Wow, I had honestly forgot just how quickly food gotten at the store could turn bad in the fridge, I have thrown out more food in the past three weeks then I have in months, and while I will take a little of the blame in the sense of either buying to much of someone on a good sale and then not being sure how to use it (example’s avacodo) I should only get one till I figure out more then two dishes that use it, instead of buying a bag of five.

Having said that, alot of it is not me, so much as it is the quality of the food coming into the house from the stores and even the farmers market, I even understand why some of the things are going to fast, picked at the wrong time of the day, picked early or picked late, picked when wet to make it to market at the moment that the sales are there..

However that does not change the fact that other then preparing it, freezing it, drying it or cooking it will save certain things for later and Dang it, that defeats the purpose of buying it fresh, I have canned, dried and frozen things in the house and I am using it for a certain amount of each dish, the point of buying fresh produce is to use it as just that- Fresh produce..

Its not just that the flavour is bad, and most of the time it is.. I mean I know we are spoiled with the fresh hertage full flavour fruits, veggies and berries that we have on the farm but I had honestly forgot just how bland, perfect and tasteless a number of things are .. like pears.. seems like such a simple thing really but typically I buy pears when they are in season, eat my fine of fresh and then can and dry for there rest of the year, and I do love my canned pears, but I am getting low on them, so I bought two fresh pears, one was to go for breakfast with cottage cheese and one was to pouched and simmered as a dessert treat, well let me tell you, a more bland pear I don’t think I have ever eaten..

Thank goodness things in the gardens are picking up, I have cucumbers coming this week, along with lots of other goodies, I find it amazing that things I pick in the wild or in the garden can last days in my fridges and still taste amazing when I prepare them but things I bought a day or two days later from the stores are going bad. I am not finding that much difference between the keeping quality of the store and the farmers market, with things gotten on the saturday, however there is a small garden market and if I ask, she will tell what was fresh picked and they at least have keeping power, also there is a lady down a few roads from me, that has fresh she puts out each morning and you stop, pick up what you are looking for and just put the money in the money box, her very limited selection is good, but typically its only one or two things per day available.

I was on the hunt for green grapes and I was amazed that they were selling what was clearly turning fruit, the off color, the off smell and even some turned grapes in each bag, I walked away from it and glad I did but clearly some folks are buying it, otherwise why keep them out there.. that means that folks are eating turned food..

No wonder so many folks get sick on food that ends up recalled, they are not learning and trusting their eyes, noses and taste buds, and no wonder I read stories all the time about how folks taste farm fresh goods, garden fresh good and can’t believe its the same food that they thought was ok?  If I was not already all about growing my own food and a huge fan of buying local, this would have made me even more so.

I am so looking forward to the fall garden that was planted this month..