Fresh produce sits near the front of G&M Family Market, and the department restocks through the week to keep the shelves full. This is the everyday fresh produce you shop for, kept simple and priced to move. Nothing fancy, just fruit and vegetables that turn over fast enough to stay in good shape.

What’s in the produce section

The staples are always here: apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Bagged salads, fresh herbs, and pre-cut fruit and vegetables are in the cooler for when you are short on time. Seasonal items rotate through as they come in, so summer brings berries, corn, and stone fruit, and fall brings squash, pumpkins, and apples.

Maine in the fall

When the local harvest comes in, the department carries Maine apples and fresh cider. Cortland, McIntosh, and Honeycrisp are the ones people ask for, and the cider sells quickly on cool weekends. This is a good stretch of the year to shop the produce section, because a lot of it is grown a short drive away.

Weekly fresh produce sales

Fresh produce turns up in the weekly flyer on a regular basis. Sweet corn goes by the ear or the dozen, peppers and tomatoes go by the pound, and whatever is in season and plentiful gets marked down. If you plan your week around the ad, the produce deals are worth building a couple of meals around, especially next to whatever the meat counter has on sale.

Deliveries come in through the week, so the fullest selection is usually earlier in the day after the shelves have been stocked. If you are particular about ripeness, on bananas or avocados for instance, it is worth digging a little. The department puts fruit out at different stages, so there is something ready to eat now and something that will be right in a few days.

Cooking from the ad

A lot of shoppers plan the week’s dinners around whatever produce is cheap that week. When peppers and onions are marked down, that is fajita or stir-fry week. When corn is a few ears for a dollar, it goes on the grill next to whatever the meat counter has on sale. Buying in season costs less and it tastes better, and the flyer is the fastest way to see what just came in at a good price. Fill out the cart with staples from the grocery aisles and you are set for the week.

The section is smaller than a big-box store’s, and that is on purpose. G&M stocks what sells and keeps it fresh instead of filling a wall with specialty items that sit and spoil. If there is something you buy often and do not see, tell someone at the front. The department can usually add it to an order or tell you which day it arrives.