Buying loose fruit and veg

SunMoonStars

The co-op is now selling more produce loose and they are generally cheaper than buying pre-bagged. Mind you, that’s not saying much as it is an expensive shop, but it’s the only shop here so there isn’t an alternative.

I buy red peppers loose from there and they usually just go straight in the basket rather than taking a wee plastic produce bag. But I wanted to use one raw the other day and it occurred to me I maybe shouldn’t. The baskets are probably a food hygiene nightmare, what with leaky chicken packaging, meat juice, ready meals. Not ideal. You try your best...

[Deleted User]

My local big Tescos seem to have stopped using paper bags to use for mushrooms it's a plastic bag, or take your own .

A week or so ago a young woman in front of me at the till bought her fruit and veg and then promptly removed it all from the plastic wrap and gave it to the assistant who looked a bit perplexed and said 'I don't want it' ,to which this young lass said , 'Well neither do I' and put all of her stuff into several cloth bags, and walked out of the shop to a round of applause from the other customers

I take as many of my own bags as possible if I am buying fresh fruit and veg but I have never been brave enough to actually bin the surplus plastic at the shop

There used to be a greengrocers locally and also a street market but they have become rare than hens teeth where I live sadly, which is odd as I live in the Garden of England I believe the nearest market to me now is the WI one which is 6 miles away and only open on a Thursday morning for two hours where surplus stuff is sold and a bit of a high price

people today have to shop with their feet for value and price so thats probably why the big SM have such a captive customer base.

Prinzessilein

I have a VERY limited choice of shops...an M&S with a small but excellent foodhall and a Tesco Metro which is truly dire.(I have now n the Tesco to have 3 aisles of Seasonal cakes/chocolates...but no milk)

No idea where the nearest Sainsburys is...but the COOP, Big Tesco and Morrisons are all too far away - as are ASDA, Aldi and Lidl...choice becomes very narrow when you are disabled with no car, and a busstop that is 'conveniently' placed about 20 minutes walk away.

We used to have a thriving market, in fact there were 2 of them. One closed a few years and the other about a year ago. Thankfully there IS a fruit and Veg stall and van that may/may not open/turn up..not a big variety but at least it is a start.

Last time I wanted to make Sauerkraut I had to wait 3 weeks until a local supermarket (M&S as it happens) got a white cabbage in...it's not that I'm looking for 'exotic' veg!!!!...although some Yam or Plantain would be lovely once or twice a year as a treat!)

I have looked into online shopping...but when you look at places that deliver to us the choice of fresh fruit and veg is not much better...and of course you rely on picker-packers to choose your fruit and veg, and I want to do that myself!

I used to have a regular veg box delivered-that was FANTASTIC! Sadly, I moved to a place that is not on the delivery route for boxes!

Pollycat

Do we know yet where the OP is shopping, what shops he has access to and what fruit/veg he usually buys?

Farway

kerri_gt wrote: »

Yes, I am irked by the price for loose pet kg being greater than bagged.

Just guessing but I think there may be higher wastage with loose than bagged, us naughty shoppers picking the best out & leaving the not so good behind
With bagged you don't get to pick & choose your choice

Fire_Fox

Prinzessilein wrote: »

No idea where the nearest Sainsburys is...but the COOP, Big Tesco and Morrisons are all too far away - as are ASDA, Aldi and Lidl...choice becomes very narrow when you are disabled with no car, and a busstop that is 'conveniently' placed about 20 minutes walk away.

For anyone who does not drive I can recommend living in a city centre. My street and the surrounding ones are wall-to-wall bus stops.

At the other end Morries and the Asda 'supercentre' have bus stops very close to the main door. The slightly smaller Asda 'superstore' has poor bus stop provision (several mins walk), and big Tescon would be difficult for a wheelchair user (two shallow steps with hand rail to/ from the bus stop). My nearest Lidl has much better access for non-drivers than my nearest Aldi.

TBH though, around here it is not uncommon for people who do not drive to travel home with a big supermarket shop in a taxi.

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Last time I wanted to make Sauerkraut I had to wait 3 weeks until a local supermarket (M&S as it happens) got a white cabbage in...it's not that I'm looking for 'exotic' veg!!!!...although some Yam or Plantain would be lovely once or twice a year as a treat!)

If you can get red cabbage you can make even healthier sauerkraut with that.

Farway

Fire_Fox wrote: »

TBH though, around here it is not uncommon for people who do not drive to travel home with a big supermarket shop in a taxi.

Same round here, though I suspect that is more to do with the high bus fares than bus stop locations

suki1964

SunMoonStars wrote: »

The co-op is now selling more produce loose and they are generally cheaper than buying pre-bagged. Mind you, that’s not saying much as it is an expensive shop, but it’s the only shop here so there isn’t an alternative.

I buy red peppers loose from there and they usually just go straight in the basket rather than taking a wee plastic produce bag. But I wanted to use one raw the other day and it occurred to me I maybe shouldn’t. The baskets are probably a food hygiene nightmare, what with leaky chicken packaging, meat juice, ready meals. Not ideal. You try your best...

I take it you have a clean water supply to the house? A wash of said produce usually works


When I was a child, in the 70s, Id take the shopping trolly ( bag on wheels ) and head to the market and first stop was Georgie Mays and 10lb of spuds, tipped straight in, then the onions, carrots, cabbage etc, followed by the next stall up and the fruit and salad veg - weighed and tipped right on in

From there, away up to Liptons to get the ham and cheese ( wrapped in paper and straight on top of everything else I had,) then the pet shop to get the fido meat for the cat, which was slabs of the most revolting stuff you have ever seen or smelt, sold by the pound, wrapped in newspaper

Im still alive 40 years later

Seriously, Ive worked in Supermarkets, Restaurants and food preparation for the majority of my life. Putting loose fruit and veg in a basket really is the least of your worries

Prinzessilein

Fire_Fox wrote: »

For anyone who does not drive I can recommend living in a city centre. My street and the surrounding ones are wall-to-wall bus stops.

At the other end Morries and the Asda 'supercentre' have bus stops very close to the main door. The slightly smaller Asda 'superstore' has poor bus stop provision (several mins walk), and big Tescon would be difficult for a wheelchair user (two shallow steps with hand rail to/ from the bus stop). My nearest Lidl has much better access for non-drivers than my nearest Aldi.

TBH though, around here it is not uncommon for people who do not drive to travel home with a big supermarket shop in a taxi.



If you can get red cabbage you can make even healthier sauerkraut with that.

Red Cabbage...I wish!!!!...Mum and I snaffle them up whenever they appear in the stores...we love it as a veg, cooked with apple...In earlier days, I used it in a sort of winter-coleslaw....and yes, I would happily ferment it!...but it is less available than the white sort!

As for living near the town centre...iy's not a choice I have...on disability grounds I was moved into a sheltered retirement complex ...a good few years younger than all other residents, but I have a ground-floor flat with level access shower, which is what I need!

I'm really not complaining...I was thrilled to be offered this place...but beings as 90% of the residents here are old and less-than-mobile it would have been nice for the council to put a busstop nearby!

LadyDee

DWhite wrote: »

Apologies if this has already been asked before. I’m a regular lurker on here and I’m fairly sure I haven’t seen it.
I’m a child of the 80’s. I remember going to shops and the fruit/veg etc being sold loose. You’d choose how much and which ones. Like potatoes still are now...
Does anywhere exist that still does this? I find it so frustrating to have it dictated to me how much of something is in a pack. Not to mention the excess packaging! I live alone and fill one, sometimes two recycling bags a week plus a black bag of general waste that can’t be recycled.
I don’t have lots of disposable income to spend on organic places, or specialist places etc just wondering if there’s such a place as grocers/supermarkets that still do this?

I am fortunate enough to have a market within a short bus ride - where I get as much of my fruit & veg as possible. I refuse to buy a bag of apples when I only want three, a handful of sprouts in a plastic bag for £1, Jersey potatoes in plastic (which taste nothing like Jersey Royals) and of all things - bananas wrapped in plastic!