Growers and Grocers

Originally published by Curt McAdams on Well Fed on the Town

For the next stop on my little series on higher end markets, I’m going to continue through my local market, Dorothy Lane Market (DLM), with the next department past the bakery, produce.

DLM has an interesting philosphy on their produce (from their website):

• We judge the quality of an organic fruit or vegetable based primarily on its flavor.
• We understand that an organic product may not always have the same visual appeal as its conventional counterpart.
• We fully support organic farming practices.
• We work with farmers and distributors who share our commitment.
• We offer a choice between organic and conventional produce when the price difference is substantial.
• When the price difference is small or there is no difference, we offer only the organic.

I compete in barbecue competitions, and I use green leaf lettuce and parsley. There’s nothing I’ve come across that proves freshness of produce more than this:

At one competition, I had the same leaf lettuce from 3 different stores (long story on why I had lettuce from 3 stores… I won’t bore you). In a cooler just overnight, in ice water, the lettuce from 2 of the stores had browned on the edges enough that it was unusable; the lettuce in barbecue competitions is used as garnish to help show off the meat, and brown lettuce would be a bad thing! DLM’s lettuce was green and crisp still, and worked great.

Another advantage in the way dlm does their produce is that they offer a better variety than most other markets, especially most large chains. This include wild mushrooms being available most of the time, a good variety of peppers, a large, and good, selection of organic produce, and a really great salad bar.

Another advantage in the approach markets like dlm take is that when you ask an employee for assistance, they generally can actually help you. The employees with which I’ve dealt have great attitudes and really care about the product they’re putting out in the stores. Unfortunately, that’s usually hard to find at a big chain store.