Native Forest Organic Hearts of Palm – Canned Hearts of Palm, Versatile Ingredient, Low Calorie, Non-GMO, USDA Organic – 7.7 Oz (Pack of 12)USDA Organic

I have always trusted the Native Forest brand as they support sustainable agriculture with consideration for the environment.Hearts of palm are recommended for making vegan fish cakes. I think with the right spices and a pinch of black salt (from Amazon) they taste better and are void of mercury. Recipes are on the internet.

They’ve changed, and not in a good way.These have always been the best hearts of palm I could find, I’ve ordered them monthly for many years (they aren’t in stores where I live). Yes, cans have often arrived dented, and sometimes there are woody stalks or a can with an off color/texture in there (the dented ones have been fine, the “off” ones I’ve tossed out), but overall the flavor and texture have been heads above alternatives the vast majority of the time. HoP have been a favorite food of mine since I was a kid.In the last few months something has changed, either the sourcing or method of processing them. Now they’re like all the others in the store—overly pickled, fibrous, not great flavor, etc. The few times I’ve asked to return a bad batch, or contacted the company in the past about quality concerns, they’ve replaced or accepted my return for a refund. But now I’m told this item is no longer a returnable item. Perhaps because no one likes the new version and they’ve been overloaded with return requests? But really weird, since they are non-perishables. They should be returnable. But now that they’re not, I definitely don’t want to try buying more to see if they have gone back to the good ones, since I could be stuck with another bad batch. Really frustrating. Off to try and find another brand.

Have you been looking for those heart of palms that you ate at a Brazilian restaurant, or even in your last trip to Brazil?Your search is over!Even though these come from Peru, they are from the exact same palm tree of Brazilian heart of palms.This product is not mushy, tasteless, yellowish, and of a conical shape like those from Ecuador, Costa Rica, etc... that you find at grocery stores and discount clubs.Brazilian heart of palms have strong smell and taste and are acidic. Finding woody hearts is usual and this is done by Nature. But, these woody chunks can be sauteed, used in soups (check Emeril Lagasse's recipes), and in pies (add them to chicken pot pie). A little bit of cooking makes them very soft.Finally, Brazilian type heart of palms start changing colors as soon as the palm tree is cut. From white towards grayish/pinkish tones, which is accelerated in contact with air and aluminum cooking utensils. But the taste doesn't change at all.

I write this review with much reluctance. I have been eating Native Forest Organic Hearts of Palm for several years. Each can invariably had one or sometimes two woody stalks. The rest were delicious! Initially, I purchased NF at the supermarkets. Then when they were discontinued I tried their replacements. Those brands were mushy, smelly and disgusting. I started purchasing NF on Amazon; price and quality were the same and I was delighted to have them again! This recent order of two cases purchased together deviated horribly. Of three cans I opened, only two stalks were edible. The rest were like the other brands: mushy, smelly and disgusting. I submitted a return/refund request. I was given a refund on one case and do not have to return the remaining product. But, this applies to only one case, not the two cases. No matter how I tried I've been turned away every time I try to address the second case. The cost is expensive and I want a refund for the second case. I am willing to return all the product. As to the deteriorated quality, I hope the company will review their quality controlprocedures and correct them immediately. If the palms are not in good condition for eating, wait until they improve. Customers should not be insulted with selling inedible food. EDIT: I was mistaken about how to request a refund on my second case. My husband, the computer savvy guy, showed me what I missed. I was able to speak directly to Cliff, an Amazon customer representative. He apologized for the quality of the product and immediately authorized refund for the purchase of the second case. Cliff suggested I open the rest of the cans because the others may be in good condition and I'd have a win-win situation. KUDOS to ClyfT!!

I’ve heard of perfectly healthy people die because they got botulism from consuming food that came from dented cans.Great deal, but I have to throw half of the cans away, and not to mention eating canned food is not the healthiest option but there’s no other alternative to organic palms of heart.I really wish one company would sell organic palms of hearts in a glass jar and in bulk.I eat palms of heart every day.

I wanted to like them because they are sustainably harvested, but some cans were ok and some were not. Not consistent. Some hearts of palm were impossible to eat...