Costco Wholesale sells more organic fruit, including strawberries, but it's hit or miss

ORGANIC FRUIT? Conventional strawberries, above, and conventional blueberries, below, at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro today.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Last week, when my wife mentioned she saw organic strawberries at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, my only question was why she didn't buy any.

Conventional strawberries are grown with a lot of pesticides so I've been trying to buy only organic, usually relying on sales at Whole Foods Market in Paramus or H Mart in Little Ferry, where they were $1.99 a pound one Sunday.

But when we went to the Teterboro Costco this morning, I couldn't find any organic strawberries or any of the organic blueberries she also saw last week.

That reminded me of a Costco truism: 

When you see it, buy it or risk not seeing the item again or at least not for a while.

Still, Costco has greatly widened its selection of organics in the last few years, including bread, pasta sauces, salsa, granola and quinoa.

Where the warehouse club is weakest is in selling vast amounts of beef, pork and chicken raised on harmful antibiotics, including a wildly popular but low-quality rotisserie bird.

ORGANIC COFFEE FROM COLOMBIA: A Rainforest Blend of organic coffee beans from Colombia was less than $5 a pound at the Teterboro Costco. I will grind them at the Costco Business Center near my home in Hackensack, and use them in my drip coffee maker.

WIND ENERGY: Cafe Cubano, another organic coffee bean at Costco, is produced with 100% wind energy. 

LOW-QUALITY POULTRY: The Teterboro Costco offers a barnyard of Kirkland Signature whole chickens and parts, above and below, raised on antibiotics that are harmful to humans, who are becoming resistant to antibiotics prescribed by their doctors. The package doesn't even say whether these birds are vegetarian fed.

ANTIBIOTIC FREE: The Teterboro Costco also sells Empire Kosher Chicken Breasts, above, and Perdue Whole Cornish Hens, below, that are raised without antibiotics

SOCK IT TO ME: A great non-food item I bought today are these Kirkland Signature Men's Cushion Foot Dress Socks, which are over the calf and made from a cotton blend. Five pairs were $9.99 or about $2 each.

FILL UP: Our purchases in the back seat of my wife's 2010 Toyota Prius, a gas-electric hybrid she topped up at the Costco gas station in Teterboro, where a gallon of regular is about 30 cents less than elsewhere after you figure in the 4% rebate from the Costco credit card.

LINE OUT THE DOOR: Costco members waiting impatiently at the Teterboro warehouse, above and below, for the doors to open at 10 this morning.