Where oh where have the good veggies gone?

Ok, where is a good place on the north side (preferably in Lakeview) to buy fresh produce? The farmer's markets won't open for a while and I don't think that the produce at the local Jewel is that great (or fresh). Any suggestions?

They are still in the ground, Rachel. Soon though....


From December to March I pretty much live on frozen green beans or good canned tomatoes when I'm not eating potatoes, cabbage or other season specific stuff.

I don't know about Lakeview but if you have the cash to live in Lakeview you probably have the cash to fill your gas tank & cruise over to Jerrys in Niles (Milwaukee at Oakton) & save a bundle on produce, thereby equaling out your saving & your spending.

It's a theory, anyway.

Liz in Norwood Park wrote:I don't know about Lakeview but if you have the cash to live in Lakeview you probably have the cash to fill your gas tank & cruise over to Jerrys in Niles (Milwaukee at Oakton) & save a bundle on produce, thereby equaling out your saving & your spending.

If you're going to Niles, you definitely want to check out the produce department at H-Mart.

The produce at H-Mart is my favorite, but Marketplace on Oakton is my next go-to place. Closer to Lakeview, however, are the markets on Devon; I've often found decent produce at Patel Bros. on Devon. Also, not for this year, and slightly farther than Devon, Garden Fresh Market will be opening on Touhy near the Lincolnwood mall.

Some of it is changing your perspective on "fresh" a bit: I usually look for hearty greens to scratch that itch this time of year: choy (of which H-Mart has almost a whole wall of varieties) endive, collards, cabbages. Also this is a prime season for citrus fruit: kumquatstaste like summer, but are really good right now.

Octarine wrote:They are still in the ground, Rachel. Soon though....


From December to March I pretty much live on frozen green beans or good canned tomatoes when I'm not eating potatoes, cabbage or other season specific stuff.

Rachel, I hear you loud and clear. I live in Lakeview (with no car) and I don't care much for the produce at Jewel or the Whole Paycheck on Halsted, but the one at Belmont & Ashland isn't bad.

If you can bribe a friend who has wheels with a home-cooked meal and I can almost guarantee they'll road-trip you to HMart. It is absolutely worth the trek, but I find their fruit needs tends to be a bit more ripe that I prefer. Their veggies are great and the selection of hot peppers, fish, grains, and meats is insane. I would avoid weekends if you wish to keep your sanity.

If you head out there with some other folks, you could in theory split the cost of an iGo (I've done that too). It's around 12mi one way Lakeview to HMart.

Maybe its not technically Lakeview but you might try Edgewater Produce at 5509 N Clark St. I live in by that Whole Foods on Halsted, but its a pretty easy bike ride up Clark. Lakeview is pretty big so it might not be as easy for you to get there depending on your location but it might be worth a look. They seem to have good prices, or at least ones that seem reasonable to me.

I typically get my produce from Harvestime (owned by the same folks who own Edgewater Produce).

Harvestime Foods
2632 W Lawrence Ave

I've decided to devote this weekend to finding my new grocery store of choice (in other words I'm sick of going to Jewel). Any other places I should check out other than Edgewater Produce and HarvestTime ? I'm looking for the best fruits and vegetables (without paying an arm and a leg) within a 20 minutes drive of Wrigley Field.

This time of year, I'd try some of the farmer's markets. Here's is a complete list:

http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/s ... rkets.html

Besides Harvestime, I also like Stanley's and Whole Foods. Whole Foods is more expensive, but they have a great selection of organic product. Stanley's has an unbelievable selection and very low prices.

Within turkob's drive constraints the Cermak Produce on Kedzie and Tony's on Elston should be checked out. Both beat HarvesTime on selection and prices except for some specials at the latter. Note that HarvesTime typically only has a flyer, which can be hard to read on their Web site, about one week out of the month but that other weeks often have the meat and produce specials listed under their links. We live between HarvesTime (about 0.3 miles) and Cermak (about 1.2 miles) and buy much more meat and produce at Cermak even though we buy small quantities of things often at HarvesTime. Unless Edgewater Produce has expanded a lot recently, it is VERY small compared to the same owners' HarvesTime. That they have a Web site for HarvesTime but not Edgewater tells volumes. The appeal Edgewater has for people in Andersonville says more about the dismal produce options there than reflecting any greatness about the store. HarvesTime beats Tony's and Cermak on bread by a big margin, though.

Cermak Produce
4232 North Kedzie

Tony's Finer Foods
4137 North Elston