Buying "bad" fruit...return or not??

[Colinsmom]

I know what you mean!! I saw something on TV once about how peaches and such get mealy - it has to do with the temperature they are exposed to while in transport or at the stores. I don't remember, though, if they are kept too cold, frozen (accidentally) or what. But it's definitely nothing that you did after you got them home - and it's definitely not that they are overripe. If I find more info, I'll come back and share a link!

ETA: My memory isn't half bad!! Here's a link (scroll way down for mealy peach info), plus an excerpt:

http://www.producepete.com/shows/treeripepeaches.html

QUOTE:

"Never place firm tree fruit in the refrigerator as this will halt the ripening process and may make the fruit mealy, dry and tasteless. Never store tree fruit in a plastic bag as this may hasten decay. Also, keep tree fruit away from direct sunlight as extreme heat will damage the fruit. When the fruit is ripe and you can keep it in the refrigerator for a week or so. You can tell when peaches and nectarines become really ripe when they become aromatic and give to gentle palm pressure. "

 

[TaraPA]

I know what mealy fruit is!!

Marcy I'm in your area too, and yes I know exactly what mealy fruit is. Happens especially with peaches. My aunt & uncle have an orchard & it's often because they are not stored at the proper temp before being sold or transported to a store. Nothing you can do to change it & you can't tell until you bite into it! However, they also said NEVER refrigerate peaches, nectarines or plums, and they ran a 2nd generation orchard for 60 years. So who knows what is right or wrong!

I ALWAYS take back bad produce and fruit (I do live 1 mile from my Giant store). No way am I paying the current prices for it & then not being able to use it. If you've already eaten it or thrown it out though, I probably wouldn't go back at this point. Next time save some just to show them it was bad. I have had to take strawberries back to Giant FOUR times this year - I buy them & by the next morning they are moldy. No way am I paying for moldy strawberries that should last more than 12 hours!

 

[jjjmranch]

I feel the same way about moldy strawberries. They're just gross. Our Meijer is notorious for having overripe, moldy strawberries for sale. They also have many, many overripe, brown spotted bananas for the same price as the unripened bananas. Who's going to buy those? Nobody.

 

[marcyinPA]

I know what mealy fruit is!!

Marcy I'm in your area too, and yes I know exactly what mealy fruit is. Happens especially with peaches. My aunt & uncle have an orchard & it's often because they are not stored at the proper temp before being sold or transported to a store. Nothing you can do to change it & you can't tell until you bite into it! However, they also said NEVER refrigerate peaches, nectarines or plums, and they ran a 2nd generation orchard for 60 years. So who knows what is right or wrong!

I ALWAYS take back bad produce and fruit (I do live 1 mile from my Giant store). No way am I paying the current prices for it & then not being able to use it. If you've already eaten it or thrown it out though, I probably wouldn't go back at this point. Next time save some just to show them it was bad. I have had to take strawberries back to Giant FOUR times this year - I buy them & by the next morning they are moldy. No way am I paying for moldy strawberries that should last more than 12 hours!

Thanks Tara! I've had problems at Giant too...with grapes. Bought the bag, and when I got home and washed them, the middle of the bunch was full of mold. YUCK!

I'm with you on the prices....there is no way I want to just throw away over $3! I know there is no way of knowing if the fruit will be good or not (these peaches looked beautiful on the outside) but to buy it and not be able to eat it is a waste of money!

Well, my peaches are gone now, so I've cut the loss on those, but if it happens again, I won't hesitate to return them!

Thanks!

 

[emh1129]

If I'm going to be over that way, then I return it. But I won't make a special trip just to do that.
It's frustrating, though, to buy fruit only to get it home and realize that it's gross!
This happened last month to me when I bought some strawberries & the bottom ones in the package were white & fuzzy- EEW.

 

[d1gitman]

in the trash. you win some, lose some. sad to say, $3 of wasted fruit isn't worth my time, aggravation or gas money to do anything about.

 

[Justish]

Stealing the topic -

Woah.. call me a poor college student but it is simply AMAZING how much you guys care about your fruits and veggies. Maybe it's just where I live but we have Win-Co, Safe-way and the (don't buy fruit there, too expensive) Fred Meyer & Alberstons. These big chains I doubt would EVER return produce and it seems like its an all out test of wits to find anything that isn't already moldy or way waaay ripe. I've alway figured this is the way it is, but it sounds like you guys would NEVER settle for such squishy, dry, tasteless fruit and veggies, so I'm curious;

How good are the prices at the places you shop and how do you make the most out of what you get? I imagine if I could get a bus to the Haagen or the Trader Joes in downtown P-town I might be able to find good fruit but is it worth it?

To the OP - I feel your pain, and many times, I just eat through the not-so-yummy fruit. It's the way it's always been for me though, maybe I'm just used to mealy gross fruit!

~Ally

 

[winnapooh]

Take it back, Wegmans is awesome about things like that! I took back a bag of salt potatoes that were rotten once (you couldn't see through the bag). They took it back, no questions.

Oh, how I miss Wegmans...the grocery stores where I live now have no comparison to Wegmans. In fact, when we travel, we stock up on Wegmans products!!! (Mmmm....Wegmans coffee). I wish they did mail order...

 

[solfan68]

"I don't return fruit. Fruit is a gamble. I know that going in." --Jerry Seinfeld, the Ex-Girlfriend