I like fruit.

Supermarkets are great - they are often one stop shops for considerable variety. Different types of fruits from different regions all in one place.

What I'm increasingly disliking is the wide variation in taste and sweetness.

Recently, I bought two packages of blueberries, one from CA, the other from OR. Visually, they look almost identical. But the berries from OR had a stronger blueberry flavor and significantly sweeter.

Similar experience with white nectarines. Both from CA but one brand was noticeably sweeter and better tasting; the other was actually sour.

Again, with pineapples. HI generally good but Costa Rica far and away better.

Is there a way to ask supermarkets to better differentiate two of the same items on the shelf? Do your markets do anything? I get that they want to sell whatever they have but I find it lacking that they have <blueberries> on the shelf like this when the products are vastly different.

I notice the same things. At the height of strawberry season here we are getting product from CA. You have to look closely. It is all about keeping costs low. Higher end supermarkets are somewhat better in that regard. Sams upgraded their fresh produce department recently, but the product comes from whatever supplier gives them the best deal.

I love strawberries.

Strawberries in Japan are phenomenal. Juicy like a ripe peach and the juices run down your chin. And so flavorful and sweet.

The ones in CA are increasingly disappointing, especially since they look so large and delicious. But they are on the drier side, hollow inside and not very tasty nor sweet.

We have some local farms where we can buy them in stands out front (not in markets). They tend to be better but still somewhat lacking in comparison.

The only fruits decent (grown here) in my mind are fuji apples and seeded watermelons. And I guess pomegranates but I try to avoid since they seem to be associated w/ depleting the aquifer.

Plums have been ruined for me, thanks to produce inconsistency. Last year, on a whim, I bought some plums. Hadn't had them in years. And when I tried them, they were the best damn plums I've ever tasted. Some of the best fruit overall that I've ever had.

But lightning only struck once. Every time I've bought plums from the same store since then, they've sucked.

So now I'm like a heroin addict, always chasing that first plum high but never quite getting there.

Those Japanese berries could be from the US. They are known for buying up the top end of the supply - they will pay, several times what they could be sold for in the US.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Those Japanese berries could be from the US. They are known for buying up the top end of the supply - they will pay, several times what they could be sold for in the US.

Some, certainly true.

But the ones I'm talking about were locally sourced; I checked. Nagano region I think (but not sure - can't remember).

I like the big naval oranges with the thick skin that's easy to peel.

Lately there have just been bags of small ones with skin that is impossible to peal without a ton of white rind sticking to the inner skin.

Regions do make a difference but it's really all about the sugar content when picked. Fine edged sword. You get best flavor but you don't have shelf life if you harvest when ripe and mature. I spent 24 years as a produce buyer and the most important tool I had was my knife. Sample the product. Even when peaches or nectarines were hard if the sugar was there you could taste it.

Nothing beats buying local and harvest at peak ripeness. Very hard to find that at a supermarket.

Oranges now have either been in cold controlled atmosphere storage for several months or else they are from s of the equator. Most of what I see are storage from California and the season is dwindling. I like med lg size navels 80 or 88 count. Large 56 size do have thick peels from Cal. Peak season is Jan/Feb. Now a Fl navel has a thin skin and is delicious but seldom seen outside the state.

I wish there was a non-intrusive brix meter we could use at the market....

If you can try to buy local. Our family went to a blueberry farm this past weekend and I couldn’t believe how tasty those blueberries were compared to the stuff at the supermarket.

Satsumas are grown locally and the price is right when you go to local growers. Unlike oranges they peel easily.

I think your best best would be to find a local farmers market to you, or a small operation with their own fruit stand location.

The one thing to be wary of at farmers markets or small stands, street corners, etc is to make sure that the offerings are indeed grown locally by the sellers. Too often there are street corner people or fruit stand sellers who just drive over to the wholesalers and buy cases of whatever, you don't know where it came from, and they don't care, they're only trying to make a buck.

They should offer you to taste a piece of the fruit before money changes hands.

Like r0gue, plums have become routinely crappy as delivered here. That and I haven't seen my favorite golden yellow ones in eons.

Last hiccup was with red seedless grapes. Had a sweet tender skinned bag full a few weeks back but what was picked up last week had skins like thick rubber in comparison. Was tempted to just squeeze them for their juice rather than try to eat them. Grrrrr......

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Like r0gue, plums have become routinely crappy as delivered here.

Rong wrogue.

Er, I mean, wrong Rogue.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Like r0gue, plums have become routinely crappy as delivered here.

Rong wrogue.

Er, I mean, wrong Rogue.

Sorry.... yet another senior moment.

How is it that our Sam's club can get watermelons from TX,Fla and Georgia
And they are good to excellent.
Then
you try seedless
Watermelon from
Costco

From the same states, they suck ?

Sup wit dat ?

I ate eight melons from Sam's
Last summer
And returned three to Costco

Do not know for sure. Sams and Costco are always looking for the LOW COST supplier. I do not know if they have a produce manager like the smaller stores. Would like to know myself.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
How is it that our Sam's club can get watermelons from TX,Fla and Georgia
And they are good to excellent.
Then
you try seedless
Watermelon from
Costco

From the same states, they suck ?

Sup wit dat ?

I ate eight melons from Sam's
Last summer
And returned three to Costco

Yeah, sup wit dat?

I think it is probably 'cause they're seedless. I've never had a seedless watermelon that tastes as good as the real thing.

Dunno', you mess with nature, you get problems. just sayin' yo'.

H&K-Guy

here, costco fruit is generally not bad, especially given the price. the problem is that a lot of the fruit has gone bad. for example, i’ve yet to find blueberries that don’t have mold.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
If you can try to buy local. Our family went to a blueberry farm this past weekend and I couldn’t believe how tasty those blueberries were compared to the stuff at the supermarket.

I've read that fruit gains 50% of it's vitamins and minerals in the last 2 weeks on the vine. I'm guessing also the flavor.

Unfortunately, most all of the supermarket stuff is usually picked green and then gassed to look ripe.

GUYS- it's fruit. Fruit tastes different from plant to plant and year to year even from the same grower, growing in the same dirt.....some crops are remarkably better due to regional weather/rain etc this year instead of last year.......some have better soil, better irrigation, better fertilization. Maybe the grower picked them at a better time than this year......a lot of variance in the quality (taste) of fruit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jimmy123x,