Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in greater los angeles, CA

Grocery Store Alternative - Larry's Produce

June 15, 2009

As a mom and Chief Everything Officer of my household (Everything, incidentally, does not include plumbing or ironing) I have been getting increasingly frustrated with our grocery bill.  I cut the coupons, I make the lists, I plan the menus, I squeeze the shopping in wherever I can, and still our bill climbs and climbs.  The worst culprit is supermarket produce.  There is no reason, in California, to see a $5.99/lb price tag on apricots.  Seriously.

My husband had been urging me to try the local ethnic produce market for a while, but I was too scared to go in there.  My experience with ethnic markets consists solely of visiting our local Vallarta, the Latino-skewing supermarket chain with a location down the street.  The traffic there is so bad that it's impossible to get a parking space without almost running over 10 people and a fruit cart.  It's too much for me.

One morning a few weeks ago, however, I had a few extra minutes on my hands and so I gathered my courage and went into Larry's Produce, a small market on Reseda just south of Nordhoff in Northridge (parking is behind the building).  Not one but three ethnicities are represented, according to the signs:  Indian, Mexican, and American.  I went in on a Monday morning, so the place was nearly deserted and the produce was being restocked right before my eyes.  The produce prices grabbed my eyes and hooked me in - I stayed to check out all of the exotic offerings, too.

The staff was nice and friendly, and there was no wait to check out.  The lovely gentleman behind the deli counter, stocked with fresh cuts of everything, told me that they serve hot kabob meals for lunch starting at 11AM every day except Sunday.  For less than $20 I scored broccoli, bananas, strawberries, peaches, lettuce, fresh pita bread, hummus, and the best deal of all:  4 ripe apricots for $0.79!  Take that, supermarket!

Check out what other people are saying about Larry's Produce here.  My favorite suggestion "[Wander] the aisles when you're depressed and looking at each and every weird item."

9043 Reseda Blvd. NOrthridge, CA 91324 818-773-0469