Things we love at Trader Joe's

I have one on my block: I don't even have to cross a street to get to it.

That said, I only go there for a few things: organic chicken, walnuts, wild rice. Occasionally I will pick up something else but most of it is average-looking food. Certainly the produce and cheeses are nothing to write home about.

[Jenise]

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.

I should have listed the olives on my list of repeat purchases. Also, organic broccolini is one of the good things in the produce section that I invariably buy--it's free of the citric acid preservative that plagues a number of their produce items.

Agree with Joy about the frozen peas and Susan B about the frozen artichokes. I don't buy any other frozen vegetables, but these two are superior to the offerings of regular supermarkets.

Certainly the produce and cheeses are nothing to write home about.

Jeff, your TJs must be different than the ones around here. They are our primary source of fresh veggies during the winter, and the cheeses (the ones not made from cow) bring us back faster than anything else in the store. Wife is allergic to cow milk products.

Thanks for all the suggestions of things I'd like to try.

And we seem to be outliers vis-a-vis TJs. We do all our shopping at Costco, TJs, the local weekly farmers market, and the local Mexican grocery for lots of produce.

But we buy a lot at TJs every week or so..... Like

rainbow carrots.. they were awesome in season
Pink Lady apples, sometimes the only place to find them
Persian cucumbers, which we either put chile on with lemon as a snack, or chop and mix with yoghurt and dried dill with salt for a salad
avocadoes.. we had a magnificent tree at the old house, but now I have to buy these, which nearly kills me.. but these are great
K-cup coffee.. cheap and good
TJs Sparkling Orange water.. we go thru cases of this in place of bottled water
flour tortillas, the huge ones, are amazing.. my wife and 5 year old love these
organic spinach.. washed and ready to put in a salad or an omelet
Organic chicken.. we buy the whole one.. delicious
Cereals.. good and cheap.. no Cheerios for us, but TJs knock off is better
bagels....
TJs plain organic low fat yoghurt.. we go thru tubs of this.. for snacking, salad dressing, in lieu of mayonnaise on sandwiches, etc.
Peanut butter cups... my 5 year old likes no chocolate (or candy of any type, really), but she eats these.. go figure
Peanut butter
low sugar jams
a more than decent cheese selection.. the Syrah washed cheddar is a good substitute for Parmesan

oh.. we don't buy much that's frozen except sweet corn and the meat lasagne.. the lasagne is crazy good, and if you have to prepare a quick meal for kids, it's dang good...

so.. you see.. we are definitely in the minority in terms of TJ purchases....

After I visit my wine locker today, I'm off today to look for the pork belly and a few of the other things you enablers have pointed out to me...

P.S. I see that they have Poutine... has anyone tried it????? I love a good poutine!!!

Jeff, your TJs must be different than the ones around here. They are our primary source of fresh veggies during the winter...

I think his other options may also be different than the ones around you.

Jeff, your TJs must be different than the ones around here. They are our primary source of fresh veggies during the winter...

I think his other options may also be different than the ones around you.

I was just about to make the same remark! I have lots and lots of excellent cheese outlets around me... competition for fermented curd is pretty steep.

[Jenise]

Thanks for all the suggestions of things I'd like to try.

They were demo-ing the poutine when I was there the other day. Looked too awful to taste. (And I don't dislike poutine.)

I believe the produce in our local TJ's is getting better, at least the produce section is much bigger now, which means people must be buying more of it. The stacks are higher and they are carrying more items. I've stayed away from the produce because it seemed to go bad in just a few days. When I buy at Farmer's Markets it lasts for a very long time, as does the produce from my garden. I know I cannot compare the two, but I don't expect my produce from TJ's to go bad in just a few days. So, I am buying a few more things from them now and am liking it better.

I have picked up a few things based on reccos from the posts here. So far, I have tried the Greek Feta in brine...it is OK but nothing like the creaminess and fresh tangy taste of the Israeli Feta in the bright green and yellow bag. The Persian cucumbers are very good and make a great snacking treat, or we put them in salads, don't even have to peel. I've picked up a box of the lemon grass Chicken Stix, but have not tried them yet. The flat bread with the ham and caramelized onions was a disappointment. I tried them last summer a couple of times and thought they made a nice light dinner with a salad, but this time something was missing. Gene thought so too. However, I am so happy they are here. I love the Cento San Marzano whole tomatoes, they are a staple in my pantry and I find new things all the time. I keep an eye out for their flyer and when it comes, I read the whole thing, then go online and check out the comments from other TJ followers. I have some of their Tater Tot Sweet Potatoes in my freezer, bought them knowing the comments were not so good. Thought the grandkids might like them, but no one has been here yet. I will have to be the tester!

Thanks for all the suggestions of things I'd like to try.

They were demo-ing the poutine when I was there the other day. Looked too awful to taste. (And I don't dislike poutine.)

I bought it... a bit pricey for the amount there.. but we'll see.. I'll report back..

And the pork belly was sold out. They said they can't keep it on the shelf.

Found another item worth buying there...
Uncured Black Forest Bacon in the fresh meat section. So delicious. I diced and sautéed it and used it in our chopped cobb salads last night.

[Jenise]

Thanks for the tip. Have you tried the belly yet? We haven't seen it here at all.

Oh, and speaking of tips: Costco now carries large wild caught gulf shrimp. Until recently, all I'd ever seen was Vietnamese farmed. Same price, about $50 for a four pound bag.

[Robin Garr]

large wild caught gulf shrimp.

Petroleum-fed?

[Jenise]

large wild caught gulf shrimp.

Petroleum-fed?

BP's! Only the finest!

large wild caught gulf shrimp.

Petroleum-fed?

BP's! Only the finest!

They go great with older Rieslings!

I can't believe I read through all of the prior posts and no one mentioned the frozen (and peeled) pearl onions. Makes any beef bourgogne or coq-au-vin dish much easier. That was one of the first things I spotted there. I will reread this thread to educate myself on the other treasures. Do like their hummus as well as the Stilton and goat cheese.
Actually picked up a few bottles of a 3rd Growth Bdx ('08 Marquis d'Aleseme, Margaux) for $30. Figured I could not go wrong with that one, and even in Columbia, SC it didn't last long.

[Jenise]

A third growth at Trader Joe's? I don't even look at that part of what they do anymore, it's so unlikely to find a 'gem'. Maybe I should pay closer attention.

The local TJ's has local tomatoes when they are in season that are excellent.

-Paul W.

Maybe you're referring to Burger's Market, which was indeed across from the "big old" Cave Hill cemetary (Colonel Sanders of chicken fame is buried there). Burger's started in 1958 and closed just last year. The two brothers and sister who owned it were ready to retire, and the next generation wasn't interested in running it. The brothers delivered groceries on their bicycles to my grandparents in the 1960's. We miss Burger's.

Hello Jay. I don't find time to read a lot on the W/FLDG forums these days, but wanted you to know That it is good to see your name. when did you move to Louisiana?