GREEN COVE SPRINGS – News flash: a healthy, sustainable, delicious food source option is now available at the Dollar General store.

But get there quickly, because they are bought as soon as they are stocked.

“Produce? Yeah, I like that,” a customer said as he hurridly paced towards the section.

The items have been so popular during their first week that assistant store manager and acting general manager Veronica Johnson could barely keep up with stocking and tagging items during the first-week rollout of the produce.

“These tomatoes were loaded up, and the bananas were, too,” she said.

But plenty of sections were empty and several items were sold out in less than six days after the section was opened on May 6.

“This was the first order, which is usually giant. So, for them to have a giant order and for it to be this low, it is doing amazingly well,” Johnson said.

The multitasking manager believes the store’s rural, remote location and far distance from customers living in the area from other grocery stores in the area could play a factor. The closest store – Winn-Dixie – is four miles away on U.S. Highway 17. The next best option is Publix Supermarket at Hibernia Pavilion on Fleming Island, which is even more challenging commute.

When walking inside the doors, a customer might be amazed to discover what they will find within the small-yet-surprising gold mine in four rows and two sections.

Available for the choice for rural customers include Fuji and Gala Apples via Riveridge Produce of Sparta, Michigan, a municipality based 37 miles from the Great Lakes, along with iceberg lettuce, bell peppers, cabbage and fresh corn cob from Southern Valley, which are grown in three locations: Georgia, Tennessee and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Blueberries, strawberries, original and black bean corn salsa, guacamole, and classic, romaine and peppercorn salad kits are all on the menu, along with lemons, lime, fresh minced garlic and tomatoes also are available, along with classics like Vidalia Sweet Onions, Avocados from Mexico and Idaho potatoes.

Even better? In true Dollar General form, staple products come in large portions and are available for a fair price.

For example, five bananas for $2, large bags of potatoes and onions are selling from anywhere from $2.50-3.95, and the sweet, crisp and prized apples grown on the shores of the Great Lakes are just $4.95 in packs of six.

In a tough economy, that’s bargain shopping on a budget.

Plenty of cheap, healthy snack and drink options are also available to fuel children.

The phenomenon can be accessed by entering the store and hanging an immediate right after walking inside.

Now, the only question that remains for Johnson is how quickly she and the Dollar General will have pick up the phone to dial in trucks to reload the shelves for the following order.