S/o Costco thread #2: do you buy produce in Costco?

[ShanaMama]

Their quality is excellent. Every time I go I get hooked on another fruit or veggie. I actually wait to buy eggplants & tomatoes there. I haven't compared prices though, even though Costco prices seem reasonable.
Am I getting suckered in to buying gourmet stuff or is Costco just doing it better?

[DrSally]

I find the prices (and qualiyt) to be great. I love getting a big bag of romaine lettuce (try to eat it all, but it's hard), mini cukes, blueberries, their broccoli is so tasty, I love munching on it for a snack.

ETA: Oh, their portabella mushrooms (mini) are so cheap for the size of the container. I love wrapping in foil and grilling to eat with steak.

[belovedgandp]

If you can consume the quantity that is packaged without wasting, then yes, I think it is a great deal and the quality is usually fabulous.

I'm at Costco every 7 to 10 days - frequently it is a $20-30 trip solely to buy fruit, veggies, and milk.

[smiles33]

We love their Tomatoes, Asparagus, French green beans, mini bell peppers, and fruit salad. I admit I'm too lazy to chop up my own fruit, so I like getting the Costco one (though you need to check dates as if it's an older one, it tastes really sour/tangy from the citric acid preservative).

[ShanaMama]

Oh no no no ladies. This thread is not supposed to generate suggestions of how to spend more money!! Lol, I guess that's what Costco is all about. I am trying to stick to a tight budget & keep telling myself that most of the items I am now buying in Costco are things I was previously buying elsewhere. Today I bought a 3 pack of half gallon soymilks for 6.99. I've been making special trips to Shoprite for a particular brand of soymilk that costs 4.99 or 5.99 per half gallon. I go once in awhile & buy out the store. I was ready to cry when I saw that price. I really hope that DD likes it.


If you can consume the quantity that is packaged without wasting, then yes, I think it is a great deal and the quality is usually fabulous.


Thing is, because the quality is so high the stuff lasts 2-3 times as long. I bought the bag of gourmet baby eggplants 2 weeks ago. I throw eggplant on the grill, in the oven, into a rare stir fry. Love it. I still have 3 from that bag sitting in my fridge waiting to be used this week. When I buy large eggplant at my local grocery it lasts 3-4 days MAX.

[Rainbows&Roses]

I think the quality is hit/miss. Their lemons go bad within a few days (get moldy) and their organic raspberries often are sold moldy. I guess those things should be refrigerated and there is only so much cooler space.

[kijip]

Not many organic options at mine aside from lettuce and (i think) bananas. I do get some items there but most of our veggies come from the CSA or this stand 2 blocks from my house.

At the costco here, most of the veggies and fruit are in a huge cooler room. I have never had any quality issues with them at all, just wish they had a wider selection.

[khm]

Thing is, because the quality is so high the stuff lasts 2-3 times as long. I bought the bag of gourmet baby eggplants 2 weeks ago. I throw eggplant on the grill, in the oven, into a rare stir fry. Love it. I still have 3 from that bag sitting in my fridge waiting to be used this week. When I buy large eggplant at my local grocery it lasts 3-4 days MAX.

Hmmm, worth noting! I generally don't buy a lot of types of produce there because the sizes are just so large I worried about wasting stuff. I'll have to give a few new items a go with this in mind!

I do like their frozen organic broccoli, and their frozen berries for smoothies.

[kransden]

Mine had giant cherries today - they were YUM! (There should be a lick your lips smilely)

[Fairy]

Not many organic options at mine aside from lettuce and (i think) bananas. I do get some items there but most of our veggies come from the CSA or this stand 2 blocks from my house.

At the costco here, most of the veggies and fruit are in a huge cooler room. I have never had any quality issues with them at all, just wish they had a wider selection.

This is me. Hardly any organic options, and if they're members of the dirty dozen, I won't do it. Now, I also don't buy the organic carrots cuz we can't POSSIBLY eat them before they get weird. I do get the sliced organic apples sometimes, but they go bad before we can get 'em all eaten, too, I mean, there are only 3 of us.

So, basically, not too much produce from Costco, no.

[MommyAllison]

We get berries there sometimes, esp blackberries (ours carries organic), and lemons, watermelon, and pineapple are usually way cheaper at Costco than the grocery store!

[fumofu]

My parents have membership to Costco and my mom loves her produce from there. She eats a lot of veggies and can clear off big bags of lettuce from Costco in a week on her own.

Dad loves bananas from there, Mom loves berries of all kinds. Best is when they share their fruit - I love yellow mangoes from the Philippines!

[infomama]

I will entertain anything organic they have but it usually isn't much. Watermelons and bananas we buy there often, though.

[schrocat]

We just buy organic baby spinach and organic cut apples from Costco. We also buy the fruit bowl of cut fruits about once a week since everybody loves it and I can't keep up with cutting enough fruits for everybody for the week. Stuff like onions, it's actually cheaper for us to get elsewhere.

[Momit]

Man, I miss Costco! I used to get tons of produce there because of the great quality and prices. Bananas, avocados, cherries, blueberries, mangoes, kiwis, asparagus and my favorite bargain - persimmons in the late fall. Seriously, for the price of one persimmon at Safeway I could get 6 at Costco and they were fabulous.

[brittone2]

We just moved and the selection here differs slightly.

I prefer to buy local, etc. but if we are at costco anyway or it is out of season (and right now with the move we don't have a CSA membership and are still finding the farmer's markets in the area...) we will buy:

Organic salad green tub (great price. We eat a LOT of salad and I throw these in my smoothies)

sometimes organic spinach (I'll also use this in smoothies so easy for me to use up)

sometimes mushrooms

store in our new city carries 3 packs of pesticide free cucumbers

avocados (the ones we get at costco are usually great)

I saw in the costco magazine thingie that they were going to try selling organic strawberries...I think in the southeast. I'd love for them to expand that.

[kms00]

The Costco I was at this weekend had organic strawberries. I think the container was the same size. It was just under $10.

[TwinFoxes]

I don't even bother to look. DH eats limited fresh produce, and their sizes are too huge for DDs and me.

[DrSally]

I find that their produce tends to last longer. I wonder if in addition to quality, it's the breathable bags?