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OMG...fruit prices!

3K views 39 replies 17 participants last post by  Raiquee 
#1 ·
I just paid 5.99 for watermelon @ our home store. Went to Walmart..a jar of their unsweeten applesauce 1.68 to 1.98. 30c in a week.
The apples really got hit this spring in MI. What is everyone paying for fruit? Am I the only one who thinks bananas turn brown so VERY
quick? I'm thinking about checking out the prices on school size cans of applesauce & seeing if it's cheaper. (freezing portions after opening)
My rhubarb did awful this year & was able to put up only 4qt. Never have I seen rhubarb not do well.
I look out my window & see the corn just drying up. By gosh, I worry about food prices. How are familes going to feed their kids?
Now I'm just writing random thoughts..so I'll quit. Who would have thought 6$ for a watermelon??
 
#2 ·
Needed the warning...........will be heading to the store for produce later today or tomorrow.

I don't buy a LOT of bananas in the summer..........try to go for the other summer fruit that I won't be able to get in the winter.

My rhubarb is ALWAYS one thing that does quite well and I have given a LOT LESS of it away this year...........eating more of it right away as some of the other fruit is so high.

The cherry price is what is putting me in shock right now..........YEOW!!! Haven't been out to our orchard area yet to check prices.........usually more, but fresher, for sure!

I was really disappointed when my strawberries didn't do well.............have to 'hang in there' until next year.
 
#4 ·
How many pounds of watermelon was that for that price? Was it on sale?

We try to buy on sale.

Some stuff has been nuts. $5/pound for honeycrisp apples. Why? Crazy. I did get red delicious apples for $1.50/pound but those were not on sale.

Cherries this week: $2/pound.
Cantaloupe: .70/pound.
Watermelon (seedless): .50/pound.
Bananas: .60/pound.
Mangos: .90 each.
Grapes: $2/pound.
Strawberries: $1.88/pound.

Not real bad for our area.

I refuse to compromise on buying fresh produce, although I try to plan meals using what's on sale. For me right now, I feel like I don't have a choice. It's either lose the extra weight or have stomach surgery. I'm willing to pay almost anything to avoid stomach surgery. Buying high-priced produce still seems like a small price to pay to avoid surgery I don't want and won't need if I stay on the course I'm on now.
 
#5 ·
Midwest produce prices are very high this year b/c of the drought. I'm here too and I'm scared. In terms of produce, I've been trying to buy grapes because they seem the cheapest for the volume (apples are like gold here too), but I'm still paying $1.50/lb at least for grapes. Watermelons are $5/melon for small melons, so we've stopped buying them. And the sweet corn even is expensive. Usually during this time of year I can get an ear of sweet corn for no more than $.25, usually more like $.15 - $.20. This year we've only got the frozen stuff from FL...it's $.50/ear. That's just unheard of for IL. We're trying so hard to save money for food because it's the only choice we have - food prices are only going to keep going up.
 
#6 ·
We been paying 4.99 each for watermelons.
Not sure the price for apples, but the farmers here locally got hard hit, due to a very warm spring too early, then a major frost. The apple crop is going to be very short this year.
A local U pick farm, has no peaches this year. Their main crop. I picked blue berries there today. $ 2.35 a pound. Which translates
to $ 4 a quart, and then to figure gas in, which adds another $ 1 to the quart price. And I was in the fields 2 hrs, and then my travel time. Pricey blueberries, was my conclusion. I do have some in the freezer from last year. I will be using those for jam sometime soon.

The weather has not been kind to local farmers this year so far. We need rain real bad.
 
#7 ·
Again, how much do the $5 watermelons weigh? Ours usually come in at about ten pounds each. Fifty cents per pound does not seem like a horrible price for fresh fruit, even if it's higher than it used to be.

One of our apple trees is loaded with apples. We probably won't get any of them, between the coons, bears, and deer. :(
 
#8 ·
I don't buy whole melons because they are too big for our fridge, but I can get fresh, iced quarters for .59 per pound.

Locally: cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums all 1.99/lb. Corn has been 2 or 3 for $1, a little high for mid summer (in the past it has been 4 or even 6 for $1) and today they did not even have any in the store.

1lb strawberries 2 for $4. Grapes 1.29 (not a sale price). Oranges 1.88. Little bitty packages of berries 2/$5 (normal price). Aldi had blueberries for 1.29 a pint the last two weeks and I have been getting those. Looks like they have them again this week and cherries at that price, too. Aldi strawberries are .99, I'll have to see if they are any good.
 
#9 ·
I store watermelon by cutting a slice off and sitting the melon cut side up in a big bowl, then put plastic wrap on the cut part. It keeps really well that way and fits in the fridge.

Produce is expensive but what we've been getting up here is really nice stuff, some of the best we've seen in several years. It hurts a little less to pay the higher prices when it's good stuff.
 
#10 ·
Our watermelon is 38 cents a pound, bananas are 52 cents a pound, canteloupe 58 cents a pound, cherries 1.98, rainier cherries 4.98 a pound, grapes 1.98 a pound, apples are 92 cents a pound and lower, corn is 38 cents each or 3/1.00..... Not bad prices I guess. It is scarey to see what they might go to though. Good luck!
 
#11 ·
I live in the severe drought area..yes & that's in IN!! I just think, in my lifetime, paying 6$ for a watermelon!! I got 2, gal size, ziplok bags of watermelon-I don't know how many #'s. Walmart had them for 3$ but they actually look shriveled. Stores are getting a headstart on raising apple prices. It's not fall yet!!! At this time of the year I buy a.s. not apples.
Don't get me started on the price of peanut butter! Who would have thought? Used to be a cheap & healthy sandwich for your kids.
What are families feeding their kids??
And the price of gas???? I know it's down.. but who would have thought -?- we're paying over 3$ for gas in the USA?
I guess the honeymoon is over. Whew... I feel better now LOL. :fight:
 
#12 ·
I'm finishing off a huge hunk of watermelon for my lunch. That'll be the last of it. It's not on sale this week, and thanks to this discussion, now I'm thinking about what I might have to pay if I want some more for next week. We'll see. Maybe something on sale will look good instead.

I hate the rising prices too, but I still think, compared to many places in the world, we have it pretty darn good. A lot of places, the people pay a much higher percentage of their incomes for food and fuel and other necessities. Yeah, it's an adjustment, but I'm confident we'll all make that adjustment and come out just fine in the long run. :)
 
#13 ·
Watermelons were $5.99 at the store this morning. I weighed one, they were about basketball sized and came in at 8.5lbs. That's about 70c per lb. The sign said they were $1 off, too.

I went to Aldi and got strawberries @.99/lb and blueberries for 1.29/pint.
 
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#14 ·
our local grocery store has seedless watermelon for 2.99 ea, that's been the price for almost 4wks.
this week peaches are .99lb
rainier cherries 2.99lb
strawberries 1.50lb, I bought 6 pounds a couple of weeks ago when they were .95lb and froze them.
 
#15 ·
I'd love $3 watermelons! We can get the little personal one-serving size ones for that once in a while.

We live at the end of the road, literally, so a big share of the grocery costs here are for shipping. It's a price we pay for living in the boonies, but it's so worth it to live in one of the prettiest areas in the country.

Prices also go up here in the summer and then down again in the fall.

I feel we're lucky to have two stores so there's competition to help keep prices down, and also that both stores are very nice for a town of less than 4,000 people.
 
#18 ·
I'd love $3 watermelons! We can get the little personal one-serving size ones for that once in a while.

.
The personal size are great for me. The others will spoil before I can eat all of it.

That is all I buy and usually at the $2.99 price....and I pick the heaviest one (that makes sure it is juicy--at least)----they usually weigh in about 5 to 8 lbs..........will vary. Sometimes, though rarely........they will drop to $1.99. My last one almost looked like it was a RUNT of the reg. size.........heavy.......so real juicy, but the taste was NOT great at all. I had to put a large portion of the last 1/2 in juicer so I could get rid of it.

I have YET to have a really good WMelon this summer...........have had about 3......and all, not great.
 
#16 ·
Pretty reasonable here...I guess I should count my blessings:
apples 3 pounds fo $2.47
fresh sweet corn .25 per ear (large ears)
large romaine hearts .50
bananas .44 per pound
 
#19 ·
I got one today for $5 not on sale. The other store had the same thing for $8. I didn't weigh any though.

Bananas were on sale for .59/lb. That's fairly cheap here.

Red delicious apples were $1.56/lb. not on sale. All the other apples were a lot higher, and there were hardly any RD left and they didn't look too good, so I only bought two.

Cherries were $2/lb. on sale.

Lemons were .76 each, not on sale. Well worth it because I suck down lemon ice water by the gallon (literally) in this hot weather, and a lemon lasts me about a week using a slice per day. Much cheaper and healthier than pop or most anything else.

Cabbage was .59/lb. on sale. Yes, I know it's not a fruit.

Tomatoes on the vine were $1.19/lb. on sale. Those are a fruit! Ha! :D

Cauliflower, really nice, huge US-grown ones were a mere $2/head. A steal.

We rarely get any manager's specials or anything like that, so we just have to buy on sale and be happy we can get it.
 
#20 ·
Cauliflower, really nice, huge US-grown ones were a mere $2/head. A steal.

.

That is a REALLY GOOD price for the cauli.!!!! That stuff is usually so heavy and will be priced the same as our broc. And these things are NEVER priced per each..............always per lb. Then it really ticks me off when they leave lots of the broc. stalk on it............so you pay for it, and can't use it.

I had said that I was going to the store this week...........I skipped it.......so far. Not out of milk yet and our produce prices weren't great when I got the ads on Tuesday.

I have no fresh fruit in the house at all.......and very minimal fresh veggies so we shall see how long I last before I go through fruit withdrawal!! I just can't do the store bought canned stuff in the summer! (well, mandarin oranges with cottage cheese doesn't count)

I went out this AM and picked two VERY SMALL zucc. just to have SOMETHING in the house! :laugh: Other wise it is spuds or carrots!
 
#22 ·
Yeah, I knew that too............BUT....

NO THANKS...............think I will pass on that one. I had heard that too....and about asparagus too---think it was on here that I first heard it.

And someone posted...........oh, just run the asparagus stalks through a blender---make soup---blah....blah.....blah.........wellllll........think it was last year when I tried that and won't be doing it again anytime soon. Too much ROUGHAGE for this kid............but I have a darn good flavored soup recipe to use with something else!!

I usually eat the stalks raw........while I am preparing the rest. Raw broc. is one of my favs.........as is caulif. but it has too much Vit. K so I try to be careful/reasonable with amt. I eat. Though that will be the first veggie I 'pick out' of my pickled veggies........and will then have to 'replenish'......
 
#28 ·
Wow........great price for s-berries and b-berries.............never that cheap here.

I was suckered in by my taste buds to try another watermelon................just have NOT had a good one this summer at all!! Always juicy but the flavor has not been great!

Am giving more serious thought to planting some raspberry bushes.........they are one of my favorite and just killer prices!! Often a 6 oz. container for $2.50!!

Still a little leery of the cantaloupe as they are having more listeria problems.........but may have to give in to my craving.
 
#29 ·
If you wash the cantaloupe before cutting, would that take care of any germies? I hadn't heard about the listeria. We just ate a cantaloupe and lived to tell about it. Now there's a honeydew in the fridge.

Watermelon went up a dollar since last week, so it was $6. I bought it anyway. That's still a lot of fruit for the price compared to the cost per pound of other fruits. We've had great luck with watermelon so far this year and every one we've bought has tasted delicious.
 
#30 ·
If you wash the cantaloupe before cutting, would that take care of any germies?
Not with Listeria, but I am going to weaken and as long as it doesn't come from Colorado, I will eat it. It was Jensen Farms in Co. that had all the trouble.
(dirty equipment, I think I read, was the cause)

Don't know what my concern is..........couldn't wait for the watermelons to come from Calif. so ate a couple from Mexico earlier in season! :laugh:

Have eaten much less fruit this summer than normal for me...........but I am a huge fruit eater so have still gobbled up my share!!
 
#31 ·
I succumb to buying imported produce sometimes, too. And sometimes I forget to check country of origin. :(

This is the weird part. I'm NOT a fruit eater! But since starting South Beach Diet, I eat a lot more to get sweets, and also to avoid more dangerous snacks. That's why I keep buying watermelon in spite of the cost. And other stuff, too.

Fresh produce would have to go a lot higher for me to give it up. It's too important to skip it.
 
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