Sweet potatoes and pesticides, complaints about Clayton's beef

Natural sugar oozing from organic sweet potatoes I baked at home.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

In the May 2015 issue of Consumer Reports, you can find a chart showing the risk of pesticide exposure from eating 48 fresh conventional fruits and vegetables from 14 different countries.

"We recommend buying organic for any produce-country combination in the medium or higher risk categories," the editors say.

"We found that all organic produce falls into the low- or very low-risk categories," the magazine reports.

Still, a footnote says, "Our analysis is based on the risk to a 3-and-a-half-year-old child, estimated to weigh 35.2 pounds."

Sweet potatoes -- one of the key bread substitutes I rely on to maintain my weight loss -- are listed in the high-risk category, and the magazine says:

"Beware of conventional," if the sweet potatoes are from the United States.

But I will continue to buy conventional and occasionally organic sweet potatoes, because Consumer Reports and other experts say their N0. 1 rule is to eat more produce.

"Getting plenty of fruits and vegetables -- even if you can't obtain organic -- takes precedence when it comes to your health," the magazine states.

Consumer Reports leads all general-interest publications, including newspapers, in reporting on pesticide use, antibiotics in meat and poultry, and other important food issues.

A 3-pound bag of organic sweet potatoes, top, at the ShopRite in Paramus goes on sale occasionally for $4.99. On Tuesday, I bought a bag at the regular price of $5.99, but it tipped the scale at nearly 4 pounds, below.

A 3-pound bag of conventional sweet potatoes at ShopRite is $2.99, but often weighs 3.5 pounds or more. Trader Joe's on Route 17 in Paramus sells organic and conventional sweet potatoes at lower prices than ShopRite.

A 3-pound bag of Southern's 10 in 1 Sweet Potatoes is a favorite purchase at the Paramus ShopRite. Even though these are conventionally grown, they are triple washed, which would reduce our exposure to any pesticide residue.

A large, seedless watermelon from Florida was $6.99 at the Paramus ShopRite, a discount of $1. No need to thump. Pick the biggest and heaviest you can find.

Clayton's Organic Ground Beef from Australia in the refrigerated case of the ShopRite, 224 Route 4 east, Paramus.

Clayton's Organic Beef

Here is a comment I received in February from a reader who buys Clayton's Organic Ground Beef from Australia at the ShopRite, at 668 Route 70, Brick, a town on the Jersey shore:

"I've been buying Clayton ground beef at Shop-Rite for several years now, at least one-pack per week and we love it. It's the best ground beef I've have ever had. 

"But, the past 2 months I've noticed the Clayton ground beef is not as lean as usual and I don't blame Clayton.

"Upon closer inspection I've noticed that it appears that Shop-Rite (Bricktown - Rt 70) is re-packing the date-stamped vacuum-sealed Clayton ground meat and adding filler if the meat is near the expiration date. I think maybe they are adding fresh ground beef of low quality. 

"All I know is that it looks like the packages are being tampered with and resealed by the Butcher Dept., at least at this particular Shop-Rite."

Then, on May 18, another reader said:

"I read the above post and agree the Clayton ground beef at the RT 70 Brick Town Shop-Rite does not taste the same as the the Clayton ground beef purchased at other Shop-Rite stores.

"Their steaks taste the same, they are consistent and don't vary from store to store, but imo [in my opinion], not the ground beef.

"Doesn't taste as fresh and doesn't have the WOW factor even though the expiration date is almost one month out.

"IMO, something's not right. 

"Maybe a SR Representative could investigate by comparing the ground beef from several different stores (visually inspect and compare & cook and taste test it) and see for themselves without informing the meat dept management or employees."

I called Wakefern Food Corp., a cooperative composed of 50 member companies that own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite banner. 

A ShopRite spokeswoman said:

"All Clayton's Organic Beef is vacuum sealed - and is not resealable - to ensure freshness and to protect the integrity of the product. We take these complaints very seriously and would ask any customer who feels that they have purchased a product that does not meet their expectations to let us know via our Customer Care Center at 1-800-ShopRite. 

She also addressed the "distinctly different" taste of Clayton's Organic Ground Beef, compared to other beef, noting that Australian cattle are free range, grass fed and grain finished.

Depending on the time of year and "growth cycle of the grass," the taste of the beef can differ, she said.

If you buy three packages of Clayton's Organic Ground Beef at the Paramus ShopRite this week, you'll save $1.

ShopRite is having an odd sale on Tropicana Pure Premium OJ

At ShopRite in Paramus, four 59-ounce bottles of Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice are on sale for $12.99 with the store card, a discount of $2. But Costco Wholesale in Hackensack sells the same four bottles for $10.29. ShopRite does beat Costco on individual bottles, at least through Saturday.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss a sale on Tropicana OJ at ShopRite in Paramus, and the disappearance of 3-pound bags of sweet potatoes from its shelves.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On the way home from the gym, I stopped at the ShopRite in Paramus for another four bottles of Tropicana Pure Premuim Orange Juice at $1.97 each, compared to about $2.57 each at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

The discount, good through Saturday, only applies to individual 59-ounce bottles, not the shrink-wrapped four pack of the same juice.

At Costco, you have to buy the quartet.

Shoppers can buy a maximum of four bottles of each variety with ShopRite's Price Plus Club card.

ShopRite says you save $1.07 when you buy a 59-ounce bottle of Tropicana OJ on sale.

Three-pound bags of yams have replaced 3-pound bags of sweet potatoes at ShopRite in Paramus (224 Route 4 east). But the nutrition label on the bag of yams lists a serving as one sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes and yams

I prefer sweet potatoes to yams, but the Paramus ShopRite has replaced 3-pound bags of the former with 3-pound bags of the latter for the same price, $2.99.

This morning, I saw 3-pound bags of organic sweet potatoes for $6.99.

Sweet potatoes are sweeter than yams, which have more starch.

I found a comparison online from North Carolina State University's Department of Horticultural Science:

Are sweet potatoes and yams different?

Sweet potatoes originated in Peru and Ecuador. Yams came from West Africa and Asia.

If yams are starchier, does that mean they also have more calories? 

Are changes planned for ugliest H Mart in Bergen County?

On Saturday, the entrance to the big H Mart in Little Ferry looked less than inviting. 

Editor's note: Today, I discuss food shopping at H Mart's Little Ferry store, which has seen better days; and Whole Foods Market and ShopRite, both in Paramus.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The H Mart in Little Ferry is one of the biggest Korean supermarkets in the Hanahreum Group -- and the dowdiest.

The store occupies half of a huge, one-story building that once also housed low-price retailer Valley Fair and then many small merchants under the Value Fair umbrella.

But that half of the building now is empty, and H Mart doesn't seem to draw that many shoppers, even on its busiest weekend days.

The H Mart in Edison has a beautiful food court, but I haven't dared eating at the faded lunch counter in Little Ferry.

Why shop in Little Ferry? It usually has the best sales, beating the Englewood and Fort Lee H Marts.

The Little Ferry H Mart offers an extensive selection of traditional Korean side dishes or panchan.

Chasing sales at H Mart

We were out of Shin Ramyun Noodle Soup, a spicy instant soup, and sure enough, I found it on sale at the Little Ferry H Mart on Saturday.

Sixteen 4.2-ounce portions were on sale for $10.99 with another $1 off for holders of the store card. The regular price is $16.99.

A fresh green called bok choy sum was on sale for 88 cents a pound, compared to the usual price of $1.29.

A head of red-leaf lettuce was 99 cents.

At the Englewood H Mart on Sunday, my wife picked up fresh, wild-caught small red snapper for $2.99 a pound.

Kabocha squash was on sale for 89 cents a pound.

But the Korean side dishes H Mart gets from Jinga, Pinocchio and other outside caterers are going up.

Stewed tofu, once $3.99, is now $4.49 or $4.99, and often the package labels don't list the weight.

Stewed Alaskan pollock, once $6.99, is now $8.49.

Amex promo at Whole Foods 

I registered my American Express Blue Cash credit card for a promotion at Whole Foods Market -- a $10 statement credit when you spend $75 or more.

The Blue Cash card also gives you a 3% rebate on groceries.

Shopping at the Paramus Whole Foods today for the meat eaters in the family, I bought antibiotic-free, uncured hot dogs and bacon, and baby back ribs in sauce; and frozen oxtails from animals raised naturally in the United States.

I also picked up two 1-pound boxes of 365 Everyday Value Organic Whole Wheat Shells from Italy, still $1.39 each; and a 16-ounce bottle of 365 Everyday Value Roasted Salsa Verde for $2.49.

The medium-hot salsa verde uses no sugar, unlike a similar product from Target.

The prices for the uncured bacon and hot dogs; pasta and salsa verde were less than, equal to or just a bit more than what I pay at Trader Joe's in Paramus.

Low-sodium black beans

In the Sunday paper, I found a coupon for $1 off four cans of Goya Low Sodium Black Beans.

At the Paramus ShopRite today, a 15.5-ounce can was on sale for 80 cents or 55 cents with the coupon.

A half-cup serving contains 5% of the daily recommended sodium intake, compared to 19% for the regular product.

I also picked up another 3-pound bag of triple-washed Southern's 10 in 1 Sweet Potatoes for $2.99, but seeing a scale nearby, weighed two of the bags and bought the one that weighed 3.5 pounds.

I'll cut up the small sweet potatoes, boil them with fistfuls of peeled garlic cloves, and mash them with grated reduced-fat cheese, extra-virgin olive oil and such seasonings as black pepper, cinnamon and red-pepper flakes.

And I bought four ears of sweet corn from New York State for $1.99 (they turned out to be very sweet).

But imagine my surprise when I stopped at Whole Foods later in the day and saw sweet Jersey corn selling for the same price (about 50 cents an ear).

Peaches you bought here got moldy? No comment

Mold growing on a Jersey peach this morning, two days after I purchased the fruit at the ShopRite in Paramus.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss Jersey peaches, triple-washed sweet potatoes for only $1 a pound; and Parmigiano Reggiano, often called the "King of Cheeses."

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I returned several Jersey peaches that had turned moldy to the ShopRite in Paramus today -- only two days after I bought them and left them on the counter to soften.

The employee at the customer service counter asked if I wanted a store credit or the $2.70 back on my credit card, but otherwise had no comment on the spoiled fruit.

Instead of buying more Jersey peaches, I picked up a medium seedless watermelon on sale for $3.99.

California peaches and other premium fruit at Costco Wholesale may sometimes cost more than at the ShopRite or H Mart, but I haven't had as many problems with them. 

ShopRite in Paramus has one of the best buys in sweet potatoes, which I boiled with peeled garlic cloves and mashed with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, cinnamon and other seasoning. Here, I enjoyed them this morning with a wedge of pesto frittata.

Sweet breakfasts

On Wednesday, the same day I bought the peaches, I bought a second 3-pound bag of sweet potatoes at ShopRite in Paramus for $2.99 -- about $1 a pound, the best price around.

Southern's 10 in 1 Sweet Potatoes are triple washed and all about the same size.

The first bag hid a rotten, inedible sweet potato, but the new bag held perfect spuds.

I cut them up with the skin, boil them with garlic cloves and mash them with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil.

At breakfast, I like to break the yolk of a fried egg over the sweet potatoes, and eat them together.

For dinner, mashed sweet potatoes with grilled wild salmon are even more delicious when I spoon on the rich red-wine sauce I prepare for the fish. 

Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy is a reduced-fat cow's milk cheese that is sold at Costco Wholesale shredded or in wedges. The shredded cheese and a few pinches of Aleppo pepper turn organic eggs from Costco into a real treat.

Shredded cheese with eggs

Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano from Costco Wholesale is especially user friendly in shredded form.

The reduced-fat shredded cheese gives extra body to 100% Egg Whites or I sprinkle it over whole eggs fried sunny side up in extra-virgin olive oil.

I'm planning to add some to sweet potatoes the next time I mash them with garlic and olive oil.

The cheese is aged for 24 months.

Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese with three organic eggs. When using the cheese, there is no need to add salt.

Teaneck Farmers' Market, sweet potatoes with garlic and more

On my first visit to the Teaneck Farmers' Market this summer, I bought fruit and lettuce from Sunden's Stone Pointe Farm in Old Tappan.

Editor's note: I won't make a special trip to a farmers' market to shop for pricey fruits and vegetables, but will stop at one if I happen to be passing by. Today, I also discuss garlic mashed sweet potatoes, and how I've come to rely on Costco Wholesale's pure egg whites to make a quick open-face omelet. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

New Jersey farmers' markets are terrific, but their higher prices discourage me from making a special trip to one.

When I lived in Englewood, I loved the downtown farmers' market, and even Hackensack had one for the first couple of years I lived here.

Closter's market is one of the bigger and better ones, but I've been there only two or three times on Sundays, when I've driven up for a haircut at a Korean barber shop.

Now, the closest market to me is in Teaneck. Today, I stopped in on the way home from doing an errand in town.

Two farms set up stands at Garrison Avenue and Beverly Road in Teaneck on Thursdays, and Sunden's Stone Pointe Farm from Old Tappan seems to have better produce.

Two ears for $1

You know I haven't been to a farmers' market in years when I tell you I was shocked that $1 now buys only two ears of sweet Jersey corn.

Sunden's cantaloupes were much bigger than the other vendor's, and they were $4 each, compared to $4 each or two for $7.

I also picked up beautiful Jersey peaches with the fuzz still on them for $1.99 a pound, and big heads of romaine and red-leaf lettuce for $1.99 each.

One good thing about a farmers' market is that produce generally looks better and is bigger than what you find in a ShopRite or other supermarket.

More signs needed

One disadvantage is a lack of signs. Most items I saw at around 10:30 this morning were unlabeled -- no prices and nothing on where they were grown.

After I wrote this, I got a call informing me the hours of the market are noon to 6 p.m., but vendors will sell to you before the official opening.

I only want Jersey produce when I go to a farmers' market, yet I saw boxes of pineapples, bananas and other fruit that clearly aren't from the Garden State.

And all that other stuff they sell -- Amish pies, fresh mozzarella, empanadas and whatever -- why bother?

This year, the market's last day will be Oct. 30.

Don't spare peeled California garlic from Costco Wholesale when making mashed sweet potatoes, a terrific substitute for a bagel or bread at breakfast, below.

A simple, open-face omelet with a slice of reduced-fat Swiss cheese takes only minutes when you use Kirkland Signature Egg Whites from Costco Wholesale.

Sweet potatoes and garlic

I stopped at the Paramus ShopRite looking for sweet potatoes on Tuesday, and saw only loose yams, which are starchier and probably have more calories.

In the week since my last visit, some produce department fixtures were moved.

Then, on a low shelf, I saw net bags of Southern's 10 in 1 Sweet Potatoes, a reference to 10 ways they can be prepared as shown on the label (3 pounds for $2.99).

They are triple washed, and all about the same size.

When I opened the bag the next day, one of the sweet potatoes was rotten and inedible, but I cut up the rest -- skin and all -- and boiled them with fistfuls of peeled Christopher Ranch Monviso Garlic from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

They take about 45 minutes to soften. 

After I drained them and returned them to the pot, I added liberal amounts of extra-virgin olive oil, a little salt and just about any other seasoning I had around:

Black pepper, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, dried onion and no-salt seasoning.

Then, I mashed and served them. There were plenty of leftovers.

An egg-white omelet with sliced reduced-fat cheese, Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco Wholesale and Aleppo pepper.

An egg white-smoked wild salmon omelet with leftover organic whole wheat spaghetti in bottled pasta sauce with added anchovies, sardines, red wine and organic diced tomatoes, below.

My wife used more peeled garlic from Costco when she made escoveitched fish on Wednesday, frying fresh whole porgy she bought at H Mart in Englewood for $2.49 a pound. Onions, sweet pepper, garlic and whole peppercorns are stewed separately in vinegar, then spooned over the plated fish.

Teaneck Farmers' Market.