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Produce Junction
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
5 reviews for Produce Junction
You know, it's not fancy but it does the trick.
My thing lately has been shallots. Some stores don't have them at all, the grocery store I usually goes to has them for the equivalent of $16/lb prepackaged in 3 oz packages. Granted, you can't choose your own stuff at produce junction but right now the going rate for shallots at PJ is $1.50 for a 1 lb bag. I'm sure there'll be a dud or three but I saved plenty of money and I can plant or compost the rest.
I do avoid the loose greens and the more perishable things. I usually go for lemons or potatoes and generally they've been fine. They've got good prices on seasonal things like $5 carving pumpkins (basketball-ish size) at Halloween, cheap mums.. that sort of thing. The flowers look ok to me and I like to think that my departed relatives don't find them offensive.
I'd say if you're fussy skip PJ but even at that if it's convenient for you and you're making something where the final product is going to be relatively indistinguishable like fruit salad, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, etc. you could save yourself some money.
I finally made it to produce junction. Decided to try a bunch of fruits...I was so excited to see cheap prices on almost everything.
But......you get what you pay for right?
Came home and noticed that the strawberries had "stuff" growing in them...This means:
cha-ching...$3 gone down the trash.
Next up..black-figs...tasted like ewww......$2 gone...
Next up....black plums....had no taste whatsoever....another cha-ching $3.
Then, cherries....no taste....one more $3.
There goes like 10 bucks.
I dont think I am coming back.
And you have to pay cash. No receipts given.
I got the feeling of a scam.
however, to their credit, the store was pretty busy.. So, people must like something here.
I am sticking to whatever fruit is available at Trader Joe's.
Way better quality.
I like Produce Junction. When I walk in, I don't feel like I'm coerced into buying organic products [and be labeled pariah] like some other chains make me feel. David's advice is a good rule to live by: inspect everything you ingest, whether from Produce Junction or not. And eat these things within a few days.
I take my friend almost every other week. He usually gets 2 dozen eggs for $4, red onions, potatoes, bananas, oranges, and blueberries. He rarely spends more than $12.
This is my list:
Blueberries: 2 cartons = $2
Large Florida Navel Orange bag = $1
Blackberries: 2 cartons = $2
Total: $5.
How do they even keep their ledger from being in the red?
You will save money. What I've learned at this place is to inspect everything before buying.
When I first bought from this place there was a woman in front of me that was inspecting every bag of fruit that she ordered. Often she was telling the clerk to take it back and get another one. My initial thought was this woman was rude. I now know I was wrong.
Furthermore, I would like to dispel the myth of "Buy Cheap, get cheap" when it comes to produce. When you buy at Produce Junction you are typically buying from local farmers. The reasons for the low cost are:
1.) The Transportation of the product is less, therefore the cost is less
2.) Due to the short transportation... the Distributors do not need to coat the produce with preservatives! (The CON: your produce does not last as long).
So to sum it up. You are supporting your local grower's and not putting additional preservatives in your body.... just be thorough when inspecting your purchases and you won't go wrong.
I want to love this place. Produce that is cheap and fresh. What more could I want to propagate my "illusion of health." I always counter one broccoli floret with a biggie fries and I feel it's a fair trade-off. So when I come here to stock up on fruits, veggies and the odd bag of off-brand trail mix, I know that I will have earned more than a few trips to Sonic, Long John Silver's and other hard-to-find but oh-so-worth-it shitfood.
The problem with this whole scenario, though, is that more often than not, the produce at Produce Junction is far from fresh. I once bought a bag of spinach there that, on further inspection back home, revealed stinky wet leaves that made old flower vase water smell like the lavender fields in Provence. No wonder the bag was 99 cents. The bag turned sour somewhere between the produce market and Ogontz Avenue. I think even ALDI turned this produce down.
Anyway, I will always go there and give them chances to redeem themselves. I realize that produce is always hit or miss, and sometimes I do get the tasty mango or fragrant basil. But the percentage is far lower than it should be. But I'm sure they don't care, because there are always lines there. I also love the "soup-Nazi" sense that if you're slow with your order (not me....I'm always at the ready), you get the look and the "what else....what else" mantra from the crew. I think people feed off that energy. It's kind of a fun place to visit. I just want the produce to be better.....Arby's awaits.
