tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post2391040165749537105..comments2024-03-29T19:22:11.409+10:00Comments on down to earth: Getting to know my supermarket, againUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-85971594832614034352013-12-27T04:02:46.147+10:002013-12-27T04:02:46.147+10:00I am in the USA and we have really big grocery sto...I am in the USA and we have really big grocery stores here. What I have found is if you shop the perimeter those are the healthier foods. Fresh vegetables, meats, dairy are all on the outside aisles here. Sometimes I don't even venture into the middle aisles. If I do it's usually for baking goods-baking soda, powder, sugar, etc. I do also buy oats that they put on the cereal aisle here (cereals here should be brought up on fraud charges because they are anything but healthy as they claim). I also will buy frozen vegetables and fruits if needed. We are working more and more each year to become self-reliant like you & Hanno. My husband & I both enjoy your blog.1stepatatimehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05958947431561487581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-1100653099936845972013-12-11T13:20:17.420+10:002013-12-11T13:20:17.420+10:00We use the Woolworths App to go shopping. It show...We use the Woolworths App to go shopping. It show you what aisle the product is in and where about in the aisle it is located. My husband shops and I push the trolley...that way we only get what is on the list (I am not able to wander around looking at stuff that I don't need, reading labels and then ending up buying stuff just in case)...... So we are in and out of the supermarket in a flash. I prefer to shop at IGA, but Hubby prefers Woolies because shopping there is quicker. Journey to Somewhere - Gail and Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12302475844698592286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-36799533333466860432013-12-11T08:39:43.068+10:002013-12-11T08:39:43.068+10:00Thank you for your comment, Dorothy. I appreciate ...Thank you for your comment, Dorothy. I appreciate you taking the time to say hello. You know, I think we'll move towards online shopping in a few years time, mainly to eliminate the carrying from the shop to the car and then into the house. I wish you a very happy Christmas. xxrhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-85810353070740137452013-12-11T07:37:41.620+10:002013-12-11T07:37:41.620+10:00I think these changes happened quite a while ago, ...I think these changes happened quite a while ago, here in northeast Ohio, though now there is a swing back and we have more and more farmers markets, including ones that only sell what the vendors themselves have produced....And often organic.<br /><br />Recently I had been buying frozen organic spinach for a higher price because I thought it was a better product when suddenly I realized it was from China. I was stunned. There is no way they can be inspected well enough to guarantee this is organic. Never again will I buy this, or forget to check provenance.Thickethouse.wordpresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17187303460677067276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-72344053010030161122013-12-11T07:32:46.974+10:002013-12-11T07:32:46.974+10:00I am a more mature lady (80 years young) and I do...I am a more mature lady (80 years young) and I do my shopping with Coles online. A nice gentleman carries my groceries into the house and puts them on the kitchen counter. One thing I dislike about grocery shopping is the choices. If I have to buy cereal or dog food I stand in front of so much choice that it just makes me tired and I just want to go home. Another thing I dislike is if I need help it is so difficult to find someone who works in the store who can help me. This is a momentous occasion as after all your good advice I am actually making a comment myself. Keep up the great work and have a wonderful Christmas. Dorothy in Canberra, Australia.<br />Quilterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224594747005413110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-53160271905429173372013-12-11T05:50:56.144+10:002013-12-11T05:50:56.144+10:00I let Matt do the shopping, too. I dislike it and...I let Matt do the shopping, too. I dislike it and it fits better with his schedule as he works outside the home only part-time. However, when I am out and about I sure see a lot of Made In China food. I was just talking about it to a friend. The grocery was selling Chinese apple juice. Since apples are a fruit we can actually grow well up here in the north country I find this utterly disappointing.BLD in MThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497511995276601468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-26271623859854722472013-12-11T05:38:25.276+10:002013-12-11T05:38:25.276+10:00About 15 years ago we took our teenage children to...About 15 years ago we took our teenage children to Perth, Australia to have a holiday with family living there.<br />I recall going to the shops & seeing washing powder I hadn't seen for years at home. Not sure if I can say the name, but if I can it was omo, I hadn't even realised it had disappeared back in the UK. I expect there are many things no longer available that I for one just didn't miss. Enjoy the shopping Rhonda! I know how you feel, but looking with fresh eyes will be educational.<br />Best wishes,<br />Angela ( south England) UKAngelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17514068136782167469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-29476312167574679492013-12-11T05:37:06.176+10:002013-12-11T05:37:06.176+10:00I try to do my shopping early in the morning befor...I try to do my shopping early in the morning before the crowds start. I only go once a week and on that day my husband says he can tell I have been shopping because I am cranky that evening...lol. He says I am so relaxed when I am home all day.<br />CarolCarolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00645417159193407561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-5058805530500830712013-12-11T04:01:45.234+10:002013-12-11T04:01:45.234+10:00You're so lucky that Hanno will do the grocery...You're so lucky that Hanno will do the grocery shopping for you. I dislike shopping of any kind but grocery shopping is the worst since you just have to keep doing it on a fairly regular basis!<br /><br />Victoria<br />Indiana USAvichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18428581552807859803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-89162038696514498172013-12-11T01:54:40.267+10:002013-12-11T01:54:40.267+10:00If anything I think there feels like there is more...If anything I think there feels like there is more of a swing towards UK produced products over here - our problem still comes with fruit and veg though. I live in an area which is packed full of greenhouses growing tomatoes and mushrooms, yet still struggle to buy UK grown of either a lot of the time! <br />For the first time this year the UK properly embraced "Shop Local Saturday" - I blogged about it yesterday. This is an attempt to encourage people to use their local shops instead of the supermarkets, and I heartily agree with this. Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04175531371914205163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-11208207503353263812013-12-11T01:49:51.363+10:002013-12-11T01:49:51.363+10:00I live in the Bay Area (San Francisco area) in nor...I live in the Bay Area (San Francisco area) in northern California. We too have the "wine country " crowd and gazillions of champagne and wine cellars; all of which bring in tourists, etc. with their attached or nearby upscale restaurants. The local markets are also, predictably, full of upscale food. It seems that Americans anymore cannot seem to chop their own vegetables. Of course, the customer is charged more for this, and the shelves are full of this type of convenience food; none of which I buy. But yes, we do have disappearing brands here in the U.S.; goods you just cannot find anymore. And the imported Asian stuff is rife. I have often though about the fact that I cannot find local tomatoes even though I live in California and they had a thriving industry up in Sacramento at one time. hopflowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808010877609649152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-60359513908569547842013-12-11T00:32:03.712+10:002013-12-11T00:32:03.712+10:00I have to admit - I love doing the grocery shoppin...I have to admit - I love doing the grocery shopping! I guess it's because there is a part of me that does enjoy shopping and getting "new" things - and since I don't do much other shopping these days, it's a bit of a treat for me. Part of that could be because I live near NYC and we have an abundance of wonderful choices nearby - Trader Joe's, Whole Foods (too expensive to buy much, but they have a decent organic generic brand, and the beautifully arranged aisles are so much fun to peruse), a large, family-owned grocery store/dairy that always gives out delicious samples, even Costco - I love it all! Now that our kids are older, my husband and I leave them at home on a Saturday afternoon and go together. I wouldn't say it's as romantic as a night out at a restaurant, but it works for us! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03522078385657590910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-72485411970482530152013-12-10T23:35:05.166+10:002013-12-10T23:35:05.166+10:00What I have noticed is the steady increase in pric...What I have noticed is the steady increase in prices. I buy mostly produce , meat and staples and still, every week, my groceries cost more. I bypass all items with preservatives and make everything by scratch, but still the increase will soon be beyond my means.Jingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07357961722537445285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-74152276664805758232013-12-10T21:43:56.150+10:002013-12-10T21:43:56.150+10:00Rhonda, like you, I don't regularly shop. We l...Rhonda, like you, I don't regularly shop. We live in an outpost, have only my car, and my husband uses it for work, so he does the shopping after work. It's not an ideal arrangement, and I wish we could have changed it, because this way my husband does the shopping after work and before dinner, so he's hungry and often buys things that weren't on the list - but so far this is what we can do. We can't grocery shop online because nobody would deliver here. On the few times I do go to the supermarket, I've noticed two main changes in recent years: 1) the food prices are slowly climbing up, while salaries remain more or less the same, and more people are unemployed and 2) supermarkets are more colorful and enticing in order to tempt people to buy more. I guess we are lucky to slowly develop an immunity to this temptation. Mrs. Anna Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15377583333000789903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-27790419029775682412013-12-10T21:21:33.520+10:002013-12-10T21:21:33.520+10:00I'm glad you are enjoying The Abbey. I've ...I'm glad you are enjoying The Abbey. I've been a visitor there for many years and always enjoy the peace and gentle rhythm of life there. But what strikes me whenever I talk to the sisters is that despite their choice to live a cloistered life they are far from being cut off from the world. They are certainly well informed about current events, they just prefer to let the world come to them instead of the other way around. Winamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065947445339036623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-53807080667472916352013-12-10T21:20:44.396+10:002013-12-10T21:20:44.396+10:00thank you Rhonda for taking the time, will have a ...thank you Rhonda for taking the time, will have a read.<br /><br />Dear me, I've just watched the first 2 episodes of The Abbey on ABC iview, I cried and cried!!! I'd love to do that experiment. JanJan (a gluttonous wife)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04980538485559579650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-75182505469030757932013-12-10T16:41:49.903+10:002013-12-10T16:41:49.903+10:00Oh yes, we have it here.Oh yes, we have it here.rhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-13874403307149411212013-12-10T16:39:33.718+10:002013-12-10T16:39:33.718+10:00I live in a very up market area, our nearest town ...I live in a very up market area, our nearest town is full of art galleries, estate agents, 'cafe culture' and upper class delicatessens so prices are inflated to cater for the weekenders who come from London and other places, the locals cannot afford to shop here. I don't go shopping as such at all, I do it all online, even the grocery shopping. (our nearest supermarket is 25 miles away) I have an ongoing list in the kitchen which I add to as I run low on items, then once a month I do an online shop and have it all delivered. Brilliant, saves all that queuing and loading of shopping trollies. Your shopping list is saved so that it's all there next time you go to it, and it stops all that temptation in the aisles! Don't they have online supermarket shopping in Australia? Sue Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463317651625459406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-50282871229855694072013-12-10T15:48:20.904+10:002013-12-10T15:48:20.904+10:00I shop weekly but absolutely loathe it so am going...I shop weekly but absolutely loathe it so am going to try to shop fortnightly beginning next year. If I work it right, and plan properly and get the veg garden going the way I want it hopefully I will be able to shop just once a month. We only have Woolworths/Safeways - that I enter under extreme protest, Coles - only to buy what I can't get at Aldi and Aldi. No farmers markets, no IGA, not even any dairies we can buy milk from. It would be lovely to buy in bulk and there is a new store opened which I must check out but sometimes it works out cheaper to buy lots in smaller packs than a big bag. Time for some more number crunching and for some serious home organising.<br /><br />Brace yourself going to the supermarket Rhonda. I'm predicting it will be enough to put you off totally for another 12 months.<br /><br />Calidorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07118238727781108509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-52220880520105253872013-12-10T15:31:18.834+10:002013-12-10T15:31:18.834+10:00I shop fairly regularly because I teach cooking wo...I shop fairly regularly because I teach cooking workshops but I tend to buy in bulk from supermarkets online (I don't drive and it's easier than dragging home 10 kilos of bicarb and 10 kilos of flour and then some)! I like to buy as much as I can from the local nuts&spice shop and green grocer. The green grocer is often cheaper than the big markets as they get a lot of less aesthetically blessed produce which doesn't bother me one bit when I'm cooking or preserving! I visited Coles recently here in Brunswick and gosh it was like going to Tescos in the UK, almost identical except the prices were SO much higher for thinks like fruit and cheeses. I assume alot of produce is subsidised in the UK but those 1 pound punnets of raspberries were lovely....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-52319278872333113342013-12-10T14:18:58.381+10:002013-12-10T14:18:58.381+10:00my husband does all the grocery shopping he has fo...my husband does all the grocery shopping he has for at least the last 15yrs... as time has gone by things I ask him to get a slowly disappearing..in my amazement and surprise I say no no you must not have looked properly,i asked did you just ask a young person that would;nt know....but in fact he had look properly just the brands I want have gone..so every now and then I go into town with him and see if I can find replacements..or I look for recipes that will substitute...we live in the country and just do not have time to go xmas shopping weekly or on a whim..so I do it all onlinenilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04989822833547660101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-45378830211539094522013-12-10T13:59:44.154+10:002013-12-10T13:59:44.154+10:00Hi Jan, I've written about this a couple of ti...Hi Jan, I've written about this a couple of times. I just tracked down the latest post. It gives a full explanation of what I think about this important issue.<br /><br />http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/how-do-you-choose-food-you-buy.htmlrhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-71082377299316910372013-12-10T13:41:21.705+10:002013-12-10T13:41:21.705+10:00Thanks for your reply Madeleine, we do grow all ou...Thanks for your reply Madeleine, we do grow all our own vegies and some fruit all as organic as possible. I brought a small $40 box of organic fruit that arrived today and it had 7 bananas, a piece of watermelon, 6 apricots and 7 plums. We just can't afford that each week. Like you said you can only do the best you can on what you have and I need to think a bit more about the carbon miles, so thanks for the reminder :)Jan (a gluttonous wife)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04980538485559579650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-91997696423865621942013-12-10T12:09:49.293+10:002013-12-10T12:09:49.293+10:00It is really depressing to browse the supermarket ...It is really depressing to browse the supermarket shelves & find most stock is imported & generic brand.<br />Our Aussie products are placed really high or on the bottom. <br />Even the cheeses are being replaced. Milk of course is rows & rows of cheap milk & our Aussie ones are allotted a small space.<br />Go & browse & look what has happened.<br /><br />Yummy - jam drops.Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374028034442765656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-39718927664723380732013-12-10T11:44:43.056+10:002013-12-10T11:44:43.056+10:00Woolworths is one of the two big supermarkets here...Woolworths is one of the two big supermarkets here.rhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.com