Favorite Vancouver produce shop

[Vancouver]

Ok, so I'm looking for those hidden produce gems around the city.

My favourite so far is Young Brothers market on West Broadway which has very fresh product at very reasonable prices.

Another recent find is the new produce store in Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. Weird layout that feels like it has way too much space. But the produce is fresh and reasonably priced.

Others? What are your favourites?

Cheers!

[2roost]

Kin's Market at City Square - lovely produce, large organics section and easy layout. I have tried the Oakridge location but find the selection much better at City Square.

[maxmillan]

Any of the Kin's Market, Donald's Market on Nanaimo and Hastings, Yaohan's T&T. I noticed excellent quality and price on garlic and bags of onions in Indian town. For decent organic, Choices on MacDonald and 16th; the one on Cambie and 19th sucks. I find Kin's prices much better.

[butter]

I have bought very tasteless melons and oranges, sickenly sweet pineapples (the sign warned me though about the sweetness), pulpy apples, and sour strawberries at Kin's at City Square. They all looked beautiful on the outside though. I suggest sticking to the veggies there. Not sure how the prices compare. Perhaps I haven't learned the fine art of picking fruit.

Where is Young Bros. on Broadway? Will travel far for taste.

[dodger]

I'll second Kin's (or third it?)

Every location I have visited has always been consistent both in freshness and value.

I also notice that their displays are always full and they are busy stocking, prepping and talking to their customers. A nice experience, especially when you can walk out with a bag full of produce for under 5 bucks! (sometimes well under!)

I also have to give a nod to the produce place at the corner of 64th and 120th in N. Delta. I forget the name, (Raplh's?) but it is a great little spot in a busy strip mall where you can hit Safeway for diapers, the cold beer and wine store for a bottle, pick up some fresh steaks at the butcher and get your produce too! A quick stop at the lotto booth can't hurt and if your a little weary after that, head right across the street and enjoy a frosty one at The Sundowner!

I also went on a trip out to a place past 200th and 64th (or was it 72nd) looking for same day picked Chilliwack Corn. I found this great place that had a huge amount of fresh produce as well as a Bakery and cold Apple Ciders!! {non-alc..:( } It is a little far to go but for a bag of that corn, I'll do just about anything!

John

[BCinBC]

I am a Kin's shopper (Oakridge) mostly because of (1) location and (2) it's soooo much more appealing than Safeway or (too tragic to mention?) Superstore produce! Most of their stuff is fine; sure some stuff is slightly over-priced (but then again you compare it to Safeway and hey that $5 thing that dodger mentioned earlier rings true), but I have yet to buy a bad Phillipino mango from them!

Or if I feel like a short drive, there's a place on Granville and 69th across the street from Safeway that's pretty good too, plus dirt cheap, plus they're close to Characters used book store (another gem).

When I lived in the Trutch area of Kits, I shopped Broadway. When at Arbutus, it was New Apple on 4th - or when feeling adventurous, we'd walk to GI (subject of another thread tho). I miss walking to shops!

As Jerry Seinfeld once said, "Fruit is a gamble." I've had bad fruit from my favourite produce stores, but hey that's the luck of the draw. If I had 2 hours to really inspect each piece of produce maybe I'd get away with a better percentage of good stuff, but alas the wife can barely stand grocery shopping with me as it is. (As I think of the menu for the upcoming few days, I tend to do the non-linear wander and end up visiting the same spot in a store a few times. )

[Vancouver]

Where is Young Bros. on Broadway? Will travel far for taste.

It is located at 3151 West Broadway. Here is the link to the location:

Google maps to Young Brothers

Thank you to everyone else for the tips! Keep them coming!

Cheers!

[stovetop]

The Broadway corridor; Broadway produce, and the five others, they all feature different things, some have better fruit some are the cheapest on the basics, a nice walk down broaday and swing back, you can touch all the basis.

Commercial street; Normands, same thing but even better, bakery, meats, deli and produce, the whole gamat is covered.

Main and king edward small stretch everything you would want.

South granville, bakery, butcher,produce, not that cheap though.

India towns fraser or main street

Any where in china town

If van has it, china town will have it

steve

[PeppermintTea]

I've always had luck with Langley Farms Market. They are located in Maple Ridge on Lougheed Highway, Pitt Meadows on Harris Road and in Langley near Willowbrooke Mall. It's worth the detour if you're ever in the vicinity, their produce is always fresh and very reasonably priced with a good variety. They carry a good selection of local farmers produce when in season.

[shelora]

Whenever I'm in Vancouver I need to stop at the Santa Barbara Market on Commercial Drive. They sell fresh baby artichokes, usually all year round, and something I rarely see in Victoria. A big bag of those, some lemons and a jumbo can of Portuguese olive oil and I'm set.

Looking forward to being there soon.

Edited March 8, 2005 by shelora (log)

[peppyre]

Tropicana on Main and 14th. Great produce, great prices. I usually get 2 large bags of veggies for $5. Area at Main and 25th is seriously lacking produce places now. There used to be 3 fantastic asian markets about 7 years ago that I would frequent once a week. Now, there is only one and the quality is not even close to that of Tropicana. If I have a day off and I feel like driving I always end up at the Steveston Farmer's Market store. (The farm with the petting zoo, the little train and the corn trucks in the summer) You can get anything and everything here, all direct from the farms in Richmond. Another favorite, EE or 2E's as we call it on Fraser Hwy. The have an heirloom baking potato that is better than anything I have ever had. It's not always there and I have been unable to locate it anywhere else in the city. I usually only end up at 2E's when I've been out to Langley with my mom. It's a very very long drive from my place.

[rm_blizzard]

Stopped by Sunrise Market at Powell and Gore this afternoon and thought it would be appropriate to contribute to this thread. I've been shopping there for years - the variety, quality and especially prices are excellent. Great selection of asian produce.

Very fresh gai lan today at .99/lb. Manila mangos for 1.29 - 1.79/lb depending on quality/ripeness. They seem to be coming in from Mexico thse days though. Good, but definitely not as sweet as those from the P.I. New potatoes were .39 a pound. I think I paid 1.29 last week at Kins.

[Feedbag]

This may need to be a thread unto its own, but I'll test it here first.

WTF is up with apples? Specifically, why are they allowed to be

sold year-round?

Apples are harvested in the fall, yet you see them in the stores

all year. I'm not talking about the Granny Smiths havested in

NZ, or even the Japanese varieties. I'm talking about the apples

proudly advertised as BC apples. In June!! That makes them

nearly a year old! And it shows. They're mealy, woody and dry.

It's an inferior product, why are they allowed to be sold?

Am I missing something? Is it possible they're used for pies and

apple sauce and work out just fine for those purposes? I don't get it.

Am I alone here?

[BCinBC]

Thought I'd mention Grand Marpole Market on Granville @ 69th-ish, just in case this thread pops up from someone's search. The produce is good and cheap, and they have small meat and Chinese BBQ counters.

Ever since GMM has opened, I've forsaken the Oakridge Kin's (well unless I need fish from the Oakridge fish place).

[2roost]

WTF is up with apples? Specifically, why are they allowed to be

sold year-round?

←

They are "allowed " to be sold because the Food Police in Vancouver are too busy doing other things. Apples have always been sold year round, the Co-op stores them in huge "cold sheds", they are not prime but are serviceable - if you don't like them exercise your option and don't buy them.

When did we give away our right to make choices? And who exactly should be in charge of when certain foods are "allowed to be sold" ?

Careful Big Gullet is watching.

[Matt R.]

When did we give away our right to make choices?  And who exactly should be in charge of when certain foods are "allowed to be sold" ?

Careful Big Gullet is watching.

←

What I don't understand is why we can't grow hothouse strawberries. You know, we will seemingly pay upwards of $4.00/lb for nice tomatoes in December, and $3 for a cucumber, and don't even get me started on orange bell peppers ....

So WTF? Can't someone plant some everbearing tri-star strawberries in a greenhouse and keep them going all year? I must be missing something.

Seriously - BC Bud would pail in comparison to BC Strawberries ... "pssst.. hey. Uptown? Downtown? Red Berries?"

-- Matt.

[canucklehead]

I was down and Whole Foods and they sell loads of stuff that for the life of me, I cannot figure out who is buying the stuff:

Topping the list right now are pear cactuses and pine mushrooms (matsatuke). I have no idea what to do with cactus and I refuse to believe some West Van trophy does either. They also stock a tonne of dried chiles and peppers - please Shelora come over here and run some sort of tutorial.

The pine mushrooms are really delicous - and bravo to Whole Food for even stocking the little guys - but at $50 a pound - I cannot imagine who is buying the stuff. Definitely not the kind of mushrooms one tosses on top of a pizza (SACRILAGE).

Are these glamour products simply put on sale for show - or is there a whole class of gourmets that I have not met yet (and what website do they post on)?

[fud]

Commercial street; Normands, same thing but even better, bakery, meats, deli and produce, the whole gamat is covered.

←

Normans hands down. Very fresh, ridiculously cheap. My first day living on the drive I walked there and bought two bags of veggies and fruit. The girl put em all through and said "3.49".

I said "for the apples?"

she said "total"

$3.49? I had a $10 ready to go. I had to change plans and dig for change!

Damn. I miss commercial.

[sanrensho]

I was down and Whole Foods and they sell loads of stuff that for the life of me, I cannot figure out who is buying the stuff:

This brings up an interesting point. Are the high prices mostly to compensate for a higher percentage of non-sales? In other words, is most of the expensive and (relatively) obscure produce ending up in the dumpster?

This is pure speculation of course. Do any insiders know the truth?

Edited September 27, 2005 by sanrensho (log)

[peppyre]

I found Don's Market yesterday on the Drive and it is sure to become my local market. I was very very impressed. The produce is gorgeous, they carry items that I've only been able to find in stores like Whole Foods, Choices etc. My haul last night included a whole chicken, a loaf of Ecco Il Pane, a large container of my favorite cherry yogurt, an Italian sparkling water (large bottle), edamame, and a few other veggies. Total of $22 spent. Now, if I was anywhere else, that would have been about $30. In fact, that was what I was expecting to pay and I had to stop and look at my receipt several times just to make sure. They also carry Ethical Bean coffee about $2 less than anywhere else. I was a very happy girl last night.

[Paul B]

There's also a Kin's Market in Park Royal. I hit it regularly and especially when I need a lot of something. That's where I got most of the vegetables for the monster paella I made earlier in the summer. On the topic of West Vancouver produce, there's always Whole Foods: expensive, yup, but usually very nice and, of course, organic. The original Capers in Dundarave also has a good organic produce section. Most people I know, however, could give a toss about their produce being organic and so they go to the anti-Whole Foods, Sun Jim's Market on Marine drive just west of 17th. Not fancy, maybe not that clean, but cheap and friendly.

[kontemporary]

Commercial street; Normands, same thing but even better, bakery, meats, deli and produce, the whole gamat is covered.

←

Normans hands down. Very fresh, ridiculously cheap. My first day living on the drive I walked there and bought two bags of veggies and fruit. The girl put em all through and said "3.49".

I said "for the apples?"

she said "total"

$3.49? I had a $10 ready to go. I had to change plans and dig for change!

Damn. I miss commercial.

←

I'm a bit confused about this.. is this the Norman's Market near Wazzubee Cafe on Commercial? Or is it another market somewhere I don't know but should find out.. as stevetop mentioned Commercial "Street" and not "Drive".. and Normand instead of Norman.

[taryn]

I found Don's Market yesterday on the Drive and it is sure to become my local market.  I was very very impressed.  The produce is gorgeous, they carry items that I've only been able to find in stores like Whole Foods, Choices etc.  My haul last night included a whole chicken, a loaf of Ecco Il Pane, a large container of my favorite cherry yogurt, an Italian sparkling water (large bottle), edamame, and a few other veggies.  Total of $22 spent.  Now, if I was anywhere else, that would have been about $30.  In fact, that was what I was expecting to pay and I had to stop and look at my receipt several times just to make sure.  They also carry Ethical Bean coffee about $2 less than anywhere else.  I was a very happy girl last night.

←

Donald's Market?? I really like that place too. There's one on Hastings that also has a butcher.

[Daddy-A]

I'm a bit confused about this.. is this the Norman's Market near Wazzubee Cafe on Commercial? Or is it another market somewhere I don't know but should find out.. as stevetop mentioned Commercial "Street" and not "Drive".. and Normand instead of Norman.

Stovetop's typing skills can be a little suspect

Definitely, it's Commercial Drive.

A.

[stovetop]

QUOTE(rêvasser @ Sep 27 2005, 09:16 PM)

I'm a bit confused about this.. is this the Norman's Market near Wazzubee Cafe on Commercial? Or is it another market somewhere I don't know but should find out.. as stevetop mentioned Commercial "Street" and not "Drive".. and Normand instead of Norman.

Stovetop's typing skills can be a little suspect 

Definitely, it's Commercial Drive.

A.

taryn Posted Yesterday, 11:37 PM

yes the drive

steve