Where Do You Buy Your Fruit?

[Xeronema]

Recently I've been buying all my fruit (not vegetables as I'm a bit of a salad dodger) from the local market which runs every Friday morning. With some types of fruit, such as apples and melons, I've noticed a huge difference in quality (flavour, freshness, etc).

I'm interested to find out where all you fellow AB'ers buy your fruit. Do you buy it from your local market/grocers or the supermarket? ]

I suppose this question should also be open to cover vegetables as well as fruit; just because I'm a salad dodger doesn't mean I'm not interested to know.

Thanks in advance :)

[douglas9401]

Aldi.

[petal54]

waitrose

[Cloverjo]

Supermarket. I'd love to buy fruit from market stalls or greengrocers, but don't have the time to get to them, find somewhere to park etc.

[tamborine]

My asian corner shop, where the products are ripe. Cant be doing waiting days for ripening only to find stuff black from being chilled for Smkt sales.

[Ouzel]

I think it depends on where you are ... no local markets where I live. So, supermarket (home delivery) but the quality and freshness are pretty good, although it would be nice if the website showed the particular variety of some types of fruit.

[Xeronema]

methyl: Thanks for the in-depth answer to my question. I couldn't agree more. However I'm not one to look at sell by dates. I know many people on here have mentioned how they do or don't look at dates on food but one person comes to mind straight away; Retro. I take the same approach as she does with regards to food, especially meat. It's pretty easy to tell if meat is safe or not just by looking at it and smelling it. Chicken is, in my opinion, one of the easiest meats to identify if it has gone past its best. I can't remember who it was who said they ate a yogurt that was 2 months out of date but I am also guilty of doing such things.

As far as buying fruit from the supermarket (if I'm unable to buy it from the outdoor market) I tend to favour Tesco over Aldi or Sainsbury's. Not because I believe that Tesco is better than any other supermarket (clearly they aren't as they aren't doing very well financially) however I know more or less every member of staff so I get to have some interesting chats with them - I go in just for the craic basically.

[tamborine]

I have Tesco nearby but their avocados always take 3+ days to ripen & often black inside by then. Who can be *** to complain/return 3 days later?

[Xeronema]

Ouzel: I'm rather fortunate in the fact there is a market so close to me, especially when it comes down to buying apples. I absolutely love Braeburn's, I can quite happily sit and eat 3-4 at a time. They are so much nicer than the usual selection you get from Tesco; golden delicious, granny smiths and gala.

[Xeronema]

tamborine: I don't eat avocados however my step father does and he always has to wait days, sometimes even a couple of weeks before the 'ripen at home' avocados are ready for him to eat.

You're right though, most people don't complain and/or take stuff back to the shop. Although your statutory rights aren't actually affected it can be a little embarrassing to take stuff back, especially if it's only worth a few pence. Now I know that some people will disagree with me on this one as after all money is still money, irrespective of how much or how little and it is more about principle. I'm in two minds to agree and disagree - I doubt I'd take an apple back if I took a bite out of it and it was past its best.

[Ouzel]

Ah, I'm not a big fan of apples - but love grapes (Flame or Crimson), plums (Laetitia) and pears (Comice).

The only apple I like is a McIntosh Red - hard to come by - but if you see any, do try them.

[tamborine]

Diz...you wanted ummm. If you message her on fb it will ping her phone.

[Xeronema]

Ouzel: I don't think I've ever tried McIntosh Red's. I've just read up about them and they have a very tart flavour - that sounds right up my flag pole does that. All this talk of apples is making hungry for an apply, or even grapes as I too have a soft spot for grapes. They are too expensive though. I'll have to settle for a Nadorcott mandarin instead.

[Xeronema]

Cheers Tamborine. It doesn't matter now though, I'll be at her house in the next 10 hours so it can wait till then. Her phone was switched off at the time.

[Canary42]

1. Local Farm Shop

2. Organic Box Delivery (order online).

3. Very occasionally Sainsbury's or Co-op Supermarkets.

[Old_Geezer]

Apart from a few apples I buy little fruit as it goes off too quickly. Much of it seems to be additional food for pleasure anyway, rather than sating hunger pangs. One craves carbs for that. But what I do buy I buy where I buy all by weekly food shop. At whichever supermarket I've opted for that week.

Awful phrase "salad dodger" implying, as it does, the individual labelled it is doing something wrong. One wouldn't try to get folk to eat arsenic by calling them "arsenic dodgers" would one. And opting not to have uncooked and therefore unpleasant plants as food doesn't mean one can't buy and consume plants for cooking properly as God obviously intended us to do.

[Old_Geezer]

...food shopping
As typed !

[ummmm]

My phone was dead...not off..

I buy apples and oranges with my on-line shop. Apples and oranges taste the same to me regardless of where I buy them. Other fruits I pop to the grocers up the road.

[ummmm]

OG...that made me laugh. You've made no secret of not liking rabbit food :-)

My OH loves salad. He'd be happy if I fed him salad for breakfast.