How to Find Great Deals on Produce

If you don't have the time or space in which to grow your own garden and yet you crave fresh fruits and vegetables, there are ways you can get your hands on fresh produce without sending your wallet into cardiac arrest! Follow these steps and you'll be picking up some great finds from the produce department in no time!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. The quality and taste of fresh produce is not always related to how it looks. Finding the shiniest, firmest peach, for example, will leave you with a hard, sour, unusable fruit at home. Stop judging those fruity books by their covers and know that it's what is inside that counts! Some fruits are best when they look the worst. Take Atuolfo Mangoes or Plantains. Both have to look darn near rotten to be good!

2. Shop early. REALLY early. Most produce departments restock in the wee hours of the morning. This means the old is going out and the new is coming in. Sometimes, although not rotten, the damaged produce goes in the dumpster if no one is there to buy it. Sad, but true. So, if you're there early, you may be able to snag some great deals!

3. Ask for discounts on the damaged fruits and veggies. Some stores will mark down their damaged goods and have a separate table or special labeling for damaged items. If you don't find this, look for produce that might have a blemish or bruise that can be discounted. Remember, it doesn't have to be in perfect visual condition in order to taste the best!

4. Check expiration dates on prepackaged produce items such as salads, dressings, and veggie trays. If an item is expiring on that day or the next, the manager should be willing to mark it down for you. Most stores would rather sell at a discount than to have to throw an expired item away and lose all the money on it.

5. Stop thinking convenience and start thinking savings. Buying pre-cut fruits and vegetables can double the price you will pay. It takes less than five minutes to core a pineapple, and you are paying the same amount for 1/3 less pineapple when you buy it pre-cored. You'll also be cutting down on plastic packaging consumption, which is a bonus if you're trying to live a bit greener!

Tips & Warnings

• Plantains are supposed to be black or very dark in color, when they are ripe.
• Honeydew Melons or not ripe if they are bright green in color and have no smell.
• Overripe bananas are good for making banana bread
• Remove big pieces of stems from fresh green beans to reduce purchase weight.
• If you don't know how to cut fresh pineapple safely, check out my article in the resource section!
• Remember you catch more flies with honey......don't get pissy with store clerks, or you'll more than likely get no discounts.
• Artichokes will stab you if you try to pick them up from the top! So will pineapples!

Resources

• How to Cut Fresh Pineapple Safely

[static404]

on 10/12/2009 Thanks for the tips on saving money on produce. Great article.

[Miragi]

on 9/22/2009 @deb. Excellent! When I worked produce, all but the best went in the garbage because we'd have to shuck then clean up and package....the whole, unshucked ears were on the floor for people to pick through themselves. Biggest bonus was being able to get markdowns on the 'blemished' stuff, first, before it hit clearance table :)

[debinflorida]

on 9/22/2009 Once I asked for a huge garbage bag full of corn shucks for my compost pile, and when I got it home, it had a dozen not-so-perfect but completely edible pieces of corn in it. Cool, huh?

[jrofosho1]

on 7/25/2009 This is amazingly important when your in college and strapped for cash 5* article

[iknewthat]

on 7/20/2009 Great article. Wonderful information. Ty and I rate this 5***** and recommendation.