The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
"microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.

Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?

Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
a little more on top of that.

Bob

zxcvbob wrote:
>
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.

A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
market today.

I'm old. I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.

On Apr 18, 5:18*pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. *One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) *It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? *Or even just stab a few holes
> in the plastic bag? *Or are they just stupid?
>
> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.
>
> Bob

In winter I rely on the frozen veg section. At some stores, I have to
resort to "medleys". Have to befriend someone to find spinach.
Haven't had to go "microwavable" yet.

B

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
>
> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.
>
> Bob

Braise and freeze your own fresh when on sale.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

On Apr 18, 5:28*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>
> > The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> > getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> > "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. *One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> > french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> > stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> > bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> > peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) *It's also
> > getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> A related topic is bagged salad greens. *On America's Heartland
> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> market today.
>
> I'm old. *I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.

I've been in some stores where that is the only way they sell greens.
Herbs, only in little plastic coffins. I want a bunch of spinach, a
handful of basil? Fuggedaboudit.

It is almost warm enough to plant, and my local farmers' opens in a
month, so maybe I can eat through the summer.

B

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
>
> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.
>
> Bob

I haven't noticed the absence of anything but I sure have noticed the
increase in "steamer" pack vegetables.
--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller
Updated 4-11-2010

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:45:39 -0700 (PDT), bulka
> wrote:

>On Apr 18, 5:18*pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
>> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
>> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
>> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. *One of my favorite frozen vegs is
>> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
>> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
>> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
>> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) *It's also
>> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>>
>> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
>> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? *Or even just stab a few holes
>> in the plastic bag? *Or are they just stupid?
>>
>> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
>> a little more on top of that.
>>
>> Bob
>
>In winter I rely on the frozen veg section. At some stores, I have to
>resort to "medleys". Have to befriend someone to find spinach.
>Haven't had to go "microwavable" yet.

All the frozen veggies you want at Walmart, 'specially large sacks of
spinach that I buy all the time.

Not one cook-in bag in the lot:
http://www.walmart.com/search/search...x=25&Find.y=16

On 4/18/2010 4:18 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs
> is french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags
> of peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.

Not sure if you have a Kroger near you, but they have frozen vegetables
for 88¢. We just bought cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, okra, broccoli,
corn.

http://southwest.inserts2online.com/...pStoreID=00539

I hope the link works.

Becca

On Apr 18, 7:21*pm, brooklyn1 > wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:45:39 -0700 (PDT), bulka
>
>
>
> > wrote:
> >On Apr 18, 5:18*pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
> >> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> >> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> >> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. *One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> >> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> >> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> >> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> >> peas and broccoli that ha8ven't totally gone away yet.) *It's also
> >> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> >> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> >> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? *Or even just stab a few holes
> >> in the plastic bag? *Or are they just stupid?
>
> >> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> >> a little more on top of that.
>
> >> Bob
>
> >In winter I rely on the frozen veg section. *At some stores, I have to
> >resort to "medleys". *Have to befriend someone to find spinach.
> >Haven't had to go "microwavable" yet.
>
> All the frozen veggies you want at Walmart, 'specially large sacks of
> spinach that I buy all the time.
>
> Not one cook-in bag in the lot:http://www.walmart.com/search/search...raint=976759&i...

I'll eat grass before I go to Wal*Mart for food.

b

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:55:29 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>
>> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
>> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
>> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
>> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
>> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
>> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
>> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
>> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>>
>> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
>> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
>> in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
>>
>> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
>> a little more on top of that.
>>
>> Bob
>
>Braise and freeze your own fresh when on sale.

Methinks you mean *blanch*.

I've never seen those microwave bags for stand alone frozen veggies,
however I've seen nuke bags/boil in bags of veggie recipes, like a
blend in a sauce... creamed spinach is common. I often buy huge bags
of oriental stir fry blends that contain enough pouches of frozen
sauce to treat the entire bag... I sometimes save a few sauce pouches
for ramen... the pouches are like 6 ounces and warn not to nuke, but
to soften in hot tap water. Walmart and Sam's Club has a huge
selection of bulk frozen veggies at good prices... I have to control
myself not to buy more than I can fit in my freezer space.

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article >,
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>
> > The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> > getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> > "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> > french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> > stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> > bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> > peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> > getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
> >
> > Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> > bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> > in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
> >
> > Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> > a little more on top of that.
> >
> > Bob
>
> Braise and freeze your own fresh when on sale.

Blanch.

zxcvbob wrote:
>
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> in the plastic bag?


*** Or are they just stupid? ***

<bingo!>

>
> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.
>
> Bob

In article >,
brooklyn1 > wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:55:29 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > zxcvbob > wrote:
> >
> >> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> >> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> >> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> >> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> >> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> >> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> >> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> >> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
> >>
> >> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> >> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> >> in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
> >>
> >> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> >> a little more on top of that.
> >>
> >> Bob
> >
> >Braise and freeze your own fresh when on sale.
>
> Methinks you mean *blanch*.

Sorry, yes I did mean Blanch.
>
> I've never seen those microwave bags for stand alone frozen veggies,
> however I've seen nuke bags/boil in bags of veggie recipes, like a
> blend in a sauce... creamed spinach is common. I often buy huge bags
> of oriental stir fry blends that contain enough pouches of frozen
> sauce to treat the entire bag... I sometimes save a few sauce pouches
> for ramen... the pouches are like 6 ounces and warn not to nuke, but
> to soften in hot tap water. Walmart and Sam's Club has a huge
> selection of bulk frozen veggies at good prices... I have to control
> myself not to buy more than I can fit in my freezer space.

So get a bigger freezer. <g>

Saves on gas and now that that is going up again, it's a real factor.
IMHO the cost of fuel is what drove us into this recession in the first
place. Now it's going to happen all over again and make it worse...
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article .com>,
"Pete C." > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > In article >,
> > zxcvbob > wrote:
> >
> > > The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> > > getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> > > "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> > > french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> > > stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> > > bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> > > peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> > > getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
> > >
> > > Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> > > bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> > > in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
> > >
> > > Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> > > a little more on top of that.
> > >
> > > Bob
> >
> > Braise and freeze your own fresh when on sale.
>
> Blanch.

<Argh> Sorry! That is indeed what I meant!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

On 4/18/2010 5:28 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>>
>> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
>> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
>> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
>> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
>> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
>> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
>> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
>> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> market today.
>
> I'm old. I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.

They still do if you buy them from the right place. We just used up the
last of the potatoes I bought from a local farm last fall.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
>> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
>> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
>> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
>> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
>> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
>> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
>> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> market today.
>
> I'm old. I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.

Those bagged greens are a nice source of salmonella.

--
Jean B.

zxcvbob wrote:
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
>
> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.
>
> Bob

Note to self: if you see them, buy French-cut string beans. I'd
hate to not be able to find them when I need them, and Frenching
beans myself doesn't sound like a fun project.

--
Jean B.

zxcvbob wrote:
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>

I have been noticing that lately. I confess that I don't mind frozen
peas, and frozen Brussels Sprouts are surprisingly good. However, the
selection of frozen vegetables is getting smaller.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
om...
| zxcvbob wrote:
| > The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
| > getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
| > "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
| > french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
| > stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
| > bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
| > peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
| > getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
| >
|
| I have been noticing that lately. I confess that I don't mind frozen
| peas, and frozen Brussels Sprouts are surprisingly good. However, the
| selection of frozen vegetables is getting smaller.

Here in Florida we can find no fiddleheads, much less any McCains.

pavane

Omelet wrote:
>
> Saves on gas and now that that is going up again, it's a real factor.
> IMHO the cost of fuel is what drove us into this recession in the first
> place. Now it's going to happen all over again and make it worse...

What recession? I've yet to see it anywhere around here (Dallas area).

I was just out for dinner last night and skipped several restaurants
because they were packed and the wait time was too long. These were not
low end restaurants either, places like P.F. Chang, Cheesecake Factory,
Mi Coucina, etc. Ended up at Blue Fish which was bustling, but had a few
tables open. Earlier in the day we were shopping at one of the big
"outlet" shopping centers and the line to get into the parking lot was
backed up half a mile and all the stores were packed.

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> market today.

I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
don't have to use a knife. The way things are going, how much longer
until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
of pre-made everythings?

jt

On Apr 18, 7:51*pm, "Jean B." > wrote:
> Mark Thorson wrote:
> > zxcvbob wrote:
> >> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> >> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> >> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. *One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> >> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> >> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> >> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> >> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) *It's also
> >> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> > A related topic is bagged salad greens. *On America's Heartland
> > yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> > went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> > market today.
>
> > I'm old. *I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.
>
> Those bagged greens are a nice source of salmonella.
>
> --
> Jean B.

Not if you wash them first.

jt august wrote:
>
> In article >,
> Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> > A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> > yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> > went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> > market today.
>
> I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
> don't have to use a knife. The way things are going, how much longer
> until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
> of pre-made everythings?
>
> jt

You need to realize that something like "spring mix" requires a number
of different components, all of which are perishable, so that if you
were to buy all those components separately in normal sizes to make your
own, most of it will go bad before you can use it unless you have a
large family. This is especially true for single folks or retired
couples who don't eat a lot. That bag of pre-fab "spring mix" ends up
costing less per serving than trying to DIY it in these instances. I do
make a lot of lunches of basic iceberg lettuce salad with diced tomato
and topped with sautéed shrimp in the summer, and for this I can get
away with a basic head of lettuce and use it up in a week.

jt august > wrote:

> Mark Thorson > wrote:

>> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
>> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
>> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
>> market today.

>I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
>don't have to use a knife.

Many Americans don't realize you can use a knife to chop lettuce.
They have been taught to tear it leaf by leaf. (Did some popular
cookbooks recommend the latter?)

>The way things are going, how much longer
>until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
>of pre-made everythings?

The fraction of pre-made has definitely gone up. Worked well
during the boom. Not so good during the low economy.


Steve

On Apr 18, 9:05*pm, jt august > wrote:
> In article >,
> *Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> > A related topic is bagged salad greens. *On America's Heartland
> > yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> > went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> > market today.
>
> I'm amazed. *People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
> don't have to use a knife. *The way things are going, how much longer
> until the wne fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
> of pre-made everythings?

Yeah- yeah--I fear the day that only cake mixes and their ilk are
there is lieu of bags of flour.

Pete C. > wrote:

>You need to realize that something like "spring mix" requires a number
>of different components, all of which are perishable, so that if you
>were to buy all those components separately in normal sizes to make your
>own, most of it will go bad before you can use it unless you have a
>large family.

A good fake is to buy a head of radicchio, and use it to "highlight"
three or so successive heads of lettuce. The radicchio does
not go bad very rapidly, it's still okay after 5 or 6 days.

My other favorite two-salad-green combination is arugula and cress,
but they are both highly perishable.

Steve

none of your business wrote:
> On Apr 18, 7:51 pm, "Jean B." > wrote:
>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>> zxcvbob wrote:
>>>> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
>>>> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
>>>> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
>>>> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
>>>> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
>>>> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
>>>> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
>>>> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>>> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
>>> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
>>> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
>>> market today.
>>> I'm old. I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.
>> Those bagged greens are a nice source of salmonella.
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Not if you wash them first.

Yeah, well, they are supposed to be washed. I can just as well
get heads of lettuce and wash the leaves... which I do.

--
Jean B.

In article . com>,
"Pete C." > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > Saves on gas and now that that is going up again, it's a real factor.
> > IMHO the cost of fuel is what drove us into this recession in the first
> > place. Now it's going to happen all over again and make it worse...
>
> What recession? I've yet to see it anywhere around here (Dallas area).

You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
unemployed for 6 weeks.

Don't be so self-centered and take a good look around you.

>
> I was just out for dinner last night and skipped several restaurants
> because they were packed and the wait time was too long. These were not
> low end restaurants either, places like P.F. Chang, Cheesecake Factory,
> Mi Coucina, etc. Ended up at Blue Fish which was bustling, but had a few
> tables open. Earlier in the day we were shopping at one of the big
> "outlet" shopping centers and the line to get into the parking lot was
> backed up half a mile and all the stores were packed.

It is further reaching than you may think.
The economy is going subterranean.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:18:45 -0500, zxcvbob wrote:

> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.

Prices on our store branded stuff are still the same, and there's a
better variety now.. I didn't even know the bags were microwavable
until just recently. I've been emptying them out just as usual
(usually I'm not making the whole bag).

-sw

In article
>,
none of your business > wrote:

> On Apr 18, 7:51*pm, "Jean B." > wrote:
> > Mark Thorson wrote:
> > > zxcvbob wrote:
> > >> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> > >> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> > >> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. *One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> > >> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> > >> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> > >> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> > >> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) *It's also
> > >> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
> >
> > > A related topic is bagged salad greens. *On America's Heartland
> > > yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> > > went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> > > market today.
> >
> > > I'm old. *I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.
> >
> > Those bagged greens are a nice source of salmonella.
> >
> > --
> > Jean B.
>
> Not if you wash them first.

Washing will not get rid of Salmonella.
Only cooking will.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Pete C. > wrote:
>
> >You need to realize that something like "spring mix" requires a number
> >of different components, all of which are perishable, so that if you
> >were to buy all those components separately in normal sizes to make your
> >own, most of it will go bad before you can use it unless you have a
> >large family.
>
> A good fake is to buy a head of radicchio, and use it to "highlight"
> three or so successive heads of lettuce. The radicchio does
> not go bad very rapidly, it's still okay after 5 or 6 days.
>
> My other favorite two-salad-green combination is arugula and cress,
> but they are both highly perishable.
>
> Steve

One reason to try Romaine and Romaine hearts. I recently had a package
of 3 heads of Romaine hearts keep in the Hobart for a full month before
I got around to using them. And there was not a single sign of spoilage.

I was too sick with worry over being unemployed to eat much, so a lot of
stuff I'd bought prior to that event sat unused. Meat went back into
the freezer. Don't have that option with most fresh produce...

One small meal every couple of days does not consume a whole lot.
The Hobart has been holding steady at 38F.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

Omelet > wrote:

[recession]

>You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
>nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
>unemployed for 6 weeks.

Statistically you are very fortunate. But in my opinion, you're
not fortunate, you're good!


Steve

Omelet > wrote:

> (Steve Pope) wrote:

>> A good fake is to buy a head of radicchio, and use it to "highlight"
>> three or so successive heads of lettuce. The radicchio does
>> not go bad very rapidly, it's still okay after 5 or 6 days.

>> My other favorite two-salad-green combination is arugula and cress,
>> but they are both highly perishable.

>One reason to try Romaine and Romaine hearts. I recently had a package
>of 3 heads of Romaine hearts keep in the Hobart for a full month before
>I got around to using them. And there was not a single sign of spoilage.
>
>I was too sick with worry over being unemployed to eat much, so a lot of
>stuff I'd bought prior to that event sat unused. Meat went back into
>the freezer. Don't have that option with most fresh produce...

A suggestion, lettuce that would otherwise rot can be frozen
(ideally, washed then frozen) and later used in stir-fries
or in Asian-styled soups. Any type lettuce can go straight into
a miso or hot/sour soup, and many types can go into a
minestrone soup.


Steve

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> [recession]
>
> >You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> >nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> >unemployed for 6 weeks.
>
> Statistically you are very fortunate. But in my opinion, you're
> not fortunate, you're good!
>
>
> Steve

Lucky. ;-)
And the fact that I prefer night shifts helped a LOT. Those kinds of
positions are hard to fill.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> >One reason to try Romaine and Romaine hearts. I recently had a package
> >of 3 heads of Romaine hearts keep in the Hobart for a full month before
> >I got around to using them. And there was not a single sign of spoilage.
> >
> >I was too sick with worry over being unemployed to eat much, so a lot of
> >stuff I'd bought prior to that event sat unused. Meat went back into
> >the freezer. Don't have that option with most fresh produce...
>
> A suggestion, lettuce that would otherwise rot can be frozen
> (ideally, washed then frozen) and later used in stir-fries
> or in Asian-styled soups. Any type lettuce can go straight into
> a miso or hot/sour soup, and many types can go into a
> minestrone soup.
>
>
> Steve

I'll have to play with that just for grins. I use a lot of Romaine as
it does keep, stays crispy and is convenient due to it's shape. I've
been increasing my use of it for awhile now and I do intend to
eventually try it grilled.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

Omelet wrote:

> I'll have to play with that just for grins. I use a lot of Romaine as
> it does keep, stays crispy and is convenient due to it's shape. I've
> been increasing my use of it for awhile now and I do intend to
> eventually try it grilled.

There's a restaurant I like that has a salad they call Mesquite
Caesar or along those lines ... the romaine is grilled and has
asiago with caesar dressing. It's a half head of romaine (intact).
It's so good, I didn't know if I'd like it.

nancy

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article . com>,
> "Pete C." > wrote:
>
> > Omelet wrote:
> > >
> > > Saves on gas and now that that is going up again, it's a real factor.
> > > IMHO the cost of fuel is what drove us into this recession in the first
> > > place. Now it's going to happen all over again and make it worse...
> >
> > What recession? I've yet to see it anywhere around here (Dallas area).
>
> You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> unemployed for 6 weeks.
>
> Don't be so self-centered and take a good look around you.
>
> >
> > I was just out for dinner last night and skipped several restaurants
> > because they were packed and the wait time was too long. These were not
> > low end restaurants either, places like P.F. Chang, Cheesecake Factory,
> > Mi Coucina, etc. Ended up at Blue Fish which was bustling, but had a few
> > tables open. Earlier in the day we were shopping at one of the big
> > "outlet" shopping centers and the line to get into the parking lot was
> > backed up half a mile and all the stores were packed.
>
> It is further reaching than you may think.
> The economy is going subterranean.


It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door. I think your
recent experience is clouding your view.

Pete C. wrote:

>
> You need to realize that something like "spring mix" requires a number
> of different components, all of which are perishable, so that if you
> were to buy all those components separately in normal sizes to make your
> own, most of it will go bad before you can use it unless you have a
> large family.


I agree. In addition, most leaf lettuce is tender and gets handled
roughly enough that the outer few layers of leaves are torn and
nasty looking by the time you get them home. There's a lot of layers of
waste.

gloria p

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:05:27 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article . com>,
> "Pete C." > wrote:
>
>> Omelet wrote:
>> >

>> What recession? I've yet to see it anywhere around here (Dallas area).
>
>You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
>nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
>unemployed for 6 weeks.

It is even affecting nurses, and the ability to get jobs. Hospitals
have cut hiring way, way back..and the temporary contract jobs are
much less plentiful than they once were.

I am applying to every travel nursing job in sight, and some permanent
jobs. So far, no luck: it has been 4 weeks for me. Some are in the
works, so things could look up soon...at least I hope.

OB Food: I am trying to stretch my food pennies as far as they will go
right now. I do have a cushion, so I am not broke, but I still want to
try to make my food dollars go a long way. Today, I went out
marketing, the first time in a week. Found whole chickens at
$0.59/lb: yes these are probably factory farmed chickens, but I got a
few of them. I also found broccoli and cauliflower cheap: I am
thinking of pasta dishes with each of them, with good Parmesan on top
of them. And back to the frozen vegetable thing, I was at Trader Joes
and got some of their frozen vegetables to add to some dishes.

Christine

"Steve Pope" > wrote in message ...
| jt august > wrote:
|
| > Mark Thorson > wrote:
|
| >> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
| >> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
| >> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
| >> market today.
|
| >I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
| >don't have to use a knife.
|
| Many Americans don't realize you can use a knife to chop lettuce.
| They have been taught to tear it leaf by leaf. (Did some popular
| cookbooks recommend the latter?)

Yes, it became a fad about the time that "everyone" stopped
buying iceberg lettuce for some absurd reason. This cute entry
in Wiki.answers gives three arguments to the knife/tear controversy,
and somehow has all three disagreeing with the others:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Should_you...p_it_by_h and

pavane