Farmers' Markets

Ryan and I are huge fans of farmers' markets. Unfortunately, many of them that are actually close by are open only on Sundays. Bummer. We enjoy Guadalupe Farmers' Market for local and/or organic produce. It's close by, Priest and Guadalupe, and the prices are pretty good. The produce is in good form, but it's the extras that actually draw me in. This place sells locally made tamales and tortillas. The tortillas there are reminiscent in flavor of ones that Ryan and I purchased while on vacation in Cabo san Lucas. Delish! On one occasion we were checking out and realized there was a cooler next to us with a big sign on it in red letters that read, "Fresh HOT Tamales." They were still warm. We grabbed a dozen at a good price and had dinner to go. I love that I was supporting some local Grandma that needs a few extra bucks in the home. The salsa sold at the store is to die for too. I love their Drunken Irish brand. I'm a bit of a salsa aficionado because I eat it incessantly and this is one of my favorites.

Ryan and I went to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market on Saturday morning. They are open from 8-12 on Saturdays and have free parking. The market is outdoors but every area is shaded and there are fans for cooling. The market is small which is nice for a family with kids because we could get in and out in about 30-45 minutes. There was good looking fresh/local/organic produce, fresh breads and foods, live music, and other homemade goods. We bought some fresh baguettes, bagels, tortillas, salsa, spinach pasta, and produce for the week. Everything that we have eaten so far has been really tasty.

While the quality of the products was good the shopping was a bit of a hassle. They accept credit cards but not every vendor has a machine on the spot. They give you a paper to fill out with each vendor that you hand over at the end to make good on your credit. Sounds good, right? Not exactly. Not every vendor brings your items to the pay area so you have to go back through to get all of your products. We gave up after two vendors and decided to get some public market certificates thinking that would help. It didn't. Everyone looked at them like they had never seen them before and they couldn't give us change for them. So now we have leftovers. I suppose its not a huge deal since we will go again, but its annoying nonetheless. I suggest bring cash and avoid the hassle. We brought our own produce and shopping bags but there were plenty of plastic bags if you need those (and if you want them to sit in a landfill for eternity). No judgment.

Happy Farmers' Marekting everyone!

Grocery Outlet

Our family drove to Zimbabwe (43rd Ave and Bell Rd) to get a good deal on groceries this week. We strapped our young family in the car and drove for 30+ minutes in fierce traffic to buy some cheap cereal. And.it.was.worth.it. I am very happy to say this trip, unlike the American Discount Foods trip, was much more lucrative. We got to the brightly colored store and immediately found their toiletries section. Hallelujah! For those crazies out there like me that pay 5.00 for a bottle of hand soap because it is made with natural ingredients and biodegradable this is your Mecca. I stocked up on Nature's Gate hand soap, shampoo and conditioner at 2.99 a piece. These babies go for 5-9.00 each at Whole Foods or Sunflower. So, even if I go here just twice a year to stock up on toiletries it's worth the trip.

The grocery section wasn't as fabulous, but I still found some good deals. I purchased some minced garlic and ginger for 1.00 which usually goes for 3-5.00. Yahoo! These babies have a three month fridge life once opened. We bought a case of rice milk for 1.29 a piece, Cascadian Farm granola cereal for 1.49 which usually goes for 3.49-5.49. We bought some soy ice cream and regular ice cream; a pint for 1.50. Awesome. We bought some other staples but the prices weren't stellar. They were basically bottom sales prices at an average grocery store. The produce was not my friend. I'd rather pull from my own garden thank you very much.

I still have one more shop to visit, but in a nutshell here's my advice: Shop the ads and get the best deals at local grocery stores and visit Grocery Outlet to stock up on natural toiletries.