Plus, tips for picking out the good stuff.
The secret?Krogers dollar bin in the produce section.
The treasure hunt for marked-down produce.
Simply Recipes / Adobe Stock
Many Kroger stores have a section of bargain produce that sells as low as 99 cents a bag.
This is my first stop in the produce section.
The items are castoffs because someone judged them undersized, overripe, or blemished.
Simply Recipes / Sara Bir
But oftentimes, theyre perfectly fine and can be the building blocks ofmeal planning.
Its a crapshoot, and you oughta be on your toes, but when it works, its magic.
Just Where Is This Bin, Anyway?
Simply Recipes / Sara Bir
Technically its a shelf, not a binat least at my local Kroger.
The dollar bin is often in an out-of-the-way spot in the Kroger produce section.
It pays off to get friendly with the produce staff.
If you see someone stocking, ask them where the cheap produce is and theyll hook you up.
Some of it is close to rotten.
How do you glean the gems from the garbage?
Look for potatoes.Undersized potatoes land in this bin a lot.
As dogreen potatoes, which are totally safe to eat if you peel them.
They are all great scores.
Go tropical.Dead-ripe mangoes and papayas have a really short shelf life.
If you score these from the bargain bin, plan to eat or prepare them stat.
Thats halfway to a batch ofratatouille, which I make and freeze for future meals.
Be down with brown bananas.I pick up mottled brown-and-yellow bananas from the dollar bin.
Still, I almost always come away with a half-dozen organic bananas for less than a buck.
Know wrinkled from rotten.Sometimes at my store, they have a go at pass off stuff thats nearly compost.
If you see anything your gut instinct says to leave behind, listen to your gut instinct.
Skip the avocados.Dollar bin avocadosat least the ones Ive foundtend to be squishy and past their prime.
Even More Super Produce Savings!
Besides the dollar bin, Kroger also marks down packaged produce throughout the produce section.
Look for the markdown sticker on the packageits got a red and yellow border.
Scrutinize the contents: Are they simply a bit tired or microns away from slimy?
If theyre looking good to go, I scoop these up and use them to inspire my meal planning.
A giant clamshell of baby arugula?
Make pasta witharugula pesto.
A pound of mushrooms?
A bag of Brussels sprouts?Roast them.
Save on Meat and Dairy, Too!
Some Krogers also have considerable yellow sticker markdowns on other perishables, like meat and dairy.
For This To Work, You Have To Act Fast
The rub with cheapo produce?
Its life span is highly limited.
You cant load up and shove it in your fridge to deal with it later.
Because when later comes, itll be rotten.
You have to act fast, and you need the luxury of time.
