Things we love at Trader Joe's

Israeli Feta in the bright yellow and green packaging
Kumato Tomatoes

Good to know about the Israeli feta, Karen.
What are Kumato tomatoes?

Carrie, here is a Wiki link for your answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumato

In the winter, when one cannot get summer tomatoes, these fit the bill and quite well. Another choice is Campari, a smaller tomato with a fairly good taste. When I can't find either, the sugar plum, a tiny oval tomato is OK for salads. I often roast these to intensify the flavor and use them for snacking. Trader Joe's has Kumato now and then as do local supermarkets. I look for them every time I go....all winter long. I love Trader Joe's potted herbs too. Last year I started a couple of plants from my own sweet basil and held them in my kitchen window all winter. Planted them back into my herb garden in the late spring and they grew so huge it was unreal. This year I forgot to get some starts from my basil before it froze. But I do have a pot of rosemary, thyme and marjoram at my kitchen window to snip from this winter. It is so handy to have a few herbs growing in the kitchen. My herb garden is on the back part of our property and sometimes I don't want to walk out there in the rain, or I just get lazy.

Thanks Karen. Yes, I have had those -- from TJs. Didn't know that's what they were called. This time of year, I typically buy the Campari's from Costco.
Oh, and you mentioned the Israeli Feta, they also have Greek Feta in brine that is excellent. I have been chipping away at a container of it in my fridge for the past two weeks.

another vote for tart d'alsace - they are often the only things i get there.

The fresh fennel, the frozen cut up leeks(these are great for an emergency), the adjar, the blackpepper garlic sauce they used to have, the potstickers, the buttermilk ( the quarts are $.50 cheaper than anyplace else, < I am weird I drink it>), to name a few. The "girls"(16 & 18 year old exchange students from China & Japan respectively) love the cereal choices for snacks.

another vote for tart d'alsace - they are often the only things i get there.

I love this tart with a mesclun salad on top dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. Make a great light, summer dinner, when I am not cooking.

It's a bit of a moot point, since the closest TJs is still 60 mi away, but my impression has been that they're best for prepared foods, a category that we don't use a lot. Still, if there were one within a reasonable distance of my house, I might find more to like about them.

Mark Lipton

[Robin Garr]

It's a bit of a moot point, since the closest TJs is still 60 mi away, but my impression has been that they're best for prepared foods, a category that we don't use a lot. Still, if there were one within a reasonable distance of my house, I might find more to like about them.

From 5 miles away, that's my take on it, Mark. It's fun to look around, and buy random things, but there is a high percentage of prepared dishes that I'd rather make at home.

The wines are kind of similar. A few QPR goodies, and it's hard to resist a $10 Barolo, for instance, just to see whether it can possibly be any good, but I rarely walk out with more than a bottle or two.

[Jenise]

It's a bit of a moot point, since the closest TJs is still 60 mi away, but my impression has been that they're best for prepared foods, a category that we don't use a lot. Still, if there were one within a reasonable distance of my house, I might find more to like about them.

Mark Lipton

I think you would. I don't buy prepared foods, and I'm not sure I'd like theirs--they nearly always have someone passing out samples, which I nearly always take and nearly always find too sweet or too bland, but the need for dried apricots, nuts, kumato tomatoes and the best canned tuna I've ever tasted would, and does, cause me to show up there about every other month. And those are food items that I don't have another reasonable local source for. While there, like Robin, I can always find a few other things that I need to try.

OH, another TJ's must-have: corn tortillas. Thicker and more authentically maiz-tasting than any of the commercial tortillas that every supermarket in the nation seems to stock--Mission brand, etc. I also like their whole wheat flour tortillas, and love knowing that Lavosh and a few ethnic breads are also always there (though I don't buy often).

Our TJs is a 75 mile roundtrip. Despite that we try to get there every two or three weeks. We try to combine the trip with a commitment in between.

I'm not a huge fan. I think their produce and bread is lousy. Occasionally I'll buy their frozen rack of lamb just to have it in the freezer in case something comes up last minute. I'll also buy olive oil there from time to time but its just not a store I must go to. Closest location is 2 miles from my house. In fairness I live very close to a nice farm (Wilson Farm in Lexington, MA.) and I go there 3-5 times per week and everything there is better than the same item at TJs.

Grade B maple syrup (and vintage dated....might have to do a vertical of what we have at home).

Grade B maple syrup (and vintage dated....might have to do a vertical of what we have at home).

Most definitely that maple syrup for all recipes calling for maple syrup! Also the dijon mustard is great cooking grade prepared mustard at a reasonable price. I love the "pop- up sponges" made in France from vegetable cellulose and much better than sponges I bought at Costco. The frozen artichoke hearts and haricot vert are good staples for the freezer.

We usually get flax seed chips, nuts, frozen fruits for smoothies, and frozen corn and peas. The Lemongrass Chicken Stix are pretty tasty, and ditto on the tarte d'alsace! Also get hand and bar soaps.

I think their produce and bread is lousy.

I can tell you are from Boston by the use of the word lousy. My husband was born and raised in Natick and uses that word all the time! I hardly ever hear it from anyone outside of MA.

I rarely shop at TJ's, but I'm taking notes.

I think their produce and bread is lousy.

I can tell you are from Boston by the use of the word lousy. My husband was born and raised in Natick and uses that word all the time! I hardly ever hear it from anyone outside of MA.

My husband uses lousy all the time too, so did his mother. Mother came from Montana. Gene born and raised in CA. I also use it, have all my life. Born and raised on the coast of Eureka CA.
It is American English slang from as far back as 1843.

I think their produce and bread is lousy.

I can tell you are from Boston by the use of the word lousy. My husband was born and raised in Natick and uses that word all the time! I hardly ever hear it from anyone outside of MA.

My husband uses lousy all the time too, so did his mother. Mother came from Montana. Gene born and raised in CA. I also use it, have all my life. Born and raised on the coast of Eureka CA.
It is American English slang from as far back as 1843.

Yep, I use it, as does my mother, and she grew up in Oregon and I in California.

[Jenise]

Re the Trader Joe's pork belly: I was going to take a bullet for y'all and give it a try, but my store didn't have it. Unless, , it's in the frozen food section. Didn't even consider checking there.

Re the Trader Joe's pork belly: I was going to take a bullet for y'all and give it a try, but my store didn't have it. Unless, , it's in the frozen food section. Didn't even consider checking there.

I just checked their newsletter that I have here and it says it is found in their refrigerated section. Did you ask if the store will be getting it in? I'm guessing that since the newsletter just came out they may have been sold out. I'd call them and ask. I forgot to look for it when I was there yesterday.

[Jenise]

Well it definitely wasn't in the refrigerated section, and no I didn't ask. We were in a hurry and Bob just wanted to check out and move on.

Just thought of another this morning as Len reminded me he was "out of it." Their liquid coffee concentrate. I cold brew for Len, but it gets old, let me tell you, so I buy this to "supplement" what I make for him. (He likes his half caff/half decaf, and since TJs only sells the caffeinated version, I make his 100% decaf and he mixes them.)

Cut flowers, potted orchids, half the price of other stores carrying same plants.

We split our shopping between TJ's and Natural Grocer's for the most part. Agreed that most of TJ's produce is crummy, but I find their organic carrots, celery, broccoli, onions and citrus are usually good (and half the price of organic produce at Whole Paycheck). And just found blood oranges for $2.99 for a 2 lb bag this week - score!

Where to begin on all the treasures to be found at Trader Joe's.......love their olive oil, organic virgin coconut oil, canned tomatoes (BPA free cans!), canned tuna, whole grain mustard, chicken stock (when I'm too lazy to make my own), corn tortillas, organic corn chips, greek yogurt, pineapple juice, blackcurrant juice, frozen fruit (we make a lot of smoothies), frozen peas, chevre, grana padano, basque cheese, toothpaste, body butter, face moisturizer, toilet paper, paper towels, flowers, Cava for mimosas.....someone stop me, I could go on!

Oh, and I forgot - really like their Fair Trade, Organic coffee from Honduras!

The Trader Joe's(s) in NJ are located too far north and too far south from me so I hardly ever go.

We -did- go there for canned green olives when there was a thread here about that.

I'm happy to report that I can get Kumatos (black and tasty) at the Stop & Shop 2 blocks from my house!

What I -don't- like about TJ is the emphasis on prepared foods, which we don't need. Of course this thread might send me back there, since there are things I didn't know about or hadn't thought of. One store is in Princeton and another is in Westfield I think. Each one is maybe an hour round trip or more.