Looking for fresh produce & lower beef prices (Des Moines, Urbandale: homes, buying)

[A.Typical.Girl]

I recently moved to Waukee & am having trouble finding decent quality veggies & fruits. My main issue is the quality is usually so poor (there's so much rotted fruit & vegs, I'm stunned)... not much selection either... that I almost always leave with little to nothing.

Meat prices are also fairly high, but maybe that's normal everywhere now.

I've gone to:

Hy-Vee on Hickman & NE Alice Rd
Fareway on Hickman Rd & Laurel
Walmart on Stagecoach Dr
Target in Urbandale & also Mills Ck Pkwy in WDM.

The best quality by far are WMart & Target, but beef cuts aren't always optimal. I normally search for ribeye. What I normally find is too thin & too fatty. The cowboy cuts at Fareway that can be cut in half are way too pricey... I paid $55 for 2 & don't want the bone.

Are there other stores, butchers, farmer's markets I can visit nearby? I'm willing to drive 20-mi to find something. I'll drive further if there's something I shouldn't pass up.


Also, few seem to wear masks here anymore, so are venues opening up, like ballet, symphony, theatre?

Thank you.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl

I recently moved to Waukee & am having trouble finding decent quality veggies & fruits. My main issue is the quality is usually so poor (there's so much rotted fruit & vegs, I'm stunned)... not much selection either... that I almost always leave with little to nothing.

Meat prices are also fairly high, but maybe that's normal everywhere now.

I've gone to:

Hy-Vee on Hickman & NE Alice Rd
Fareway on Hickman Rd & Laurel
Walmart on Stagecoach Dr
Target in Urbandale & also Mills Ck Pkwy in WDM.

The best quality by far are WMart & Target, but beef cuts aren't always optimal. I normally search for ribeye. What I normally find is too thin & too fatty. The cowboy cuts at Fareway that can be cut in half are way too pricey... I paid $55 for 2 & don't want the bone.

Are there other stores, butchers, farmer's markets I can visit nearby? I'm willing to drive 20-mi to find something. I'll drive further if there's something I shouldn't pass up.


Also, few seem to wear masks here anymore, so are venues opening up, like ballet, symphony, theatre?

Thank you.

Fairway used to have the best meats, but their quality over the last couple years has went south. They must be getting it from a different source. They know that they had the "reputation" for quality meats and think they can get away with buying lower quality and no one would notice. Got news for you Fairway. EVERYONE is noticing. There's too much contrast to what you used to sell.

My wife has found the best quality meat at, believe it or not, Sam's Club.

One way many people for years have guaranteed that they get good meat is to buy a big chest freezer, go in with another family, and buy a steer from a local farmer. Have it butchered at one of the local butcher shops that many small towns have. You'll pay a little more after it's all done, but it would be worth it.

[A.Typical.Girl]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Fairway used to have the best meats, but their quality over the last couple years has went south. They must be getting it from a different source. They know that they had the "reputation" for quality meats and think they can get away with buying lower quality and no one would notice. Got news for you Fairway. EVERYONE is noticing. There's too much contrast to what you used to sell.

My wife has found the best quality meat at, believe it or not, Sam's Club.

One way many people for years have guaranteed that they get good meat is to buy a big chest freezer, go in with another family, and buy a steer from a local farmer. Have it butchered at one of the local butcher shops that many small towns have. You'll pay a little more after it's all done, but it would be worth it.

I used to have a Costco membership, not necessarily for food (although most I lived near did have the best prices & quality on beef & chicken), but whenever I need glasses, they're far, far cheaper & offer better service than most optical places I've used. It expired & I don't need glasses, but I know they'll let me stroll through the store to see if I want to renew. I can do the same with Sam's. Doubtful I'll join either at this point, as I may only be in the area until Nov & I have to pay $60 for the luxury to shop. But, I'll check them out, thank you.

Game might be nice, but I've never had it, so wouldn't buy in bulk. I'm also the only one in my household & don't know a soul here, so it's not cost effective. Maybe someday.

I just found out today about the Des Moines Farmer's Market, which I'll check out maybe next weekend. It began May 7, but is only available 7am-noon on Sat's... not optimal shopping time for me, but it's worth a stroll through. If interested (if you don't already know about it):

https://www.dsmpartnership.com/desmo...ctions-parking

Thank you for your reply.

[A.Typical.Girl]

If interested, I just found out via free CityView mag (got in a kiosk outside Fareway) that there are 15 farmer's markets, which began in early May, throughout the city & out a bit further. I have the May edition, so the June might be available now. One is in Waukee on Wed's... all are on varying days. Just an FYI should you wife be interested.

ETA: I haven't yet had a chance to visit Sam's Club or Costco, but will comment afterwards... hopefully, I can get there in the next wk... I've just been too busy.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl

If interested, I just found out via free CityView mag (got in a kiosk outside Fareway) that there are 15 farmer's markets, which began in early May, throughout the city & out a bit further. I have the May edition, so the June might be available now. One is in Waukee on Wed's... all are on varying days. Just an FYI should you wife be interested.

ETA: I haven't yet had a chance to visit Sam's Club or Costco, but will comment afterwards... hopefully, I can get there in the next wk... I've just been too busy.

Farmer's markets are a great place to get fresh produce and it's kind of fun shopping and talking to the owners for each table. We don't frequent them mainly because we have a big garden ourselves (22 tomato plants this year plus lots of other stuff). Farmers Markets don't help the meat situation however.

I live by Sioux Falls, SD, but have a daughter in Indianola, which is just south of Des Moines. I have many other relatives around Iowa.

[A.Typical.Girl]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Farmer's markets are a great place to get fresh produce and it's kind of fun shopping and talking to the owners for each table. We don't frequent them mainly because we have a big garden ourselves (22 tomato plants this year plus lots of other stuff). Farmers Markets don't help the meat situation however.

I live by Sioux Falls, SD, but have a daughter in Indianola, which is just south of Des Moines. I have many other relatives around Iowa.

Oh, I see, thanks for explaining.

I'm envious of your green thumb. Both of my sisters have magical green thumbs (but they also both have their own homes with room for decent sized gardens)... I swear they can take any seed of any species, poke holes in them, put them in the dark or cover them with plastic or soak them in water, plant them in teeny tiny planters, then toss them the yard & in months there are plants the size of redwood trees. My sister in NEPA has so many veggies that are so large, each year she sells them to a local farmer's market to resell. More importantly, after long days working for the gov't, gardening is her stress release, her giant huskies roll around in the yard with her making oddball, giant huskie noises & she is always nicely tanned.

My other sister is in the desert in San Diego Cty & she grows lots of things like rosemary (towering plants which draw tarantulas or scorpions, she's found) & lots of herbs. She has some underground animals (gophers or groundhogs) which pull veggies down into their tunnels, lol... one night she sat outside with her family & they watched carrots, lettuce & radishes disappear one by one into the underworld. Prior to them getting at her garden, roadrunners would run into the yard, yank out plants & run out, like that old cartoon. So, she has to stick to flowers & some herbs... most animals don't seem to like herbs, save for the aforementioned tarantulas & scorpions.

I've never had a piece of homegrown fruit or veggie & living all my life in inner cities, farmer's markets are a rare find, or too bloody far to drag home bags of produce (like from Haymarket Sq in the N. End of Boston)... a trip which required 3 trains, 1 bus, then walking 1/2-mi & hours of time. Did it once, never again.

I'll give the farmers markets a go. Indianola looks like a lovely town... hot air balloons, too.

Congrats on your tomato plants. Someday I hope to live somewhere where I could try to grow something. I've never been successful with indoor plants & as a lifetime apt dweller, never had the opportunity to grow anything outdoors. I tried kitchen containers a few times, plants & flowers & everything dies, rather than grows. I gave up cuz I'd realized I was spending hundreds/yr to try to grow something & it never worked. My mum & I both have black thumbs... don't know where my sisters got their skills.

TY again. I'll let you know how I make out with the markets.

[A.Typical.Girl]

For anyone else looking for great produce quality & prices, I've found Aldi on Hickman Rd to be great.

I've never lived near an Aldi & only visited one in another state which had canned foods exclusively, so I avoided this store even though it's across the street from me. This one has fresh meat (prices are the same as other stores, but quality was very good the day I visited) & more importantly great quality produce... bananas are 50% less & organic cost the same as non-organic in Fareway, Whole Foods or Hy-Vee... nectarines are 1/3 the cost... Romaine is 50% less... bell peppers were 50% less... potatoes, strawberries, blueberries were 50-75% less.

Haven't yet made it to a farmer's market, but that's okay... I still have issues with pain from broken bones, so just don't feel up to walking or driving around that much... that'll have to wait 'til autumn or next year, if I'm still in IA.

In any event, just wanted to provide an update. As far as beef, I haven't yet found what I need, but I've been eating a lot less of it because of that, so it's not an issue, atm.

Have a good summer, All!