Fruit A Rama

I live in Elkhart County, Indiana one of the hardest hit counties in the nation for unemployment. Yesterday a local supermarket ran a truck load sale on fruits and veggies. They wanted to show the area they cared about us and that we could still eat fresh produce on a budget. Technically they should just have these prices all the time, now that would help. I was lucky because I went into the store twice and got everything I needed and then some. Here is what I got:

8 quarts of strawberries @.99 each
2 -3lb bags of Fuji apples 1.99 each
4 pineapples 2/3
2 cantaloupes 2/3
1 3lb bag sweet onions .99
2 heads of lettuce .68 each
2 seedless water melons 2.99 each
2 -10lb bags of potatoes 1.69 each
2-packs of vine ripe tomatoes .99 each
4-3lb bags of bananas 1.00 each
1 double head of broccoli .99
2-3lb packs of baby carrots .99 each

Here is the plan for using the fruit. Last night I had some friends over and we had fruit kabobs. Used one pineapple, two strawberries and some excellent grapes that were not on sale.

Gave one pineapple, a watermelon, to Denise who made it into town too late to get anything. They ran out!

Mother's Day will use remaining watermelon, two packs of strawberries, a cantaloupe, a pineapple to make a fruit salad.

Prepared, sliced and bagged for freezing: 3 of the strawberries, 2 bags of the bananas, and one pineapple. These will be used for morning smoothies. Yummy.

The onions I will use some for the Sunday feast and chop and freeze rest for the summer cooking needs.

The remaining two bags of bananas will be for eating and any over ripe ones left will be a banana bread or cake in waiting. Yummy, Yummy.

1 bag potatoes will be used to make a huge batch of potato salad for mothers day and leftovers. The other bag will be used to make diced potatoes for breakfast (frozen meals for father in law).

Lettuce heads are being used for lunch sandwiches which have been yummy.

Broccoli will be used in a stir fry this week along with some of the carrots and some celery I bought that was not on sale.

Most of the apples I am going to slice and freeze for baking the rest will be eaten faster then I can get to peeling and freezing.

Any left over fruit not mentioned for specific use is being eaten. I can say this fruit was perfect and wonderful tasting. We were eating more then we could kabob and chop up!

Many people were talking about dehydrating the fruit. There were so many people at the store. They definitely wanted in on this goodness.

Last week I got eggs for .89 a dozen so I plan on using eggs and potatoes to make a breakfast scramble I can freeze for father in law breakfasts. Our too of course.

Total fruit cost less then 42 bucks and many many nutritional meals that help during this hard economic time of job loss.