Food: July 2006 Archives

Donut peaches are good! I've been having trouble finding really flavorful peaches so far, but I bought a few of these funny squished-looking fruits a few days ago. Great flavor, small and easily removed pit. Who knew?

I live near a wonderful grocery store. Independent, locally owned, great, friendly employees, good selection, and I don't have to drive to get there. One fly in the ointment: the prices on produce are, shall we say, a mite steep. Organic nectarines were $5.39 a pound the other day. They sell mache for $5-something a bag. Ouch.

So I did something different: I got in my car, headed southeast on 580, and got off on Fruitvale. My destination: the new Farmer Joe's Marketplace. I had heard about the original Farmer Joe's for years, but inertia kept me shopping closer to home (or at Trader Joe's.)

My verdict: easy to get to, pleasant store, good produce selection, and MUCH better prices. Small avocados: four for a dollar (and not all that small, either.) Organic plums: $1.69/pound. That bag of mache? $1.89 for a bag (and that's before the 35-cent coupon was applied to it!)

Non-produce items, however, were about the same price as at Piedmont Grocery. Annalisa beans (Italian, come in glass jars instead of cans) were $1.29 a jar at Farmer Joe's as opposed to $1.25 at Piedmont. Plus, they didn't have the strange veggie bacon from Morningstar Farms which I've become addicted to (don't ask.)

Anyway, I'm sure I'll still end up going to Piedmont Grocery (no driving!) but for stocking up on fruits and veggies, I'm hitting the highway.