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sheclimbs

Liz, you can usually pick them up at the local farmer's markets for a little less than you pay in places like Whole Paycheck. There's a store down in Torrance called Sprouts that I hear is excellent, wish they had one up this way.http://www.latimes.com/features/food...5921.htmlstory
www.sprouts.com

allison

Blueberries I think are going out of season? I dunno, like a month ago it was $5.99 for the huge clamshell at Costco, now it's like $8.99 for a half clamshell.

Strawberries seem to be getting a bit cheaper. Raspberries/blackberries (my faves) haven't been cheap or on sale all year that I know of.

However, cherry season will quickly be upon us and I cannot WAIT!!

dirtmistress

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrecker

mmmm, marie callendars is organic? Don't really care, I'm going on that premise and buying a bunch of pies anyway--don't you go shattering my delusions!

! The berry pie is delicious! That's all that matters!! It's a Lolo berry? Lala berry?
i just call them black berries!

bvader

I am sure everyone said this already
1) Farmers Market, UCI Irvine in particular.
2) Grow your own, especially strawberries. We basically use them for as ground cover, require little or no maintenance, and get a bowl-full of juicy smiles almost every night

BTW: careful with planting Raspberries they are aggressive...really have you every seen an aggressive raspberry?

dirtmistress

Quote:

Originally Posted by allison

Blueberries I think are going out of season? I dunno, like a month ago it was $5.99 for the huge clamshell at Costco, now it's like $8.99 for a half clamshell.

Strawberries seem to be getting a bit cheaper. Raspberries/blackberries (my faves) haven't been cheap or on sale all year that I know of.

However, cherry season will quickly be upon us and I cannot WAIT!!

"There are two main varieties of blueberries: the high bush kind, which can grow up to fifteen feet high; and the low bush kind, which can grow up to one foot. They are in season from May to October.

Blueberries have many nutritional benefits. They are excellent for night vision, bladder infections, cataracts, glaucoma, constipation, cleansing the liver and adult-onset diabetes.

When selecting blueberries, choose ones that are round, firm and the same size. They should have a blue-black color with a slight haze on them. Any berries that are shrivelled or moldy should be discarded immediately. Do not wash until ready to use. Store blueberries in a single layer in a moisture proof container for five days.

Note: When baking with blueberries, use vinegar or lemon juice (or another acidic environment like yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream). If you don't, your blueberries will turn purple."
Gee, you scared me Allison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheclimbs

Liz, you can usually pick them up at the local farmer's markets for a little less than you pay in places like Whole Paycheck. There's a store down in Torrance called Sprouts that I hear is excellent, wish they had one up this way.http://www.latimes.com/features/food...5921.htmlstory
www.sprouts.com

Excellent list!! Thanks so much! I'll go to the Venice one tomorrow!!

Pickettt

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtmistress

Can someone please tell me why organic always has to be so ridiculously expensive??
Aren't lady bugs cheaper than pesticides and the scary guys in white spraying everything?
It's almost berry season and I love berrys.
Fresh blueberries,raspberries and blackberries are my favorites.
I swing into "Whole Foods" which I rarely do because they are sick expensive and a 4.4 oz. (the tiny plastic containers)((shouldn't they be in recycled cardboard containers anyway??)) are $8.99 for one. One itsy bitsy blueberry container..organic,is $8.99! I could have put the amount of berries in there into my mouth all at once with no problem!
As you guys say...WTF???
"Conventionally grown" was $4.99.
Maybe it's on the early side of berry season but come on!! I had some kick ass berries from the Santa Monica Co-op the other day, organic, and they were delicious and reasonable..well, sort of.
Should I just go to farmers markets and stock up?
I had berries from the regular supermarket the other day and tossed them. They were from Chile and so bland.
I wish I lived in a place where I could pick them as I rode.

Do you want the real answer? Or are you just venting?

92se-r

Organic shit takes like ass. GIve me my pesticides and genetic engineering anyday. I like my shit seedless and sweet. None of this dry fruit with rotten maggots inside so they can call it organic.

You guys do know that seedless is not natural right?

dirtmistress

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickettt

Do you want the real answer? Or are you just venting?

I'm venting and looking for answers. I got some good answers from people, what's yours?

Impy

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtmistress

I wish I lived in a place where I could pick them as I rode.

Ah, memories of northern calif - when I lived in martinez there was a road with a zillion blackberry plants - when the berries came everyone would be out there picking berries. I'd ride by there on my way to/from briones, yum yum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by allison

However, cherry season will quickly be upon us and I cannot WAIT!!

Oh yeaaaaaaaaaa!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92se-r

Organic shit takes like ass. GIve me my pesticides and genetic engineering anyday. I like my shit seedless and sweet. None of this dry fruit with rotten maggots inside so they can call it organic.

My friend, you have not had the right "organic" fruit if you can say this. Nothing I can get at a supermarket, not even organic whole foods, can even compare to getting a basket of fresh berries picked the same day at a roadside stand. No way. So sweet and so tender they just about melt in your mouth and wouldn't last a day without preservative.

randall

conventional berries are sketchy, stick to the farmers markets for decent, and clean, produce. the college of the canyons in Valencia has a good farmers market on sundays if anyone else lives up here/ is interested.

strawberries in particular are esp. scary. farmers fumigate the fields with methyl bromide (a neurotoxin) before they plant. no thank you.

Pickettt

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtmistress

I'm venting and looking for answers. I got some good answers from people, what's yours?

I was a produce buyer for Albertson's for 10 years, and here it is: Perishable items are of limited profit. Often times, our stores carried organic produce just to appease customers, not because it made money. Organic produce is as perishable as it gets. Most of it goes into the trash before customers can buy it, so the price is hiked to cover that loss. Sorry, that's the bottom line.

92se-r

I've picked my own apples before and they were organic. They sucked ass. I'll take my waxed apples anyday.

How do you know that those fresh berries at the roadside stand aren't the same berries they sell to grocery stores?

dirtmistress

I grew up in NorCal. Forestville was where my Grandparents lived so we spent lots of time there.
My mom would send us down the road to pick blackberries and Gravenstein apples and then make fresh pies! It was sooooo good!
I didn't think it was very labor intensive!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickettt

I was a produce buyer for Albertson's for 10 years, and here it is: Perishable items are of limited profit. Often times, our stores carried organic produce just to appease customers, not because it made money. Organic produce is as perishable as it gets. Most of it goes into the trash before customers can buy it, so the price is hiked to cover that loss. Sorry, that's the bottom line.

They do mold fast!! that's for sure!

RustyIron

Ahdunno about the organic thing, but Costco usually has the best blueberries around, and a much better price than anyplace else. Tomorrow I MUST find some ripe, sweet raspberries. If anyone has some tips in the North OC vicinity, I could use some tips.

92se-r

I grew up in Sacramento. I totally miss the fresh fruit there. The fruit down in San Diego is ASS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtmistress

I grew up in NorCal. Forestville was where my Grandparents lived so we spent lots of time there.
My mom would send us down the road to pick blackberries and Gravenstein apples and then make fresh pies! It was sooooo good!
I didn't think it was very labor intensive!

They do mold fast!! that's for sure!

Costco has the BEST fruit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyIron

Ahdunno about the organic thing, but Costco usually has the best blueberries around, and a much better price than anyplace else. Tomorrow I MUST find some ripe, sweet raspberries. If anyone has some tips in the North OC vicinity, I could use some tips.

dudevf1

Not an expert on this but it would seem that yields would be much higher using normal methods and pesticides, which should mean significantly lower cost. Pesticides are apparently effective.

Schecky

I get berries from the farmer's market and the frozen ones from TJs too.
Try to buy organic whenever possible, and grow a fair amount of veggies/fruits at home. No pesticides or fertilizers here. Organic makes for happier/healthier plants and can keep most of the bugs away. I'd rather have a chewed fruit or two than a bunch of extra chemicals.
Both of my parents died from colon cancer. We kids looked back for a common cause. They didn't really have similar health habits except for being foodies - lot's of grilled foods and really nice produce were staples in our house. Organic matters to me.

As far as non-waxed apples - Go see 'Ha' at the farmer's market. Non-waxed fujis are sooooo good! (but wait until fall when they are in season)

allison

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyIron

Ahdunno about the organic thing, but Costco usually has the best blueberries around, and a much better price than anyplace else. Tomorrow I MUST find some ripe, sweet raspberries. If anyone has some tips in the North OC vicinity, I could use some tips.

I think we'll be hitting up Costco tonight. Hopefully they are less than $9/clamshell. I love me some blueberries in my cereal in the am's

SheDevil

Couple things... try to find some smaller farmers markets. There's one by me that runs all year and the guys own and farm their own goods. The prices from these markets are 1/8 of the grocery store and you're supporting LOCAL FARMING yeay! Don't forget to get some flowers while you're there too...

Story to share...I grew up in Oregon and Montana so this stuff was in my backyard. Blackberry bushes are actually a weed up there!!

My Grandmother use to farm every berry you can think of...and when I'd go stay with her in the summer it was my job to pick it all. The cherry tree really pissed me off the most...it was time consuming, and I was always on the verge of falling out of it, so one summer I decided to EAT 50% of what I picked. I thought I'd "show her".

Note to self:

The first response of the human digestive system will be high speed ejection. The SECOND response will be refusal of release for the next 5-6 days until your grandmother forces you to take something nasty for it, that of course repeats the first reaction.


sheclimbs Bandito	Liz, you can usually pick them up at the local farmer's markets for a little less than you pay in places like Whole Paycheck. There's a store down in Torrance called Sprouts that I hear is excellent, wish they had one up this way.http://www.latimes.com/features/food...5921.htmlstory www.sprouts.com __________________ Mountain biking is a life altering experience STJunkie Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life. John Muir


allison Trail Paparazzi	Blueberries I think are going out of season? I dunno, like a month ago it was $5.99 for the huge clamshell at Costco, now it's like $8.99 for a half clamshell. Strawberries seem to be getting a bit cheaper. Raspberries/blackberries (my faves) haven't been cheap or on sale all year that I know of. However, cherry season will quickly be upon us and I cannot WAIT!! __________________ My Blog The Path Crank Brothers


bvader Senior Member	I am sure everyone said this already 1) Farmers Market, UCI Irvine in particular. 2) Grow your own, especially strawberries. We basically use them for as ground cover, require little or no maintenance, and get a bowl-full of juicy smiles almost every night BTW: careful with planting Raspberries they are aggressive...really have you every seen an aggressive raspberry?


92se-r STR Veteran	Organic shit takes like ass. GIve me my pesticides and genetic engineering anyday. I like my shit seedless and sweet. None of this dry fruit with rotten maggots inside so they can call it organic. You guys do know that seedless is not natural right? __________________


randall Junior Member	conventional berries are sketchy, stick to the farmers markets for decent, and clean, produce. the college of the canyons in Valencia has a good farmers market on sundays if anyone else lives up here/ is interested. strawberries in particular are esp. scary. farmers fumigate the fields with methyl bromide (a neurotoxin) before they plant. no thank you.


RustyIron .	Ahdunno about the organic thing, but Costco usually has the best blueberries around, and a much better price than anyplace else. Tomorrow I MUST find some ripe, sweet raspberries. If anyone has some tips in the North OC vicinity, I could use some tips.


dudevf1 dudevf1	Not an expert on this but it would seem that yields would be much higher using normal methods and pesticides, which should mean significantly lower cost. Pesticides are apparently effective.


Schecky SoCalMTBubbs	I get berries from the farmer's market and the frozen ones from TJs too. Try to buy organic whenever possible, and grow a fair amount of veggies/fruits at home. No pesticides or fertilizers here. Organic makes for happier/healthier plants and can keep most of the bugs away. I'd rather have a chewed fruit or two than a bunch of extra chemicals. Both of my parents died from colon cancer. We kids looked back for a common cause. They didn't really have similar health habits except for being foodies - lot's of grilled foods and really nice produce were staples in our house. Organic matters to me. As far as non-waxed apples - Go see 'Ha' at the farmer's market. Non-waxed fujis are sooooo good! (but wait until fall when they are in season) __________________ tkblazer: it was Steven Jackson that led me to STR... http://www.ventanausa.com/


SheDevil ...or so I've been told.	Couple things... try to find some smaller farmers markets. There's one by me that runs all year and the guys own and farm their own goods. The prices from these markets are 1/8 of the grocery store and you're supporting LOCAL FARMING yeay! Don't forget to get some flowers while you're there too... Story to share...I grew up in Oregon and Montana so this stuff was in my backyard. Blackberry bushes are actually a weed up there!! My Grandmother use to farm every berry you can think of...and when I'd go stay with her in the summer it was my job to pick it all. The cherry tree really pissed me off the most...it was time consuming, and I was always on the verge of falling out of it, so one summer I decided to EAT 50% of what I picked. I thought I'd "show her". Note to self: The first response of the human digestive system will be high speed ejection. The SECOND response will be refusal of release for the next 5-6 days until your grandmother forces you to take something nasty for it, that of course repeats the first reaction. __________________ dirtmistress: "I rode with a squirrel between my boobs for 40 miles" dusty: "All that said, thankful for every sunrise that greets me each day cuz if I miss one, I can try again tomorrow.... Live Love Laugh"

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