Crime Stoppers: Artichokes.

Andy q said:

market just landed a huge delivery of large squeaky fresh artichokes for
49¢/ea.!!!

I quit eating the damn things when I could no longer get 'em five for
a dollar. They need to be flavor enhanced with SOMETHING!, take
forever to cook, and only 30% of it is edible. It's a feakin' weed,
ferchrysakes! A total waste of good soil.

nb

Andy wrote on Tue, 01 May 2007 10:44:36 -0500:
A>While Whole Foods charged $3.00/ea. for large artichokes AND
Trader Joe's
A>was committing a similar crime for $1.50/ea., the good old
family produce
A>market just landed a huge delivery of large squeaky fresh
artichokes for
A>49"/ea.!!!

I bought eight!

A> I bought eight!

I like artichokes too but the prices are amazing! My limit is
usually $1 or less so have not eaten many this season. I did buy
one at Whole Foods for sale $1.50 but it pained my Scottish
soul!

In this connection does any know why asparagus is always priced
at $0.99, 1.99, 2.99, etc. a pound? I have only once seen a
different number of cents $1.47, at the local Giant and they
back to $1.99 again.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

James Silverton not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not said:

one at Whole Foods for sale $1.50 but it pained my Scottish
soul!

The gouge-o-ganic one's at our local Safeway would have choked you
stone dead... $3.49 EACH!!

nb

James Silverton said:

Andy wrote on Tue, 01 May 2007 10:44:36 -0500:

Quoted message said:

While Whole Foods charged $3.00/ea. for large artichokes AND Trader
Joe's was committing a similar crime for $1.50/ea., the good old
family produce market just landed a huge delivery of large squeaky
fresh artichokes for 49"/ea.!!!

Quoted message said:

I bought eight!

I like artichokes too but the prices are amazing! My limit is
usually $1 or less so have not eaten many this season. I did buy
one at Whole Foods for sale $1.50 but it pained my Scottish
soul!

Kindred spirits, James 🙂

Quoted message said:

In this connection does any know why asparagus is always priced
at $0.99, 1.99, 2.99, etc. a pound? I have only once seen a
different number of cents $1.47, at the local Giant and they
back to $1.99 again.

Earlier this year I found asparagus at $1.29/lb. Haven't seen it at that
price since.

Jill

notbob said:

Andy q said:

market just landed a huge delivery of large squeaky fresh artichokes
for 49¢/ea.!!!

I quit eating the damn things when I could no longer get 'em five for
a dollar. They need to be flavor enhanced with SOMETHING!, take
forever to cook, and only 30% of it is edible. It's a feakin' weed,
ferchrysakes! A total waste of good soil.

nb

They aren't a weed, they are the unopened flower bud of the artichoke plant.
They steam in about 20 minutes which to me isn't "forever to cook". The
only thing I use to enhance them is melted butter, sometimes with a splash
of lemon juice added (although I usually just add the lemon juice to the
water under the steamer). I have fun dipping the leaves and scraping off
the tender meat with my teeth, anxious all the while to get to the wonderful
heart! I love them; been eating them since they were offered to me as an 8
or 9 year old kid. I *don't* love the price of them most of the time 🙂

Jill

jmcquown said:

Earlier this year I found asparagus at $1.29/lb. Haven't seen it at that
price since.

I saw it at $1.19 last week, a price I haven't seen in several years.
But, CA is a huge assper-gas producer and asparagus has an incredibly
short growing season, so when the crop is in the stuff has to move,
greed be damned.

nb

jmcquown said:

They aren't a weed, they are the unopened flower bud of the artichoke plant.

Which is a member of the thistle family and, except for Scotland (do I
detect some national pride at work here), is considered a friggin'
weed. They spend money eradicating thistle from pasture land in CA.

Quoted message said:

only thing I use to enhance them is melted butter, sometimes with a splash
of lemon juice added (although I usually just add the lemon juice to the
water under the steamer).

Do you eat them plain? Do you put them on a sandwich (trying to
pre-empt the ice-burg lettuce comeback, here 😉? Of course not.
Marinated, buttered, hollandaised, etc. I know no one who enjoys 'em
on their own merits, something a food costing $3.50 ea should be able
to lay claim to.

Quoted message said:

or 9 year old kid. I *don't* love the price of them most of the time 🙂

We agree on that. 😉

nb

notbob said:

On 2007-05-01, jmcquown <[email hidden]> wrote:

Do you eat them plain? Do you put them on a sandwich (trying to
pre-empt the ice-burg lettuce comeback, here 😉? Of course not.
Marinated, buttered, hollandaised, etc. I know no one who enjoys 'em
on their own merits, something a food costing $3.50 ea should be able
to lay claim to.

Actually, I've been known on more than one occasion to eat them without the
benefit of anything, no butter, no holladaise, no nothing. I like the way
they taste. The stuff to dip them in is just a perk 🙂

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

or 9 year old kid. I *don't* love the price of them most of the
time 🙂

We agree on that. 😉

nb

jmcquown said:

benefit of anything, no butter, no holladaise, no nothing. I like the way
they taste. The stuff to dip them in is just a perk 🙂

Yeah, but you're weird!

(you know I'm just kidding, Jill..... OK, I'll shut up now 😉

nb

"notbob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

Earlier this year I found asparagus at $1.29/lb. Haven't seen it at that
price since.

I saw it at $1.19 last week, a price I haven't seen in several years.
But, CA is a huge assper-gas producer and asparagus has an incredibly
short growing season, so when the crop is in the stuff has to move,
greed be damned.

I've seen 'em at $.99/lb several times this year at Safeway here in MD.

Mary

One time on Usenet said:

jmcquown said:

benefit of anything, no butter, no holladaise, no nothing. I like the way
they taste. The stuff to dip them in is just a perk 🙂

Yeah, but you're weird!

(you know I'm just kidding, Jill..... OK, I'll shut up now 😉

I'm with Jill -- they've got a subtle flavor that goes nice
with sauce, but you don't *have* to eat them that way. I've been
an artichoke fan since I was old enough to skim the flesh from
the leaves with my teeth and if it weren't for the price, I'd buy
them a lot more often...

--
Jani in WA

MareCat said:

"notbob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

Earlier this year I found asparagus at $1.29/lb. Haven't seen it at that
price since.

I saw it at $1.19 last week, a price I haven't seen in several years.
But, CA is a huge assper-gas producer and asparagus has an incredibly
short growing season, so when the crop is in the stuff has to move,
greed be damned.

I've seen 'em at $.99/lb several times this year at Safeway here in MD.

Mary

They're $4.50 a lb here.

--
"I'm thinking that if this dilemma grows any more horns, I'm going to
shoot it and put it up on the wall."

- Harry Dresden

notbob wrote:
[artichokes]

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

only thing I use to enhance them is melted butter, sometimes with a splash
of lemon juice added (although I usually just add the lemon juice to the
water under the steamer).

Do you eat them plain?

I do. I *love* them.

Quoted message said:

Do you put them on a sandwich (trying to
pre-empt the ice-burg lettuce comeback, here 😉? Of course not.
Marinated, buttered, hollandaised, etc. I know no one who enjoys 'em
on their own merits, something a food costing $3.50 ea should be able
to lay claim to.

We only buy them when they're under a dollar each, and that's pretty
frequent here.

Serene

Andy said...

Quoted message said:

I bought eight!

http://www.tinypic.com/5zbc3u0.jpg

Andy