New package doesn't stop salad rotting

This delicious Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix comes in a new package, below, but the dark leaves can still rot days before the use-by date on the front label.

The new package eliminates a flexible plastic sealing strip.

Editor's note: Today, I take a second look at the new Earthbound Farm salad package and discuss food shopping in South Paterson.

The new Earthbound Farm organic salad package is more environmentally responsible, eliminating a flexible plastic sealing strip I'd cut with a scissor and recycle with plastic bags. 

But I'm still finding that the dark leaves in the Organic Spring Mix or Organic Half & Half salad can rot days before the use-by date.

I buy my 1-pound package of Earthbound Farm salad at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, where the price of $4.99 or less beats all competitors. 

The way Costco stores the salad, and the temperature it is stored at, may be the problem. 

The first time I brought home the new plastic tub, I tore off a strip of plastic and thought it wasn't much of an improvement over the old, which was sealed with a flexible strip of plastic.

The next time, I saw the word "HOLD" on the tub and "LIFT HERE" on the cover, and easily separated the two without tearing away anything.  

Starbucks Hot Cocoa mix at Costco Wholesale.

Starbucks Hot Cocoa Classic mix, another item I found at Costco, makes a rich cocoa drink when you use the recommended two heaping tablespoons and 8 ounces of milk.

One of Paterson's most popular produce stores is in the Farmers' Market.

I made a special trip to Paterson this morning to get good deals on salted cod fish at Corrado's Family Affair and on Moroccan sardines at Brothers Produce.

I also bought yogurt drink, yogurt, Syrian cheese and extra-virgin olive oil at Fattal's Bakery.

Corrado's, which is on the Paterson-Clifton border, has raised the price of a 1-pound package of salted cod fish to $7.99 from $6.99.

This salted cod fish is a product of Canada.

 

I bought 7 packages of the salted cod, which freezes beautifully.

I also picked up a half-liter bottle of Corrado's Balsamic Vinegar, which contains no artificial color ($2); some red and yellow sweet peppers and a few mangoes.

I wanted to buy a liter bottle of Corrado's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but the label said only it was imported from Italy and packed in Italy, not that it was made from Italian olives.

Is this oil made from 100% Italian olives?

At Fattal's, on Main Street in Paterson, I found a 3-liter bottle of Laziza Extra Virgin Olive Oil for $17.59 that is labeled "Product of Tunisia."

I also bought Romi's Syrian Cheese ($6.99 a pound), which is made in Paterson; Romi's Plain Lowfat Yogurt ($2.99 for 32 ounces), and a gallon of Merve Ayran Yogurt Drink ($7.79).

At Fattal's, not all of the large bottles of extra-virgin olive oil are a full 3 liters.

At Brothers Produce on East Railway Avenue, I bought 18 cans of Al Shark Moroccan Sardines for $1 each.

I noticed the can holding Al Shark Morroccan Sardines in Spicy Oil is now slightly smaller than the regular sardine can. 

Many of the extra-virgin olive oils at Brothers are blends from several countries, even one 3-liter can that says, "From Kalamata" (Greece).

Many Corrado's shoppers fill their tanks before their shopping carts.

Corrado's Family Affair, 1578 Main Ave., Clifton; 973-340-0628.

Fattal's Bakery, 975-77 Main St., Paterson; 973-742-7125.

Brothers Produce, 327 E. Railway Ave., Paterson; 973-684-4461.   

Spicing up a trip to the Great Falls

Image via Wikipedia

There was even more water at the Great Falls today than in this March 2010 photo.

There's usually only one place I want to be after a major storm soaks and floods North Jersey -- and that's the Great Falls on the Passaic River in Paterson.


But the Silk City has other attractions, including Middle Eastern markets, bakeries and restaurants, and a large Farmer's Market in its south end.


On Monday, I drove to Paterson and stopped first at Fattal's Syrian Bakery at 975-77 Main St. The street has been repaved through South Paterson, to the delight of drivers.


I picked up a pound of crushed Aleppo red pepper, which I use to spice up fried eggs, omelets, fish and hummus. At $6.99 a pound, it is almost twice the price of a few years ago.


Two pounds of pitted dates from Algeria were $4.99. Fragrant ground cumin was $4.99 a pound. Cans of Libano Verde-brand hummus from Lebanon were 99 cents each, and need only extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and garlic powder to turn into a dip.


A gallon of Merve Ayran yogurt drink was $7.79.


In early afternoon, police blocked access to the parking lots at the falls, which were swollen by Tropical Storm Irene's 8-plus inches of rain over the weekend.


But I managed to leave my car in a restaurant lot nearby and visit both the overlook and the main viewing area below.


The river was already spilling over Spruce Street. 


The dark-brown, silt-filled water threw up a spray and created a rainbow over the falls. Beautiful.


More food shopping


This morning, the street to my gym in Hackensack was covered by flood water, so I turned around and drove to Costco Wholesale a couple of miles away. It's always a pleasure shopping there after the doors first open just before 10 a.m.


I picked up fresh wild-caught sockeye salmon fillet from the U.S.A. at $8.99 a pound; 6 pounds of white-flesh peaches for $7.99; 1 pound of Earthbound Farm organic spring mix at $4.99; 2 pounds of hothouse-grown Roma tomatoes for $3.29; and 1 pound of organic spinach for $3.99.