# Fruits in the market this summer that have not been worth it **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2018, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671 "2018-09-03T04:41:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/1 "2018-09-03T04:41:55Z")
Peaches Nectarines Cantaloupe More Cherries than usual Honeydew I have had bad experiences and not enough good ones to be worth describing all summer. Bad pears this summer too. I got pineapple as my staple and it is the only dependable thing there is. There’s a weird feeling in your mouth when you had too much of it though. I’m in New England, urban. Why is fruit this bad for me right now? Is it me? What about other regions? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/2 "2018-09-03T04:46:02Z")
I’m in CT. Peaches and blueberries have been fine. Though peaches are variable. Smell them. If they smell peachy buy them. If not don’t. I haven’t tried melons. Strawberries have never been as good as they were when I was a kid. Bananas and apples are the same as ever except for Red Delicious which used to be great and for many years now have been ehhh though I’ve discovered Honey Crisp which are great. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/3 "2018-09-03T04:58:30Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I’m in CT. Peaches and blueberries have been fine. Though peaches are variable. Smell them. If they smell peachy buy them. If not don’t. > > I haven’t tried melons. Strawberries have never been as good as they were when I was a kid. Bananas and apples are the same as ever except for Red Delicious which used to be great and for many years now have been ehhh though I’ve discovered Honey Crisp which are great. I’ll say going in that for me peaches have to ripen for a few days at home. I never buy to eat then. Which means I can’t smell anything, or I don’t think I would. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/4 "2018-09-03T05:04:27Z")
Had some pretty bland scuppernongs a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/5 "2018-09-03T06:03:22Z")
I agree that peaches have been disappointing this year. Blackberries have been superb and often cheap. I’m in the SW, but I’ve been traveling and seen them all over the western states. I have a mature mulberry tree in my front yard, moved here two years ago. I was surprised to discover that it was _covered_ in fruit in late spring. I have to figure out what to do with them next time, they don’t taste great just to eat raw. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/6 "2018-09-03T12:32:19Z")
The rainier cherry season was delayed, according to the grocer, and then they were less than wonderful probably 1/2 the time I bought them. And I wait all year for them!! Strawberries seemed to go bad really quickly. Had some good peaches and nectarines from Wal-Mart in a primarily Hispanic part of town - the ones I got elsewhere no so good. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/7 "2018-09-03T12:48:48Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I’ll say going in that for me peaches have to ripen for a few days at home. I never buy to eat then. Which means I can’t smell anything, or I don’t think I would. I had one batch of peaches this summer that smelled pretty good, but were bland and mealy and terrible. I finally went to the industrial-strength farmer’s market, where I got some that smelled FUCKING PEACHY, and they were delicious. IME, peaches don’t really ripen well on the counter. If they don’t smell spectacular when you get them, they’re not going to be worth eating. And then they’ve got about two or three days before they’re just one giant fruit-fly smorgasbord. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/8 "2018-09-03T12:50:48Z")
I’m also in New England. This summer blueberries have been tasteless, black plums have been mushy, and well, strawberries haven’t been good for years. Remember when strawberries were sweet? Some of the peaches I’ve had have been really good. Others not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/9 "2018-09-03T12:58:42Z")
I haven’y eaten a peach in like four years. A couple of days ago, I got a craving for one. Took two bites and threw it in the trash. Reading this thread, I’m glad it’s probably just a bad year, rather than my taste buds have changed. That said, I’ve been pigging out on watermelon this year. Tasty stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/10 "2018-09-03T13:54:55Z")
The peaches I’ve bought this year have been sad shadows of their proper selves as well, in the UK. Normally flat peaches are more reliable, but they’ve had no flavour at all. Strawberries have been OK, not a great year but not a bad one, and I apparently can’t eat raw apples anymore (weird mouth tingly acidic effect) so I don’t know what they’re like. Blackberries seem OK, good quantity, if not quite as sweet as some years, but as I’m foraging for 'em I’m not complaining. The season was very short though, some years it’s just getting going now, but it’s practically over here already. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/11 "2018-09-03T14:03:33Z")
Peaches & nectarines here have been spectacular this summer, as have the plums & apricots. Tomatoes, too. Not so good: melons. Every local melon I’ve purchased has been nigh-on tasteless, to the point where I threw out the last two. But the best this year has been the kick-ass wild blueberries. Last year, they didn’t happen. This year, I got tons & tons of them at the local famer’s market, and I’m sure I could have picked them myself were I the sort of person who did not detest blueberry picking. For the record, these are the tiny, tart, low-bush blueberries, not the big tasteless high-bush ones available all over the country. The former are the best fruit ever; the latter are blech. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/12 "2018-09-03T14:15:51Z")
I had a truly wondrous peach yesterday. Cherries have been mediocre, to be sure. The verdict is still out on the local apples. Cantaloupes have been disappointing. I hope the pomegranates are good this year. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/13 "2018-09-03T14:27:51Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > …Red Delicious which used to be great and for many years now have been ehhh though I’ve discovered Honey Crisp which are great. I’m an apple snob, and will _only_ eat Honeycrisp apples. 😛 There’s a “u-pick” orchard down the road from us, and they will be allowing Honeycrisp to be picked in a week or two. They’re twice as expensive as the other apples, but worth it IMO. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/14 "2018-09-03T14:28:08Z")
I’m in the NE. I have some fabulous strawberries in my fridge, and went out yesterday to buy another expensive little box of the same stock. Blueberries have been hit-or-miss this year, like most years. But I have a lot of really good ones right now. There have been a lot of cherries on the market this year, and a lot of them have been excellent. My husband came home one day with two bags, one organic, the other conventional. The conventional were better, but both were good. I haven’t found a really good peach yet this summer. ☹ I love peaches, but only when they are really good. Pineapples do seem reliable. Ever since they introduced the super-sweet golden ones, we’ve bought good pineapples. My husband is the pineapple guy, but I think he both sniffs them and makes sure he can remove a leaf before picking one out. Apples are better than ever, mostly because there are so many more varieties in the marketplace than there used to be. But it’s too early for apples this year. I’ve had a couple of early windfallls from my tree, but they have been under-ripe and not very good. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/15 "2018-09-03T15:53:23Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I agree that peaches have been disappointing this year. > > Blackberries have been superb and often cheap. I’m in the SW, but I’ve been traveling and seen them all over the western states. > > I have a mature mulberry tree in my front yard, moved here two years ago. I was surprised to discover that it was _covered_ in fruit in late spring. I have to figure out what to do with them next time, they don’t taste great just to eat raw. Blackberries are good. But the strawbs and raspbs are just sour. I use them in cereal with sweetener only. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/16 "2018-09-03T15:56:54Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I had one batch of peaches this summer that smelled pretty good, but were bland and mealy and terrible. I finally went to the industrial-strength farmer’s market, where I got some that smelled FUCKING PEACHY, and they were delicious. > > IME, peaches don’t really ripen well on the counter. If they don’t smell spectacular when you get them, they’re not going to be worth eating. And then they’ve got about two or three days before they’re just one giant fruit-fly smorgasbord. We live on different planets I guess. If a peach is soft at the market I won’t go near it. I need perfect hard specimens and let them go for 3 days at least at home. If I ever saw a ripe suitable peach at the market I might change my mind. But I don’t know if I ever have. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/17 "2018-09-03T15:58:30Z")
Avocados have sucked around here (RI). They’re hard as rocks, take forever to ‘ripen’, except they don’t really ripen, they just turn dark, get a little softer, and by then they’re disgusting inside. Apples aren’t very good but that’s expected for summer time. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/18 "2018-09-03T15:59:06Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I haven’y eaten a peach in like four years. A couple of days ago, I got a craving for one. Took two bites and threw it in the trash. Reading this thread, I’m glad it’s probably just a bad year, rather than my taste buds have changed. > > That said, I’ve been pigging out on watermelon this year. Tasty stuff. Well a bad year is the best case scenario for this. I am worrying about the future of fruits to be honest. Love to get a small watermelon at trader joes for 3 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/19 "2018-09-03T16:00:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Avocados have sucked around here (RI). They’re hard as rocks, take forever to ‘ripen’, except they don’t really ripen, they just turn dark, get a little softer, and by then they’re disgusting inside. > > Apples aren’t very good but that’s expected for summer time. I’ve had cantalopes and honeydews this year that just refused to ripen, or even rot. Very unsatisfying to eat. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671/20 "2018-09-03T16:29:58Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Peaches & nectarines here have been spectacular this summer, as have the plums & apricots. Tomatoes, too. > > Not so good: melons. Every local melon I’ve purchased has been nigh-on tasteless, to the point where I threw out the last two. > > But the best this year has been the kick-ass wild blueberries. Last year, they didn’t happen. This year, I got tons & tons of them at the local famer’s market, and I’m sure I could have picked them myself were I the sort of person who did not detest blueberry picking. For the record, these are the tiny, tart, low-bush blueberries, not the big tasteless high-bush ones available all over the country. The former are the best fruit ever; the latter are blech. Can you say your region? Not hip to the abbreviation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruits-in-the-market-this-summer-that-have-not-been-worth-it/820671.md?page=2)