Geez, of course. How do y’all think people survived before having a grocery store on every other corner?
Romaine lasts much longer than iceberg. Don’t slice iceberg but peel the leaves one at a time to extend freshness. HEB strawberries mold between the car and the fridge. Walmart strawberries last for a couple weeks and are great in homemade yogurt with local honey. HEB yellow onions also rot and sprout by the time I get them home but Walmart’s onions last more than a month. Roma (cheaper) tomatoes will last a couple of weeks compared to other varieties that rot within days. Yes, unfortunately the tomatoes run out before the lettuce so have to be creative in using the lettuce up. It all depends on the supplier and properly storing the items. Don’t leave produce tightly wrapped in those plastic bags because that only causes them to rot.
Of course, some produce must be eaten asap such as peaches, bananas and avocadoes. Avocadoes last longer in the fridge than on the counter. Apples and oranges will last quite a while.
Potatoes, winter squash and carrots last longer than a month. Cabbage and bell peppers last a good long time. Celery usually does, too. If celery starts to go limp, put it in a jar of water to crisp it back up and eat it sooner than later or chop it up and freeze it for soups and stuffing for the holidays. I can only get fresh cauliflower at Walmart and it’ll last a couple of weeks in the fridge. Can’t stand frozen cauliflower.
Fresh corn on the cob is heaven but it’s growing season is short. Also, it loses it’s sweetness quickly. Perhaps in large cities it’s on the shelves longer when they can truck it in. So, yeah, there’s always canned but corn raises the blood sugar. Yes, have basic canned goods in the pantry but not highly processed or prepackaged stuff. I also do NOT buy pre-cut produce.
Yogurt lasts out the month. So does cream, sour cream and cheeses. Again, properly store the cheese. Eggs last forever. Neat thing with dairy. Expiration dates are stamped on so use them to buy only the freshest.
As the month progresses, I plan our meals around perishableness (that’s not a word but whatever)... example - greens are eaten at the beginning of the month and the hardier greens like kale or collards stay fresh longer than delicate spinach. Keeping an eye out on what’s what and not letting something get lost in the back of the fridge saves from having to toss it in the trash. Very, very seldom does anything end up in the trash except for HEB produce that was already past it’s prime.
Break that fresh gingerroot from the store into piece and plant it in a container on the patio. It’ll be a long time before a ginger run at the store is needed. Slice it up and freeze any store bought that you don’t use before it dries out. Great in Asian dishes or in a cup of ginger lemon and honey tea.
Can’t garden anymore but in the winter, the sun shines in the kitchen window so it’s fresh pesto time. Pecans from our trees substitute just fine for ancient store bought pine nuts. Sadly, the sun is at the wrong angle in the summer so no basil.
We go past two groceries twice a day, to and from work. I like getting fresh veggies. Because it is on the way, the little extra I spend is saved in gas and time. So we do shop there sometimes.
Otherwise the regular weekly haul is at the “Dented Can” down the road.