

They're pretty good to very very good, though last year they were bad and all mealy. Still juicy though, but the texture was disgusting. Definitely shipping temperature issues. Though I've never been to Georgia to try one off the tree. I also hate wasting food, and the peach jam is still anywhere from as good as or better (I figure) than any peach jam I've eaten (from the store) when down in Alabama/Texas to visit extended family.

 

[BAPyessir6]

From my experience, the bad peaches at grocery stores have very little flavor at all. They are like most of the fresh tomatoes I can buy in stores near me... they don't taste like much of anything.

Right now and for the next month or two in North Texas is the best time to buy a lot of fruits. Peaches and strawberries are usually good about now. Cantaloupe will start getting good in the next few weeks.

People from other parts of the country, and other countries often wonder why I cook with canned tomatoes and frozen fruits. It is because they usually taste better than what I can get fresh.

CD

I've found that the more expensive, still on the vine tomatoes taste pretty good. I grew up with gardens full of tomatoes, and I love that pure tomato taste. And those 3 buck a pound tomatos on the vine hit the spot when I need a tomato fix and can't get any from my mom who's a gardening queen.