Today
Today’s shopping trip…$83.80
Over my self-imposed budget of $50 for the week but I decided to get some spare ribs that were on sale for $2.49 pound. That was $27.00. But my big score was strawberries. Aldi had them on in store clearance for 25 cents pound!! Some of them have already gone soft, that’s why they were on clearance, but I bought 8 pounds worth for a total of $2.oo and am hoping to get at least 6-7 pounds out of them. Now the problem is going to be finding a place to freeze them. I’m hoping Single Guy Next Door has room in his freezer…he usually does. If not, I’ll be sharing strawberries with all my neighbors! Also, Aldi had avocado’s on sale for 49 cents each. I’ve never seen them that cheap before, not even at the produce market so I’ve included them in almost every meal on this week’s meal plan. And coincidentally, limes were on sale for 10 cents each at the produce market and I needed lots of them to go with all those avocado’s!
I wanted to share this…this is how I wash my produce when I get it home, everything except English Cucumbers (when I open them from their wrapping I wash them with soap and water), including soft fruits like berries. I scour out the sink and fill it with cold water. I dump about 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup Hydrogen Peroxide in and let my produce soak while I put away the rest of the groceries, at least 15 minutes. Then I rinse with clean water, let air dry and put away. I’ve been doing this for several years now and not only is my produce clean I’d swear it lasts longer. I think the peroxide kills off the bacteria that promotes decay. Can’t prove it, just what I suspect.
And this is the crud that’s left behind. Pretty gross, huh?
Great tips on cleaning the produce & I am definitely going to try that, although I really wish I hadn’t seen your sink “after” since I just had lettuce last night that was a quick rinse in the salad spinner. And I love the tip from thefoodery about a paper towel sprinkled w/white vinegar. That could very well solve our dilemma about knowing when blue cheese goes bad. But seriously – how many people are you feeding? You are the best all time shopper in the United States, probably the world & maybe the universe.
WooHoo! I finally have Universal Domination!! Now all my evil plans can be fulfilled!! Buwahahahaha!
I’m working on your bejeweled crown but it might be a while – still de-constructing the sofa. I figure a co-ordinating breast plate & spear gun… any particular color scheme you’d like?
I’d like an Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, please…just like the one Marvin Martian had.
Great tip on the rinse! I’ve been using vinegar and water, but I will try peroxide out.
Justa, I rinsed some kale, swiss chard and parsley in a large bowl with hydrogen peroxide and I couldn’t believe how dirty the veggies were! I showed it to my husband and he said, “Well, it’s natural!” I’m glad I did this, because now I have a head start to meal prep!
It’s amazing isn’t it? Much more crud than just rinsing with water.:)
I’m jealous of your avocados and strawberries! I would love to have an overabundance of both of those.
I just finished prepping all the berries. I got right at 5 pounds which works out to 40¢ a pound. Still a huge bargain!
I forgot about Aldi! Yes, I will have to check out their produce section next time. Thanks for the produce washing tip, that is so helpful, and I think we have a big bottle of peroxide under the sink (for all my husband’s boo boos!) Here’s a tip back at you: wrap your cheeses in a paper towel sprinkled with white vinegar. It won’t affect the taste or anything, but changes the environment on the surface so mold won’t grow (or will slow down its growth.) I don’t know how it affects blue cheeses or brie, but for the other stuff it works!
That’s awesome! Here’s one more…notice in the bottom crisper drawer there is always something wrapped in aluminum foil? It’s celery. I have no idea why this works but celery will keep for weeks like this. I’m wondering if the foil keeps it more chilled or something?
I’m guessing it’s to keep water from evaporating, especially since those plastic bags don’t do a heck of a lot to keep celery fresh! And my foil-wrapped items tend to be onion halves, which eventually “pucker out” from the center, like they’re absorbing moisture!