Produce / das Naturprodukt

One of the interesting things about grocery shopping here is buying produce. There are standard fruits and vegetables just like at home: apples, potatoes, carrots, and so on. Cucumbers seem to be somewhat scarce at this time of year. Celery seems to be almost non-existent, at any time of year. Strawberries are carefully packed with a layer of bubble wrap at the bottom of the package so the berries don't get bruised. There are all sorts of things that I don't recognize and wouldn't know what to do with if I bought them. Most produce seems to be fresher than that sold in grocery stores in the USA, and quite often it seems to be cheaper too.

The price tags for the various fruits and vegetables include the price per kilo and also the country of origin. Even for the things I don't buy, I like to look and see where all these fruits and vegetables are coming from. Ordinary things like the apples and potatoes and carrots come from Austria. Grapes come from Greece and Egypt and South Africa. Tomatoes, at this time of year, are from Spain and Turkey and Marocco. We've been enjoying satsumas and clementines from Spain and Turkey since November which cost less than a dollar for a kilogram. This week Spar has a super sale on blood oranges from Italy: a 6.5 kilogram bucket for 3.99 (bucket included)! That's more than 14 pounds of oranges for just over $5.00. I couldn't resist. We've got a lot of orange eating to do!