Speaking of cranberries, how much do you pay?

[TKay]

We touched on this a bit in the "hoarders" thread, but I'm curious. What do you pay in your area for a bag of fresh cranberries? I was very excited to start my hoarding collection and saw the price was 2 bags for $5. Seemed kind of steep to me. What do you pay?

ETA: Mine were the 12 ounce bags.

[Gecko]

I purchased the jumo size from Costco and it was $7.99. I don't think I have seen the smaller bags as yet, but last year they were 2 for $6.00 here. And then .50 per bag the day after Thanksgiving

[Hammster]

The 12 oz bag I have in my freezer cost $2.99 a few weeks ago.

Gecko,
Would you mind posting how many ounces the Costco sized bag is?

[mrswaz]

I paid $1.49 today for one 12 oz. bag. A few weeks ago I paid $6.00 for 3 pounds of berries fresh from the bog. I wish I would have thought to pick up more then.

[granolagirl]

I think I paid $2.50 for a 16 oz bag at the farmer's market.

[generic]

Trader Joe's here has them for $1.79/12 oz bag. Haven't seen them any cheaper yet, but after the holidays they always go down to $1.50 or less. That's when I stock up for the coming year.

[TKay]

I need to check our TJ's. When you say "after the holidays," do you mean post-Thanksgiving? Or do we have to wait until after Christmas?

[HealthyinMN]

Normal price is around $1.79 12/oz bag - I found them to be around $4.88/3lb bag at the club stores.

[generic]

I need to check our TJ's. When you say "after the holidays," do you mean post-Thanksgiving? Or do we have to wait until after Christmas?

At TJ's, it always stays the same price. Around here, other stores in town will usually drop the prices sometime in December. It just depends on the store. Sometimes they will go on sale at some outrageously low price just for one week, advertised in the circulars, so keep an eye out.

[Grace]

Around here they're pretty much 2/$4.

I just have to gripe about the fact that they now come in 12 oz pkgs instead of 16 oz, like the used to. :mad:

[cumulus]

Within the past week: $1.79 in western Wisconsin and 2 for $5 in northeast Kansas.

Stupid Kansas.

[dorothyntototoo]

Last week they were $1.99/12 ounce bag in Kansas City. In the past, I've found them for 99 cents the week after Xmas.

[RebelsLGB]

the sale price here at the grocery stores are the 2 for $5...ONCE in a while it will be 2 for $4 but that is RARE. I went into Trader Joes and they had the 12 oz bags but they also had plastic cartons, the kind strawberries come in for I think $2.49 each, the containers say they are 1 quart...i don't know how many ounces that is, but it looked like more than comes in the bags so I bought a few of them.

[testkitchen45]

Don't know what they'll be this year, but last year the best price was $1.99 for 12 oz b4 Thanksgiving, & then it held at $2.49 till they ran out. :mad: So I made a mental note to do this year's hoarding b4 T'g.

Thanks to various OPs for hints about Costco jumbo bags, and about watching grocery-store circulars. I'll go retrieve today's circulars from the recycling bin, for the grocery stores I don't usually visit--good hint.

[Chelle D]

$1.99 for a 12-ounce bag here in Michigan. I think it's the same as it was last year. And I agree with the previous poster - the price seemed to increase a little after Thanksgiving, then I could not find them so I will also stock up before the holidays this year.

[peter121]

I heard it will increase after the holiday, we can store some now

[gabbyh]

I saw the Ocean Spray bags at Publix last week for $2.49...they usually run a 2-for1 special, and that's when I stock up...especially now since I've started throwing them in my morning smoothie!

~Gail

[EmptyNestMom]

I saw them listed here in the ads for $1.89 (but I still have some in the freezer from last year!)...

[heavy hedonist]

Last week they were $1.99/12 ounce bag in Kansas City. In the past, I've found them for 99 cents the week after Xmas.

i never pay more than $1.99/12 oz bag, even for organic.

[generic]

...especially now since I've started throwing them in my morning smoothie!

~Gail

This sounds like a great way to use them raw! What else is in your smoothie with the cranberries?

[TKay]

This sounds like a great way to use them raw! What else is in your smoothie with the cranberries?

I was interested in the same thing.

[gabbyh]

This sounds like a great way to use them raw! What else is in your smoothie with the cranberries?

Most of the time:

1/2 c. Almond Breeze vanilla almond milk or skim milk
1/2 c. Fage non-fat yogurt (unless I have the small containers, then I add 1)
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries and cranberries
(Sometimes I had a stick of vanilla Splenda)
1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Egg White Protein Powder

I do the banana, milk and yogurt first, then use the ice crush at pulse and add the rest of the frozen fruit...when it's pretty smooth, I use "mix" and add the protein...this keeps me full til way past lunch

~Gail

[Hollie]

$1.99 for a 12 oz. bag in Iowa. We paid $1.50 a pound at the Cranberry farm we visited in Wisconsin last month. They were fresh picked and wonderful. I bought 5 pounds!

[generic]

Most of the time:

1/2 c. Almond Breeze vanilla almond milk or skim milk
1/2 c. Fage non-fat yogurt (unless I have the small containers, then I add 1)
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries and cranberries
(Sometimes I had a stick of vanilla Splenda)
1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Egg White Protein Powder

I do the banana, milk and yogurt first, then use the ice crush at pulse and add the rest of the frozen fruit...when it's pretty smooth, I use "mix" and add the protein...this keeps me full til way past lunch

~Gail

Thank you, Gail! I will definitely give this a try. I'm not fond of traditional breakfast foods, so I make LOTS of smoothies.

[emily]

In case you're curious about European pricing, at the farmers market I pay 100 rubles per kilo, which is roughly $4 per 2.2 lbs, so then just under $2/lb (unless the dollar continues to plummet that is). But then I have to go home and get rid of the stems which is a huge PITA. The cranberries here are really small, but really tasty as well. I made a great (if I say so myself) cranberry sauce for a Canadian friend for her Thanksgiving. I wanted to avoid a lot of sugar, so for 12 oz of berries I just used 1/2 cup and then a heaping 1/2 cup of honey along with an orange, some chopped walnuts and cinnamon. It was great!

[TKay]

Gail - Thanks for the smoothie recipe. I've been thinking of changing my morning routine of a Balance Bar with coffee (which I love, but know I should have something more natural and fresh). I'm going to print out your recipe.
Emily - That cranberry sauce DOES sound good. Thanks!

[Hammster]

Ok, DW and I just got back from Costco. Found a 3 lb bag of cranberries for 5.29. That's 1.7633333 per lb. Oh, and they are Ocean Spray cranberries. Great deal for that brand.

[Vinca]

Last night I saw 12 oz bags of cranberries for 2 for 5 bucks…not a great deal. I will be checking out Costco soon.

A couple of years ago, after the holidays, the store where I shop had bags of cranberries for 25 cents. I think I bought about 10 bags. I felt I found a gold mine. That store hasn’t marked them down that much since.

Using raw cranberries in smoothies is a nice idea. Cranberries are so healthy; I am always looking for ideas on how to use them without all that sugar.

[dorothyntototoo]

Ok, DW and I just got back from Costco. Found a 3 lb bag of cranberries for 5.29. That's 1.7633333 per lb. Oh, and they are Ocean Spray cranberries. Great deal for that brand.

At our Costco today they were a brand I've never heard of & a 3-lb bag was $7.89. Alot of them were mashed & leaking - I didn't buy them. So that's basically the same as $1.99 for 12 ounce bags of Ocean Spray at the grocery.

[Hammster]

At our Costco today they were a brand I've never heard of & a 3-lb bag was $7.89. Alot of them were mashed & leaking - I didn't buy them. So that's basically the same as $1.99 for 12 ounce bags of Ocean Spray at the grocery.

Wow, $7.89 seems like a lot for Costco. Too bad they were an off brand and not in good shape and kind of expensive. (Maybe a small farm so they have to charge a bit more than Ocean Spray does?)
I did a quick calculation of the ones I bought today per ounce and a 12 oz bag would have to be $1.32 per bag to be as good a deal as the ones I got at Costco today.