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Post by Diane on Jul 18, 2004 17:01:56 GMT -8
Any of you other 'midwesterner's' having trouble finding greens at your local grocery this summer?? i have never had a problem with this until this summer and now my local Shop and Save rarely has any greens at all and if they do they usually look awful! Narcy has been getting a lot of thawed frozen green beans, sweet potato and squash lately. I even found some dandelion greens in the flower beds this evening that i washed thoroughly (twice). It worries me to give him these often as we have a city 'mosquito fogger' come down our street occasionally.
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Post by CCP1083 on Jul 19, 2004 10:10:47 GMT -8
I live in twin cities of Minnesota, and I didn't seem to have any problems. I know, some stores had some things that the other doesn't. I know I hate CUB, they never have anything for greens up here, but the other stores nearby do. I am very fortunate to have many different grocery stores within 5 mins from me. I love it!
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Post by mar on Jul 19, 2004 13:38:30 GMT -8
I know what you mean. I am here in Chesterfield MO (~15 minutes drive from the St Louis arch on a weekend) and all I have is sad looking stuff. Do you have access to Dierbergs or Shnucks on the Ill. side of the river? If so I found they have a good selection but you have to get there before 10pm and ask them to bring the greens out from cold storage for you I have only once seen good looking ones out.
In a pinch I raid my garden -- I get about half a feeding a week out of a tiny patch. Radish, turnip, mustard, and dandelion grow quickly. Seed them thickly and as you thin them toss the thinnings in a bowl or water then feed them. He also gets daylillies, inpatients, marigolds, geraniums, and petunias -- leaves and flowers. Find a health nut store and buy a bag of alfalfa for sprouting but mix the seeds in with the greens then feed him the plants when they are about four inches tall. Just throw the seeds anywhere where they won't be mown down with the lawn. I simply claimed a piece of sod that never took hold (yes the dead sod is still there too)
If you plant collards now you can expect them to live until Thanksgiving. I was walking around Terre Haute IN last November and an old black guy was cutting down his collards growing along the side of his house. The stinkin’ leaves were 4' tall and 2 ' wide and he planted them in mid July.
Mark
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Post by Diane on Jul 19, 2004 17:25:27 GMT -8
the Schnucks in our town is even worse for providing greens of any kind! Can they eat Hosta?? unfortunately, i don't have a lot of time for gardening with working full time and tending to two kids, an iguana, a bearded dragon, a diabetic dog, a parakeet. . . .etc., etc.!! I did plant some collard but i don't know if the neighbors cat ruined them or what. . . they just didn't grow well. i do have dandelions in the yard, but as i mentioned it concerns me that we have a mosquito fogger come round once in a while. when i resort to them, i wash them very thoroughly.
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Post by Tesa on Jul 19, 2004 18:46:26 GMT -8
ok.....a couple of weeks ago I thought Mark was crazy cause he couldn't find decent greens. Now I'm having the same problem. The collards are VERY small and the only other greens I can get are turnips and mustard. And they aren't looking very well either.  I wonder what the heck the problem is  |
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Post by Diane on Jul 19, 2004 18:51:01 GMT -8
It sure seems strange to me that they were abundant all winter and now here we are in the middle of summer and can't get fresh greens!! i am wondering what is up as well. . .
Narcy loves his collard greens! i would hate to think he could get any crankier than he already is if i can't provide one of his favorites. He did get a couple of hibiscus flowers tonight though so maybe that will placate him.
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Post by Cyndi on Jul 20, 2004 11:16:56 GMT -8
I am in northwestern Illinois, and the greens here have been wonderful. I was amazed at how big the collards were the last time I went to the store. They were so big that I had to cut them in half lengthwise and then fold the halves to fit them into 2 gallon bags. Mustard and kale have been really decent too.
Turnip greens have been hit and miss, tho. Two weeks ago, I bought a bunch that I had to return (the inside leaves of the bunch were mushy). But last week they were really good.
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Post by mar on Jul 20, 2004 15:46:34 GMT -8
When I can I go to Kroger (they are not in St Louis) where the greens are sold by the pound. When buying this way always open the bunches and toss the yellow and ugly inner greens out of the way, I will also cut off the stems most of the time, and only take what looks the best, many stores provide a discarded greens box but those that don't I make a mess of.
Diane, how many times and in what chemicals do you wash the greens from the store in? There is no need to be so chemophobic over a weak, diptera specific, insecticide that is designed to break down with in a few days. Greens that are purchased from the store are grown under conditions where at least every three weeks much stronger insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers are applied. Fertilizers and the like, safe for use on veggie gardens, applied according to the instructions on the package are not much of a hazard at all. Wash them as indicated or as logic dictates, such as a bowl of cold water and colander.
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Post by Diane on Jul 20, 2004 18:41:29 GMT -8
You make a good point Mark. I do only wash the greens from the store in the sink with water and then drain them off. i just didn't know anything at all about the mosquito fogger, but it does make sense that it could not be such that it would leave a toxic coating on everyone's vegetable gardens! I guess i will go back to hunting dandelion greens. . .usually don't have any problems finding those (expecially in my flower beds where they don't belong). And i don't use any lawn chemicals or fertilizers. And i used to LOVE Krogers! We had one here in Collinsville years ago. . .but i digress.
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Post by Kling on Jul 20, 2004 19:16:01 GMT -8
i'mhave truble finding collerd greens here in Pa. in the winter they where good nowi find them but they are small. i get musterd greens and they are yellow and mushey. my iggys love the collerd greens so i give them what i have i have to run to the store every 5 days becouse they eat so munch.
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Post by mar on Jul 21, 2004 11:43:14 GMT -8
I spray my veggie garden and my mom's front flowers every 10ish days with Mericalgro (regular strength). I was talking with my mom's husband -- who is a PhD chemist working somewhat high up for the nation's largest agro-chemical company -- and these chemicals are designed to break down under UV and when reacting with water. This break down is well documented and is part of its approval for use, for most chemicals this happens in about 3 weeks. Remember that anything you can go out and buy then apply without a license is much weaker than what is used on farms and the like, follow the directions and common sense and nothing bad will happen. Foggers are designed to spray in areas of high population density where people and pets WILL ingest and inhale it, would a highly toxic concentrated spray be used?
Collards are a cold weather plant and they don't grow well in heat. In the Deep South (GA, AL, TX) they are grown through the winter. They don't like the summer heat and sun thus growth is limited. In cooler areas (think MI, MN, WI) fields in the summer are used for higher value crops -- corn (sweet, pop, ethanol, feed), soy, fruit, sugar beet. I am making up for the lack of good collards with other plants and veggies and giving Bob a huge variety.
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Jul 26, 2004 18:46:46 GMT -8
OK, I'm confused. I posted a poll about purchasing veggies online and 75% of the people who answered said they had access to good veggies/greens, but now I hear you complaining about the quality of veggies you can get.
I was doing research about starting an internet-based ig food company and pretty much scrapped the idea based on that poll, but now I'm not so sure it was a bad idea.
Here in California, I always have access to AWESOME greens/veggies. I was thinking that a biz like this would really help people in certain areas. ?? I guess I just need to do some more research.
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Post by Diane on Jul 26, 2004 19:01:23 GMT -8
I have never had this problem until this summer. . .don't know what the cause of it is. Just wish it would go away!
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Post by Cyndi on Jul 29, 2004 4:41:56 GMT -8
Steph,
I think that when you originally posted your poll, greens were good quality in good supply. It seems that it has only been in the past month that turnip greens here (Illinois) have been bad. All other greens are fantastic.
cyndi
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