aborted grocery shopping rant...

[TorontoBuilder]

It could be. I think it is possibly personal preference as well.
I would never buy ripe bananas, only pretty green.
OTOH I would never buy unripe pineapple.
Sadly the online shopping doesn't let you express a preference for produce.
On another note, have any of you the Flash Food app?
It lets you online purchase items that are near their expiry date for 1/2 price or less from participating stores including Loblaws and pick it up in the next day or so.
Everything including meat, dairy, produce and bakery. For produce they fill up a box of whatever is getting due and put it in a box roughly the size of a mandarin orange box. A picture of it is posted online and it is sold for 5 bucks, no matter what is in it. We've gotten boxes with 8 large avocados, a pineapple, 3 eggplants and lots of tomatoes in the same box. While some of the produce may be iffy, most of it is easily good for at least a week.

I've heard of online retailers for close to out of date foods, but never seen one.


My wife stops daily for very fast pop-in to local grocer Coppas, just to look at their marked down produce rack. Comes back with heaps of veggies and fruits most days... we use them for the days meals, or freeze for smoothies. This is a very picky store that removes anything but the very freshest produce from the main shelves.

 

[Susquatch]

I'm ridiculously lucky. I have three good grocers, 2 liquor stores, and a butcher, fish monger, and charcutier within 400 meters. I get to walk out every day or two and top up. So much more pleasant.

Me too. Fish in the backyard pond, veggies in all the flower pots, booze in the neighbour's still, rabbits, venison, turkey, and a few other edible meats visit regularly. Just walk out the back door and dinner is served.

 

[Stellrammer]

I miss grocery shopping, especially when I was on the road. I shopped every day and picked up whatever was on sale or inspiring. There was a great Italian butcher shop near 400 and Finch off Signet. It was a huge open warehouse full of meats, produce all in open coolers and bins, and cheap, whole Briskets $1.99 lb. They went Frou Frou and it’s now a boutique market and bistro. There are still old-country deli markets with open pails of pickles and herring, get a bun from the bin, the deli weighs out whatever meat you want and charges the ticket price of the meat and cheese . a sandwhich that may cost $2.50 or $7, however much you want in it. I still drive 30 minutes to a Wednesday farm market near Chatham to buy Hungarian smoked sausage from an old butcher with a barely passing knowledge of English.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

During high school, I worked after school in supermarket . A quick walk down the aisles will tell about how well they do. Locally the two worst are Walmart and Frutacana, which caters to South Asians. But the others aren't much better except for a Co-Op store. They are so sad sack, even empty of customers , it's unpleasant. Then there are the customers.............nuff said.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I miss grocery shopping, especially when I was on the road. I shopped every day and picked up whatever was on sale or inspiring. There was a great Italian butcher shop near 400 and Finch off Signet. It was a huge open warehouse full of meats, produce all in open coolers and bins, and cheap, whole Briskets $1.99 lb. They went Frou Frou and it’s now a boutique market and bistro. There are still old-country deli markets with open pails of pickles and herring, get a bun from the bin, the deli weighs out whatever meat you want and charges the ticket price of the meat and cheese . a sandwhich that may cost $2.50 or $7, however much you want in it. I still drive 30 minutes to a Wednesday farm market near Chatham to buy Hungarian smoked sausage from an old butcher with a barely passing knowledge of English.

sounds like Globe Meats.

I drive a long way to get heritage pasture raised pork every summer.

 

[PaulL]

Me too. Fish in the backyard pond, veggies in all the flower pots, booze in the neighbour's still, rabbits, venison, turkey, and a few other edible meats visit regularly. Just walk out the back door and dinner is served.

And that's the version when I'm out here at the cabin ;-)

 

[Stellrammer]

sounds like Globe Meats.

I drive a long way to get heritage pasture raised pork every summer.

Yup, our local Italian bakery went the same way, a small open warehouse jammed with fresh breads, cheese, cured meats. Rocking all the time, elbow to elbow Friday through Sunday, small pizza or lasagna for $1, latte for 1.50. Pops passed away and kids mortgaged out and rented 2 huge spaces and expanded into boutique mode, lost all the ambiance and charm, failed in 6 months.

 

[Stellrammer]

Me too. Fish in the backyard pond, veggies in all the flower pots, booze in the neighbour's still, rabbits, venison, turkey, and a few other edible meats visit regularly. Just walk out the back door and dinner is served.

I really want to try roasted swan, but don’t want to spend the rest of my life in jail.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Yup, our local Italian bakery went the same way, a small open warehouse jammed with fresh breads, cheese, cured meats. Rocking all the time, elbow to elbow Friday through Sunday, small pizza or lasagna for $1, latte for 1.50. Pops passed away and kids mortgaged out and rented 2 huge spaces and expanded into boutique mode, lost all the ambiance and charm, failed in 6 months.

I used to live beside a place called Lamanna's Fine Foods. Had porchetta sandwich every day along with a bunch of espressos. Then they became too popular. I bought an espresso maker

 

[PaulL]

I really want to try roasted swan, but don’t want to spend the rest of my life in jail.

I've seen some nice medieval recipes for it. First, skin the bird in one piece, salt the skin down well. Then cook a turkey, put inside the swan skin, and serve.
Same recipe for peacock.

 

[Doggggboy]

I've seen some nice medieval recipes for it. First, skin the bird in one piece, salt the skin down well. Then cook a turkey, put inside the swan skin, and serve.
Same recipe for peacock.

And Snow Goose.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I've seen some nice medieval recipes for it. First, skin the bird in one piece, salt the skin down well. Then cook a turkey, put inside the swan skin, and serve.
Same recipe for peacock.

I'm happy with nice roast goose, so I dont see a need to eat a swan. Too many left overs to deal with

 

[Susquatch]

I really want to try roasted swan, but don’t want to spend the rest of my life in jail.

I had a swan stay for a few months two years ago. It became so tame you could hand feed him. Then he single handedly began refilling my 1 acre pond. It got so bad I finally decided he had to go. Dinner crossed my mind but I only have a few years left so I'm not inclined to spend them eating prison food either. We stopped feeding him and one day he just left and never came back. I gotta tell you it was one of the happiest days of my life to watch him lift off. He didn't even circle. Its like he knew he had worn out his welcome.

 

[historicalarms]

Swans, Cranes & Canada geese....boil 3 hrs with a 6 lb field stone ( plain old rock), throw the birds out to the dogs & try to chip suckable sized pieces of the rock off dipped in the broth.

 

[140mower]

Swans, Cranes & Canada geese....boil 3 hrs with a 6 lb field stone ( plain old rock), throw the birds out to the dogs & try to chip suckable sized pieces of the rock off dipped in the broth.

That was my grandmother's recipe for old tough moose bulls, only you were to boil for a week before eating the rock....

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Swans, Cranes & Canada geese....boil 3 hrs with a 6 lb field stone ( plain old rock), throw the birds out to the dogs & try to chip suckable sized pieces of the rock off dipped in the broth.

I'd question if you actually have eaten Canada Goose. Grass fed, plump with loads of flavourful fat that assures the most succulent and moist roast meat

 

[PaulL]

I'd question if you actually have eaten Canada Goose. Grass fed, plump with loads of flavourful fat that assures the most succulent and moist roast meat

We get some around here from keeping the airstrip up the road clear of geese. Roast breast is nice, but I like to dry-salt cure them. Great treat.

 

[Susquatch]

I'd question if you actually have eaten Canada Goose. Grass fed, plump with loads of flavourful fat that assures the most succulent and moist roast meat

I'm not a big fan of Canada Geese or ducks. Especially not fish ducks. But...... In the hands of a cook who knows what they are doing, they are absolutely delicious.

I think most people assume that you can cook wild game the same as domestic animals. Not true. A good wild game cook has totally separate recipes.

Maybe corn fed southern venison, hardwood or ruffed grouse, and ring necked pheasant are exceptions. Certainly no slab of beef ever tasted better than southern farmland venison. Prolly didn't cost more either. Those GD deer are EXPENSIVE to feed! Maybe the only thing worse is grackles. One grackle will consume an acre of corn in a week, feed it to their young, spread their crap across your patio or backyard pool, and then teach their young how to do it for themselves!

 

[jcdammeyer]

I must admit I don't mind the grocery shopping. Way back when my wife was in University and we were existing on a limited budget we'd take a calculator along and everything that went into the cart was added on. It became a game, since we couldn't weight the produce accurately, to guess how close we'd get to our calculation at the cash register. It kept us on track.
Since then I've been a stay at home dad so done much more of the shopping from a list created by SWMBO. Even now she makes the lists checking the fliers and we go out on Saturday to hunt and gather. I hunt, she gathers. Costco trips, lately way more expensive, also involve a cheap hot dog before shopping and then the various snacks, (so glad they are back) for dessert.
Anyway, as this facebook posting tells, we've been at it for a while.

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[Tom O]

I’m getting my gas at Costco and always stop in for a hotdog it’s not the same tho because there’s no onions or peppers , that was my favourite part about getting the hotdog.