Now when it comes to food shopping (which is one of my top favorite activities of all time), yes I do my shopping at my local supermercado (when I say local, I mean i live above a Consum, one of Valencias most popular supermarkets) But things I buy at consum on the regular:
-Yogurt (unless i buy it from the whole foods store!)
-Nuts
-Cocktail Olives
-Soy milk
-Juice
-Coffee
-Sugar
-Spices
-Other random ingredients for whatever I may be whipping up in the kitchen that day
Things I never buy at Consum:
-Frutas (fruit)
-Verduras (vegetables)
I prefer to buy these saludables deliciosos at my local Fruitaria: VIRK!(Fruitaria= place to buy fruits and veggies) Now it may not be the biggest fruitaria with the most selection, but the employees are so nice and their produce is decently priced and its right across from the metro stop and around the corner!
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| Sometimes its cheaper to shop outside! Tomatoes, apples, kiwi, pineapple, artichokes, and peppers! |
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| this is my favorite fruit man! He may try to trick me and overcharge me every time Im there, but thankfully he never follows through! |
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| Must use gloves when choosing produce! |
Some argue that its more expensive to shop at these little places, but I beg to differ. Plus, I like to support the little guy sometimes! And I like that I can see the produce being unloaded in the mornings sometimes, fresh off the truck, freshly picked still in the crate! Straight from la Huerta (garden/orchard- an area of Valencia we are blessed to be near so we get the freshest produce!)
My staples this year include:
-Canary Bananas
-Fuji/Granny smith apples
-Lettuce
-Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes
-onions
-Pears
-Dried figs
-eggplant
-zucchini
-seasonal fruit
Seasonal fruit! Lets talk about seasonal fruit!
Please take note of today's date. Now, for about one and a half months already, strawberries have been in season. Late February they were at their height! At home on Long Island, strawberries are almost non existent (without paying an arm and a leg) until late June! (I remember this because the strawberry festival dates are permanently engraved in my brain... must... eat... strawberry shortcake!)
But I have been craving peaches like no other! Peach season please hurry!!!!
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| Signs of spring: Strawberries and Nectarines! To the right: the overabundant Valencian orange and the Canary platanos on the left |
Now I am also a new fan/addict of Taste Spotting. Now when I look up recent recipes, some things pop up that are seasonal in America, or rather existent that I can not find! Things like blueberries, celery, cranberries, corn, radishes, brussels sprouts, and seedless sweet grapes!
Fresh mushrooms are hard to come by as well. Because the mushrooms come up from the ground after the rain, and it barely rains in Valencia. But the day after a few showers, the fruitarias are filled with fresh mushrooms (champinoñes and setas) and theyre still caked in dirt! just the way I like it!
dirt= freshly picked
The fresher the better!
And the prices! I can go into this place and buy enough fruits and veggies to last me almost a week, and pay a little over 3 euros. A head of romaine lettuce (huge!) costs me 50 centimes (70 cents) and lasts me days and days!
Recently I bought (with plans of making a gazpacho from cooking class):
-4 tomatoes
-white onion
-2 pears
-2 bananas
-Romaine lettuce
-5 Mushrooms
Grand total: 3.01 euros (4.25 usd)
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| an apple a day keeps the medico away! |
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| tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, judias verdes! |
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| Carlota(carrot), spinach, potatoes, root veggies, onions! |
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| greens, coli, yucca, plantains, squash |
I have bought much more, including the ever expensive avocados, for a weeks worth of salads and fruits for about 5 euros.
And the taste? PLEASE!!!! I don't think I can ever buy supermarket fruits and vegetables from the US for as long as I shall live after being spoiled by the fresh juiciness and real flavor of the Mediterranean produce
I think I'm determined to stay in Spain just so I can eat la huerta's freshest produce daily!
Do you ever shop at the mercat central? I was nearly overwhelmed by the astonishing towers of produce and products available there. Some of the produce, like avocados and strawberries, were much cheaper than for what you can find it for in Madrid.
ReplyDeleteyes i love the mercat! however it is a bit far to travel with lots of produce, and sometimes when i go there i get overwhelmed and don't know who to buy from!
ReplyDeleteThat is SO cheap! I'm hoping that the supermarkets and farmers markets in Madrid will be this inexpensive so I don't starve next year!
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful. I read this before but on my phone and couldn't comment. Thank you.
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