The 3 Best Seasonal Products Returning to Trader Joe's This Summer, According to Employees
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Come summer, we try to do as much of our grocery shopping as we can at the farmers' market. But even during prime produce weekends, we can't resist a trip to Trader Joe's to fill in the gaps with cheeses, dips, wines, quick-fix meal components, frozen foods and any (OK, all) of these 20 EatingWell editor-favorite items.
So when the latest episode of the Inside Trader Joe's podcast, featuring the "Spectacular Summertime Shopping List" dropped on June 13, we immediately queued it up, tapped open our phone's "Notes" section and prepared to adjust our shopping lists accordingly.
In addition to fan-favorite fresh produce like peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries and seedless watermelon, co-hosts Tara Miller, marketing director, and Matt Sloan, vice president of marketing, revealed a few summer products that shoppers adored so much, they're making their triumphant return to store shelves in the next month or two. (The tightly curated selection and small store size are two of a handful of reasons why Trader Joe's is able to keep its prices so low.)
Click here to see the best new summer 2022 products to tack on too, then read on for the top three returning crew member selections.
The 3 Best Seasonal Products Returning to Trader Joe's This Summer, According to Employees
1. Dill Pickle Mustard
One of three pickle-related items debuting or returning this season, this is the second year for the Dill Pickle Mustard that's "just a good, simple, tasty yellow mustard with pickles in it, like actual pickles," according to Miller.
"At first I thought, this is craziness to find, right? Like, do we really need this? But this is such a good mustard and the combo is so perfect," Sloan adds. "It's all about acidity and it's all about acidity working with, if it's a hot dog or even like on a pastrami sandwich, man, this is the ticket. It's so, so good … People went mad for it last year."
Sloan suggests using this in potato salad (swap it for the Dijon in our five-star Classic Potato Salad) or vinaigrettes (SO making this Salad Primavera with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette with pickle mustard now!).
It "couples the savory versatility of mustard with the snappy, herbaceous kick of a well-dilled pickle, via the addition of natural pickle flavoring, dill weed and actual diced-up pickle pieces. The amalgam of these elements yields a superbly summery sauce, if there ever was one," crew members add via the Dill Pickle Mustard listing online. We're planning to keep this condiment on repeat on burgers come cookout time, as a dunker for soft pretzels on game days and as a building block for a party-starting charcuterie board.
2. Jalapeño Limeade
Hot on the heels of Padma Lakshmi's 2-ingredient spicy-sweet dessert recipe comes this fiery-yet-refreshing drink. The co-hosts say this is the fifth year for this returning favorite "that's back by overwhelming customer demand," Sloan explains. "It's, like, sort of a sign that summer is coming when I see that in the store now," Miller says.
"People love this. I will admit that I thought it was a wacky idea when we were first working on it, years back. Organic Jalapeño Limeade; it is spicy limeade. I like to make ice cubes out of this. Actually, you know, freeze them up and then drop those Jalapeño Limeade ice cubes into other things," Sloan recommends, such as spirit-free mixed drinks, frozen or regular margaritas or sparkling water.
"I'll sometimes put a little Chile Lime Seasoning on the rim of the glass when I do that instead of salt," Miller adds. (Tajín FTW!)
Related: Confession: I Cannot Shop At Trader Joe's—Here's Why
3. Brazil Nut Body Butter
Last up, "something that's on everybody's list, that everyone's looking forward to coming back this season is the Brazil Nut Body Butter that we introduced last season," Miller explains.
It sounds totally dreamy to slather on after spending a few too many minutes in the sun without reapplying our trusty SPF! This Brazil nut oil-based beauty product is similar to the Coconut Body Butter that first debuted in 2012. The thick, buttery body cream is designed to soak in quickly (read: no all-day greasy palms or slippery legs) and is ideal for a wide variety of skin types.
