I recently complained to a client about the price of my favorite Cashew Yogurt ($8.49. Ya’ll are taking this inflation madness too far). She told me to try the Trader Joes version with she said had the same ingredients, for only $4.99. So I took my curious tail over there this week to find out what’s what.
And then I wondered: why did I ever stop coming here? So I called my husband:
“Honey why did we stop coming to Trader Joes?”
Him: “Because we became vegan and you hate the produce there.”
It’s true. Trader Joes is not known for it’s stellar produce selection or quality. But here’s the thing: I’VE BEEN VEGAN FOR 8 YEARS! Did I seriously stop coming here 8 years ago? I guess so. The first thing I saw were the Peonies…
THE PEONIES! If there is ever a reason to go to Trader Joes, its for these flowers. They only come out for a limited time and they are worth every second you get to spend with them. This year, there were lots of red varieties, but I stuck to the pink and blush colors because they are the most fragrant.
I cannot believe that I haven’t been to this store to get these flowers in 8 years. Most of the flowers I keep in my home come from my weekly trips to the Farmer’s Market or from the massive rose bush (her name is Gwyneth) outside my home. In fact, Gwyneth is due for a pruning. Her blooms are out of control. It’s quite possible she judged me as I arrived home with peonies to bring inside, when there are at least three (four?) dozen roses outside that could have taken their place.
But I digress.
I took my prize of peonies inside the store and headed to the refrigerated section to find this yogurt that my client was talking about and to send her photo evidence. Along the way I snagged raisins, cashews, tofu, kalamata olives (to hold me over until I make another visit to Uncle Berch for his insanely delicious smoked variety), and a mushroom umami spice that might just make me forgive Trader Joes for getting rid of 21 Seasoning Salute (or at least, I was unable to find it). That spice used to be a staple in our home. I’d have to buy several at a time because we went through it so fast. But this seasoning is so good, we may have found a new favorite.
It also turns out that Trader Joes has fresh rhubarb, and so late in the season! No one else has it locally that I know of. I’ll be snagging some of that tomorrow for my rhubarb smoothie. I’m excited to be back in the store, especially now I know there’s a cheaper alternative to my favorite expensive ass yogurt. I’ll also need to snag another round of peonies before they’re gone for the year. They alone are worth the trip back to TJ’s