Fruit and Veggies in Portland (co-op, home, buying)

[WriterDave]

Hey all,

Just got into Portland and tried shopping at New Seasons. Hoo ha! Those were some hard prices to pay for fruits and veggies. Anybody have a better option for day-to-day shopping? I'm living in the Alberta area. Sure there's the Saturday market, but otherwise?

Thanks!
WD

[Wicked Felina]

New Seasons is very expensive. A lot of their items are marked to the point of price gouging, IMO. In fact, I found Tetra-packed almond milk there that was $2.50 more than elsewhere.

I don't know much about Alberta. But there's a food co-op on SE 23rd that's not too terribly far away. Every Wednesday they host an outdoor farmer's-type market. Local, organic foods.

People's Food Co-op - People's Farmer's Market (http://www.peoples.coop/community/farmersmarket/index_html - broken link)

Have you tried Trader Joe's? There is a vegetable/herb store next door to the store on SE 39th. Price's aren't too bad.

Still much better than Safeway or New Seasons.

[sundaysmile]

Limbo's Produce has very inexpensive fruits and veggies, with a lot of organic stuff. I believe it's the one SeeBee mentioned, next to Trader Joe's on 39th. The address is 4707 SE 39th Ave -- half a block south of Holgate, I think.

Asian markets tend to have great deals on produce, especially if you want something tropical or exotic (papaya, mangos, sapotes, etc.). I always found Fubonn on 82nd (Fubonn Shopping Center -- The Largest Asian Shopping Center in Oregon) to have great prices... though I wouldn't buy leafy greens from there; those never looked too fresh. Fruit and most vegetables were always good, though.

And I'm not usually a fan of big chains, but Fred Myers is actually very inexpensive, fresh, and has a good selection of organics. It's definitely the cheapest of the supermarkets -- much better than Safeway or Albertsons.

If you're ever completely broke, go to Grocery Outlet (there's one in the Hollywood district). Dirt cheap. If you don't mind if your fruit has some bruises or blemishes, you can get stuff like melons for $1 each or a pint of strawberries for $1.50. The produce is usually mixed in with stuff you don't want to buy because it's molding or past its prime, but if you know how to pick good fruits and veggies, you can get food that's perfectly fine for looooow prices.

I can't even look at New Seasons or Whole Foods without slipping into debt. Those places are dangerous. I used to leave my wallet at home and go to Whole Foods to eat all their free samples.

[Wicked Felina]

Good suggestions. I completely forgot about Fred Meyers!

[TechmanOR]

Winco
Safeway (be sure to get the membership card. They're a rip off without one)
Fred Meyer (kinda high on price range)
Costco

New Seasons has a strong philosophical root on sustainability, livable wages, etc and they target the niche market, so the prices are high.

Portland is liberal and has a strong market for "organic". I don't believe in health benefits of eating organic, however many do and there is a strong market for it and it's a strong marketing slogan, so you'll pay a premium price for them.

New Seasons, Whole Foods, etc are, in my opinion, niche market store targeting those willing to open up their wallet and pay premium prices for commodity food.

Fred Meyer.. I've had my share of expired packaged veggies and dairy from them. Cherry picking is important when you shop there.

[malone7384]

I second the Winco suggestion! I was very surprised the first time that I went there. Good selection and decent prices too!

[Minervah]

I tend to stay away from places like New Seasons. They are way too expensive. It's too bad because they do have good, healthy food.

I suggest Uncle Paul's on Hawthorne. It's on about 25th and Hawthorne. It's a permanent produce market open all year round and get it's goods from local farmers. Some things can be spendy but produce in season usually isn't.

[Wicked Felina]

Originally Posted by TechmanOR

...so you'll pay a premium price for them [organic].

[Fred Meyer]...Cherry picking is important when you shop there.

Personally, I'd rather pay a little more for foods from our local farms, almost all of which are organic, than the cheap produce imported from China that you find at Safeway, Wal-mart, etc. Never buy "organic" foods from those companies. They charge ridiculously exhorbitant prices and they do not support local farmers.

Buy produce that's in season and you'll see a dramatic lessening of sticker shock. If you want the convenience of having spring produce in the dead of winter, you're certainly going to pay for it.

Farmer's markets are not necessarily getting premium prices, imo. Like anything you have to shop around to get the best deals.

LOL on the cherry picking. I do that everywhere! Expiration on produce is no big deal; it's easy to steam & freeze.

Limbo's has very cheap produce that is either bruised or must be used relatively quickly. One pound of peppers is pretty danged cheap in my book. They have deals all the time.

Glad you posted about Uncle Paul's. I to drive up 39th several times a month so I'll definitely check that out. You learn something new every day!

[TechmanOR]

Originally Posted by SeeBee

Personally, I'd rather pay a little more for foods from our local farms, almost all of which are organic, than the cheap produce imported from China that you find at Safeway, Wal-mart, etc. Never buy "organic" foods from those companies. They charge ridiculously exhorbitant prices and they do not support local farmers.

Are you sure produce at big stores are foreign made? As I said, "organic" is big marketing buzz as well as being the new hip for hippies, so the markup is substantial. In addition to that, the overhead is significant because New Seasons pay more than minimum wage for manual laborish work.

Places like New Seasons sell on perception of having healthier food. It is not conclusive that buying premium priced food has documentable health benefits. Companies like Walmart, Kroger, Safeway and Winco can get better pricing since they can take advantage of economy of scale.

Even though the food maybe produced many states away, they're shipped in full truck loads from farms to distribution center, so it isn't necessarily environmentally unfriendly. The produce might come from a farm closer to the store, but they might be making a bunch of small trips.

It's like car-pooling.

[Minervah]

I buy Willamette Valley quart bags of frozen fruit. They have single fruit and combinations of all types. Although they are not exactly cheap, the quality is good and can be used any time of the year. Freezing fruit does not alter the health benefits. If you can find a good deal on them fresh, consider buying some for freezing. You can have blueberries in the dead of winter without paying the high shipping prices of greenhouse grown.

I for one, am a bit suspicious of the label "organic." It has become one of the buzz-words of the 21st Century and I don't know that all organic food is better than non-organic.