I was talking to a friend the other day who mentioned that she always buys pre-cut produce. Even though it costs more, if she buys it whole she never gets around to it and fruits and veggies tend to rot in the drawer uneaten — which really doesn’t save anyone any money, right? 🙂 So I was wondering: Do you buy produce pre-packaged or pre-cut? Always, or just certain products?

It’s all about the GARLIC

Garlic cloves tend to be my pre-packaged-produce splurge here. We tend to use a lot of garlic in this house, as you may have noticed from the recipes, and since I hate peeling it and dealing with it I often buy these huge bags of peeled garlic cloves from Costco. I love the grab-and-go convenience here, and also like the beautiful large cloves of heirloom California garlic — so have decided that for me, it’s worth it. (I also sometimes buy baby carrots when they’re super cheap like this 2 lb bag of organic baby carrots I picked up for $.50 at Pete’s Market last week, but otherwise prefer the whole ones.)

Otherwise I only tend to pick up pre-cut produce occasionally on clearance, but I was wondering: What do you guys do?

Easy Instant Pot Garlic Butter

So anyway… speaking of giant bags of peeled garlic, I saw this easy Instant Pot garlic butter (or: buttery garlic?) recipe today from someone in the amazing Instant Pot Community over on Facebook (direct link to recipe). Seeing as I have half a giant bag of peeled garlic here, I impulse made some this afternoon.

Not my original recipe, but brilliant, guys!

Ingredients

5-6 bulbs peeled garlic (I used several handfuls from my Costco bag to almost cover the bottom of the pot)
1/2 cup water
1/2 stick salted butter

Directions

Cook on manual high pressure for six minutes, quick release, then mash and stir. Boom: Garlic butter! Store in the refrigerator, should you have any left. (No, it really makes quite a bit, lol…)

Do you LOVE garlic?

This was pretty good, but you have to realllly love garlic. Here I tried it on bread sprinkled with a little dried parsley, but I’m also thinking it would be lovely mixed with snipped chives on steak, mixed with herbs on salmon, mixed with fresh diced parsley and spread on French bread to make garlic bread — with a little mozzarella on top maybe — on baked potatoes, and… oh, just in all sorts of wonderful ways.

I think I prefer the taste of garlic roasted in the oven if you’re just spreading it on bread, but this Instant Pot garlic butter would be great mixed with fresh herbs to jazz up a number of recipes and plainer foods.

Easy Instant Pot Garlic Butter, printable recipe

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Easy Instant Pot Garlic Butter

Original recipe from Clydie in the Instant Pot FB Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/permalink/1348589628568355/

Course condiment

Total Time 20

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

5-6 bulbs peeled garlic I used several handfuls from my Costco bag to almost cover the bottom of the pot
1/2 cup water
1/2 stick salted butter

Instructions

Cook on manual high pressure for six minutes, quick release, then mash and stir.
Boom: Garlic butter!
Store in the refrigerator, should you have any left. (No, it really makes quite a bit, lol...)

More Instant Pot recipes?

Here are a few more Instant Pot recipes you might enjoy!

And by the way: I figure if I make enough batches of broth from vegetable scraps instead of buying boxed broth, I can put that money towards the occasional Costco garlic cloves splurge. And since I use a few garlic cloves in the veggie broth, it’s a whole circle of life thing, too. 😉

Suzanne and Randy Funk

Sunday 24th of September 2017

I don't have a Sam's near me, but I buy the pre-cleaned garlic at Kroger in the refrigerated section. They package it in 6-7 in individual packages, which is nice because it keeps the rest fresher for a longer time. LOVE IT.

Jane

Friday 17th of March 2017

I second the growing your own spinach. You will have some years where you keep cutting it and are so proud of your crop and others where you may have to go buy some because the weather was not right. It is so worth the effort since there is very little effort involved or cost! And it is always there ready when you want to cut a fresh bunch!

rachel

I grow spinach every year -- and you know it has to be easy, since I don't have a green thumb! Sometimes it goes great and sometimes not so much, but I'm always sad when it starts to bolt.

peaches

I know this is not an option for you this week, but there are two different growers that sell fresh spinach at the Evanston farmer's market in the Spring/early summer, and then again in the fall. I've bought Henry Brockman's and Nichol's spinach numerous times. Henry's is organic, and Nichol's spinach is semi organic. Henry just sells at Evanston, but Nichol's sell at numerous farmer's markets, including Oak Park, Evanston, Green City, Federal and Daley Plaza, and I believe Schaumburg and Naperville. Both growers wash their spinach before they bag them. I usually wash them again though. Nichol's sometimes have a B1G1F deal on bags of spinach. .In general the spinach you buy at the farmer's market is bigger than the bagged spinach you buy in the store, but it is really tender, and is way better than anything you get in the grocery store. You can also try growing your own spinach. Spinach is relatively easy to grow. You can plant it as soon as the ground is warm enough to work in. Spinach is fairly cold tolerant. You can then grow a second crop the end of August or later. Most spinach varieties do not like really hot weather, and they have a tendency to bolt when it gets too hot.

Mandy

Thanks Peaches. I can do Naperville or Schaumburg fairly easy, so I look forward to the spinach.

I've tried many times to use the pre prepared, but, I can't get beyond the taste. I've even re-washed it, but, I think it's all dipped in something that my taste buds just don't like. Occasionally I will buy the pre washed spinach, re wash, cook and eat, but, I'm usually not happy with the end result. I think fruits and veg are so important that you should pay whatever you need to so that your family will eat as much as possible. I sure would like to find a reliable, easy, tasty supply of organic spinach that's frozen or fresh. I buy a bag of frozen spinach and it tastes great, go back buy 3 more and they are either full of grit, branches, or taste gross to me. I really hate to wash greens!

katie marie

I almost always buy the bagged baby kale at costco. I can get over a weeks worth of salads, which is a great deal for around $5. Years ago we bought the garlic cloves, when it was sold in plastic tub. Liked convenience but we didn't get to all of it before they were past their prime :). I almost bought the bag the other day but wondered if they could be frozen?