tl,dr: Most of the stone fruit at Trader Joe’s is not worth buying, but the saturn peaches are intriguing.

I’ve got mixed feelings about TJ’s stone fruit. On one hand, it’s been pretty bad this summer. On the other, the surprisingly bad quality inspired me to start this blog in the first place.

It’s kind of how I feel about the other TJ: yes, he was a great statesmen, but the dude owned slaves. It’s either dry nectarines or human chattel with these people.

Trader Joe’s Conventional Yellow Nectarine

Sweetness	Juiciness	Price	Recommend
Not sweet	Slightly juicy	$.79/each	No

I tried this same “Ripe & Ready” nectarine several weeks ago and it was similarly disappointing. These things smell and feel great, but they are all water and no sugar. A few other stores around town carry this brand, so take heed.

Trader Joe’s Conventional White Nectarine

Sweetness	Juiciness	Price	Recommend
Not sweet	Slightly juicy	$.79/each	No

Same story here. Just not sweet.

Trader Joe’s Yellow Saturn Nectarine

Sweetness	Juiciness	Price	Recommend
Sweet	Slightly juicy	$3.49/four-pack	No

After an honest conversation with TJ’s staff about deficits in their stone fruit selection, I was pointed in the direction of these fun little saturn peaches. They were sweet and had a unique flavour, but never got soft.

So I never knew when to eat them. I had one genuinely good one and three edible ones that dried up as I waited for them to soften.

Because these peaches were confusing, I can’t recommend them. But, I hope to give them another shot later this summer.

Honestly, I feel bad for all the TJ stone throwing – it’s really one of my favorite grocery stores. And I’d like to say that no more shade will be thrown on TJ’s fruit, but unfortunately more bad news is on the way.