[Anonymous Political Junky]

Originally Posted by nmnita

oh, I still get the little guys, I don't care which as long as it is Asparagus, but I just found it interesting.. You are partially right about people buying and trying, but this is the same everywhere. If the stores don't think an item will sell they do not want to carry it. Last summer our local grocery store advertised Hatch chilis;; well I jumped with joy and headed out that day to buy 20 lbs. I guess we were the second customer to buy that many at once. The checker wanted to know what we were going to do with them? When I told her, we would grill them, freeze them and use them all winter she looked at me as if I was nuts. I bet the first customer was from NM as well. When we moved to No Va during the Reagan admistration you couldn't even find canned mexican food in any of the chain grocery stores, let alone tortillas..By the time, we Ca had been there about a year every store carried a good selection, not the best, but certainly some items...One night we went to a local restaurant for snacks only: 3 couples, all from Ca and they had nachos on the menu. Can you imagine our delight? Well, when they came, we were between laughing and crying: the peppers? dill pickles...Again, that was not even a year after we all moved to VA..

Nita

Hey there. Which store were you able to purchase those Hatch Green Chilis anyway? It would make it worth my while to travel to AR to buy a 20-30 lb bunch of them. We are running out of what we have.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Political Junky

Hey there. Which store were you able to purchase those Hatch Green Chilis anyway? It would make it worth my while to travel to AR to buy a 20-30 lb bunch of them. We are running out of what we have.

I will let you know if they have them next year. It was Allens, in Bella Vista. I know what you mean and it was worth the cost. I had looked on line and was appalled at what they wanted. We only have about 3 or 4 more bags in the freezer..20 lbs isn't all that many and the more I think of it, I think I only got 15 lbs. Of course you realize most of the people here have no idea what you and I are talking about...

Nita

[jjsmom]

sorry but having lived in Chicago and them DC and now NW AR. The produce here is the worst. The quality is ridiculous. Most of what we buy goes bad within a day or two. There are countless products we can't find here. If you are someone that cares about what you eat, this is a very difficult place to live.

[Anonymous Political Junky]

Originally Posted by jjsmom

sorry but having lived in Chicago and them DC and now NW AR. The produce here is the worst. The quality is ridiculous. Most of what we buy goes bad within a day or two. There are countless products we can't find here. If you are someone that cares about what you eat, this is a very difficult place to live.

I care very much what I eat, which would be why we have a garden each year and I don't live in AR, but we do live in the Ozarks. I will tell you this though. I have been in Chicago and most of the produce I had bought there tasted like cardboard, so don't even get the big head about where you have lived. In the summer one can't beat the produce that the farmer's markets and from the local growers themselves. This is the end of the winter you know.

[Anonymous Political Junky]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I will let you know if they have them next year. It was Allens, in Bella Vista. I know what you mean and it was worth the cost. I had looked on line and was appalled at what they wanted. We only have about 3 or 4 more bags in the freezer..20 lbs isn't all that many and the more I think of it, I think I only got 15 lbs. Of course you realize most of the people here have no idea what you and I are talking about...

Nita

I have family that lives in southern NM and we used to visit them a few times a year and always bought bags of them and took them home to home in CA. We especially would look forward to August when they would be in all of the stores and one just has to love that smell of them roasting. I do miss that smell.

[jjsmom]

wow, big head? It is the truth. The grocery stores, the restaurants, and sorry to say, the farmer's markets are the worst I have seen. If you think the quality and selection of produce and fresh food is acceptable here, that's on you. The midwest had a fabulous selection of produce, beautiful markets as did the DC area. We all have different standards.and different points of comparsion. I completely agree with the original poster.

[Anonymous Political Junky]

Originally Posted by jjsmom

wow, big head? It is the truth. The grocery stores, the restaurants, and sorry to say, the farmer's markets are the worst I have seen. If you think the quality and selection of produce and fresh food is acceptable here, that's on you. The midwest had a fabulous selection of produce, beautiful markets as did the DC area. We all have different standards.and different points of comparsion. I completely agree with the original poster.

I really think it is strange that you can't find good produce. I think, and this of course, is my own opinion, but I really think that some of you just want something to ***** about. Chicago is a dump and nothing more. It has some of the rudest people and of course, the crime is attrocious. It isn't like that in the Ozarks. Of course, look at where our government is from...Chicago and they are trying to push Chicago politics and dumb laws onto the whole country. Must be something in the water up there. And, don't even get me started on what a dump DC is.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Political Junky

I care very much what I eat, which would be why we have a garden each year and I don't live in AR, but we do live in the Ozarks. I will tell you this though. I have been in Chicago and most of the produce I had bought there tasted like cardboard, so don't even get the big head about where you have lived. In the summer one can't beat the produce that the farmer's markets and from the local growers themselves. This is the end of the winter you know.

I agree, I too am very particular about produce and just haven't seen the difference. We have lived in So Cal, DC, NM, Dallas and now here. (we are in NWA, almost in MO) Yes, this is the end of the season and too soon for the summer produce. The best out there right now is Artichokes, Asparagus, Mangos and a few other things...Some of the best green beans we have ever had we got here last year and how about the blue berries and other berries that are not terrible expensive in June and July? I sometimes think people confuse quality with selection..

I really have a hard time imagining product better in Chicago when not much is home grown in the area..
Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Political Junky

I have family that lives in southern NM and we used to visit them a few times a year and always bought bags of them and took them home to home in CA. We especially would look forward to August when they would be in all of the stores and one just has to love that smell of them roasting. I do miss that smell.

when we moved to NM are smelled them roasting the first time i thought the smell was awful, then I got used to it and miss that smell so much..

Nita

[Timtheman]

The Arkansas "candy tomatoes" are very good. Watermelon too. I'm sure the Farmer's Markets are the way to go in general. I have to agree, though, that the AR WalMarts generally have lousy produce and the lack of competition in remote areas probably has a lot to do with it.