The vicissitudes of life and the vagaries of Trader Joe's

We like Trader Joe's. A lot. We used to have to go all the way to Federal Way to get to one (which didn't happen very often), so we were thrilled when they opened a store nearby. Unfortunately, their business model calls for them to regularly evaluate their inventory and discontinue products that are, for whatever reason, not selling as well as others. And this time, one of our favorite products got the ax.

We did not see it coming. There were no warning signs, no portents or premonitions. We just noticed that we were running low (as you can see in the picture), so on our next shopping trip we went to pick up some more--but upon reaching that familiar spot in the aisle, we scanned the shelves in vain. No Mojito! Where's the Cuban Mojito Simmer Sauce? That tangy blend of orange and lime juices, accented with garlic and spices? We inquired; we received the fateful news. Discontinued.

Alas! This stuff is great. Wonderful in black beans and many other things, in our house it is particularly known as the condiment of choice for carnitas. Kate loves mojito on carnitas. (She used to call it "hito," and when she asked for more she'd say "mo' hito!") The first thing I thought upon hearing it had been discontinued was, "Oh no, what are we going to tell Kate?"

Doug emailed Trader Joe's, and they said that it just wasn't selling well enough, but that if enough people complained they might consider bringing it back. I can see that it might not have been a big mover--I mean, how quickly can you go through a jar?--but we did buy it pretty frequently. If we'd known it was going away, we would have stocked up!

We did find a substitute recipe that we'll have to try. I don't know how well it would keep in the fridge, though. Perhaps we could freeze it in small batches.