I came across an interesting post on the Cheap, Healthy, Good blog about what people should do if they get produce items that are rotten on the inside or happen to spoil prematurely. This is somewhat of a frequent occurrence at my house and is often a point of contention between my wife and I. She avoids returning anything at the store, unless it is very obvious like bad meat or chicken. I think that if the store is selling a product, no matter what it is, it is their responsibility to ensure it is of the highest quality. If the product is not, they should be willing to provide a refund.
We have found lately that this is a recurring issue with produce we get from Trader Joe's. Believe you me, I LOVE TJ's and think it is the greatest place since the bakery that first sliced that bread, but it is a known fact amongst those in the know that Trader Joe's produce is often hit-or-miss. Just this past Tuesday night, we were getting ready to roast some asparagus (that was purchased on Sunday) only to find that it was rotten despite looking good beneath its strink wrap (which is an entirely different issue, that could be discussed at length). Although the new TJ's in Redmond is just down the hill and around the corner to our house, we decided to chuck it and just cook something else. The situation can get even stickier (hopefully not literally!) if you purchase organic produce that usually degrades faster than conventional produce that is grown without pesticides or preservatives.
Where do you draw the line with your funky produce?
