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Where to buy fresh produce?


amccomb

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Does anyone have any good online sources for fresh fruits? I'm always searching for things like sour cherries, figs, meyer lemons, quince, and various berries at the supermarket, but I'm never successful. I do this all throughout the year for each season, and never find what I'm looking for.

Any ideas?

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I'm having the same problem. My husband and I expect to build a new home in about 5 years. So planting a cherry tree at this location will largely benefit only the new owners of the home. And if we plant cherry trees at our new home, by the time they bear fruit I'll be closing in on retirement age. My orthopedist predicts that by then, my knees will be toast. Or metal.

Next spring, I'm planning to place a want ad in the local paper, asking for the opportunity to pick cherries from someone's sour cherry trees, in exchange for doing their picking for them, or even payment. I've never seen sour cherries available in any of the markets here.

I'd love to hear other suggestions, too.

What makes me ill, is that a client of our office just purchased a large tract of land about a 90-minute drive from here, and he promised he'd call me a cherry picking time, and I could drive down all summer and pick whatever I wished, from the many mature fruit trees on the land. I was in hog heaven, salivating, researching recipes, planning, and dreaming. . . until ashen-faced, he came in one morning and showed me the latest pictures of his new homestead --after the fire. A neighbor's carelessness resulted in a fire that units from several communities had to fight, and which came to within just a few inches of his propane tank. The fruit trees were badly singed, and it didn't look as if they'd produce any fruit this year... but maybe later...who knows. I actually went to the ladies' room and cried.

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Where do you live? Just as a general rule for me, I like large ethic grocery stores. I was in LA and stopped in a persian market. They had some great sour charries for $2 bucks per pound.

The local korean and hispanic markets have great fresh stuff and better variety than any of the supermarket chains.

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Where do you live?  Just as a general rule for me, I like large ethic grocery stores.  I was in LA and stopped in a persian market.  They had some great sour charries for $2 bucks per pound. 

The local korean and hispanic markets have great fresh stuff and better variety than any of the supermarket chains.

I live in a small town in Indiana. There are a couple of very small ethnic grocery stores, but none that carry produce.

I've been arriving early at th4e farmer's market all spring and summer, and still nothing out of the ordinary - not even an apricot. Plus it's pricey - $8 for a PINT of blackberries which weren't even that great.

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Are you in Northern Indiana or Southern? You might have to make a pilgrimage to Michigan cherry country. I've found sour cherries at the farmers markets here in Chicago, but the season is already over for this year. We scored 20# of very good cherries, but had to pit them ourselves-- my husband is a pie addict, so he gladly helped. The cherries were very good this year-- the juices seemed concentrated, possibly because of the drought. We've also gotten buckets of frozen, pitted cherries in Door County, but that would be a long trip for you. Good luck and do post if you find an online source.

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We see them at a few of the vendors in our farmer's market, but the season's over here (upstate NY) for this year, as well. I usually start asking in late June, to see who's going to have them.

When I lived in Ohio, one of the markets that carried a lot of local and/or organic produce would take orders. They'd bring in only enough to fill those orders, so if you didn't ask for them, you were out of luck.

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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Cherries are basically over for the year. There are still some giant-sized bings coming from Washington, but that's about it.

Figs had their first quick stretch, but it will be a month or two before they really hit their stride. Meyer lemons are over as well. Berries, melons and stone fruits are in their peak right about now. Dunno about quinces...

Devin

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Cherries are basically over for the year. There are still some giant-sized bings coming from Washington, but that's about it.

Figs had their first quick stretch, but it will be a month or two before they really hit their stride. Meyer lemons are over as well. Berries, melons and stone fruits are in their peak right about now. Dunno about quinces...

Devin

I figured cherries were ending, but I've been looking since spring and have not seen any for sale. I'll keep on the lookout for figs, but I looked all summer and fall last year and never found figs, either.

I was looking for Meyer lemons over the later winter/early spring and found one site that sold them, but didn't have the money at the time, and now I don't remember where they were.

I've also looked for some of the more unsual berries with no luck.

Perhaps there is someplace that sells them frozen?

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Here in Ontario, Canada, we can buy them in 5kg pails for about 15$CDN. THey are already pitted, and are available with and without sugar. Most supermarkets carry them. I bought 2 pails and froze them in 2 - 4 cups portions to use them.

Haven't had a chance to bake anything yet... What should I bake / cook with them first? Do anyone of you have a show-stopper recipe? :biggrin:

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Haven't had a chance to bake anything yet...  What should I bake / cook with them first?  Do anyone of you have a show-stopper recipe?  :biggrin:

To me, sour cherries scream PIE.

I like an all-butter double crust pie. There's a decent crust recipe in the September/October issue of Cook's Illustrated. For the filling, measure out 6 cups of pitted frozen cherries and let them sit to thaw. Once that's happened, add about 3/4 cup of sugar, 3 or 4 Tbsp. of instant tapioca blitzed in a spice grinder, and a few drops of almond extract. Toss together and let sit for 15 minutes before loading everything including all the juices into the crust. After you finish building the pie, brush the crust with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar (I like a coarser sugar, but even regular old sugar works fine). Bake till done; I won't say anything about oven temps here because my oven seems to break all normal rules of kitchen heat transfer.

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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Black Mission and Calimyrna figs from California are hitting the stores here now...

Raspberries have been wonderful. Driscoll brand seems to be the most reliable for berries in your average grocery.

Our local grocery is up to its eyeballs in stone fruits - peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots - you name it.

Quinces don't hit until later in the fall (I made a Thanksgiving pie a couple of years ago with fresh quinces and watched obsessively that fall as I wanted to practice with them before T-Day hit).

...wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile. --Alexander Pope

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