One New Thing ....

 

 I alluded to this One New Thing in last week's Hodgepodge post.   When Market Basket  came to our town in 2020,  it was a good thing we'd been hoping for, for a long time.  Great prices.  I also knew, having shopped in other Market Basket locations, that they offered reduced prices on ground beef.  They freeze it when it gets close to the expiration date and one buys it frozen.

What I didn't know is that they also offer reduced prices on bakery items, deli meat ends, and even produce!   Only recently have I found the areas where these items are located.

I've found some good buys on reduced price bread and rolls.  In the deli meat ends, I've found turkey and ham that can then be sliced to use in sandwiches or cubed to use in casseroles,  egg dishes, etc.

But the produce section is where I've found the very best deals, like a bag of 4 avocados for 99¢, a bag of vine ripened tomatoes for $1.  And my very best deal so far has been a bag of 6 or 7 Minneolas for $1.45! 

 To be honest, when I picked them up, I thought they were oranges.  I knew navel oranges were running 99¢ apiece, so this seemed like a really great deal.  Was it ever! 😊

These were the absolute best oranges I have ever tasted!   Easy to peel, no seeds, and so flavorful!   So I set out to learn a little more about Minneolas.  Here's what I found; info from Tricia Christensen.

"The Minneola tangelo is a specific hybrid citrus fruit that is made by crossing the Duncan or Bowen grapefruit and the “Darcy” variety of tangerine, also called a mandarin orange. The cross was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, in Florida, and was first released for sale in 1931. The fruit combines the sweetness of the mandarin with the tart flavors of the grapefruit, and it is highly prized for its juiciness and combination of sweet/sour flavors."

I found the information from Tricia Christensen here:  What is a Minneola Tangelo?

 And here's more:  "As tangelos go, the Minneola tends to be pretty large and is usually bell or pear-shaped. Diameter of the fruit averages about 3 inches (7.62 cm), though some can grow a bit larger. The peel is somewhat thin, but like most tangelos and mandarin oranges, it is pretty easy to peel. Many people like the fact that the fruit doesn’t have very many seeds, usually about ten on average, so they’re easy to avoid.". 

The ones I sampled had no seeds at all!

So there is my most recent one new thing!  Have you ever tasted a Minneola?  Does your supermarket offer reduced produce?