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Greengrocers

Red Barn Country Market

A long-established country-style market that has spurned three locations throughout the city. Their double smoked bacon is legendary—a favourite of many chefs—and the smoked pork loin works magic in a choucroute. The aged smoked cheddar is also a winner. Picnic area offers respite to kick back with an ice cream or one of their sky-high custom sandwiches. Knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Gourmet Warehouse

Caren McSherry’s food emporium carries everything from chef jackets to Le Creuset dishes to specialty condiments (a whole aisle devoted to mustards!). Freezers offer a well-chosen selection of local products, like Cioffi’s Italian sausages, Vij’s curries, and Pâtisserie Lebeau waffles. The excellent selection of cocktail ingredients—bitters, tonics, and syrups, et al.—will aid any bartender.

Kin’s Farm Market

The tables here are an embarrassment of abundance, piled high with local and imported seasonal produce. Exotic items such as pomelo, dragon fruit, and star fruit bracket varieties fat tomatoes, leafy greens, and shiny cucumbers, all at surprisingly low prices.

East End Food Co-op

The emphasis is on local, fair trade, and organic products (Lundberg rices, Jordan’s cereals, Silk soy beverages—you get the drift). All are welcome, but membership has its privileges: regular discounts and the ability to place special orders for products not carried in the store.

Drive Organics

Emphasizes fresh, local, and organic fruits and vegetables. Thorough selection of local dairy products, including cheeses from Moonstruck, Salt Spring Island, Little Qualicum, Poplar Grove, and Abbotsford’s own Goat’s Pride. Recently expanded baby section stocks organic jarred foods, BPA-free bottles, and elusive brands of natural healthcare products.

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