I popped down to the local public market today as an excuse for a short bike ride. This is something I really should be doing more often. We have several produce places, a couple of real butchers and fish mongers. Unfortunately one has to fight through the crowds as there are a lot of craft outlets that cater to the tourists. While the food at the market is comparable in price to the grocery stores, the variety and the freshness at the public market is unmatched. Not all public markets are the same but this is a good one. If you have a local public market I suggest you check it out. You can often get great prices on in season local foods and the quality can be a lot better than in the supermarket.
The big one we have here in Cleveland, The West Side Market, actually has much better prices on produce than what I can get at the local chain grocery stores. In fact, some of the vendors will even bargain with you if they see you potentially looking to buy from another vendor, or if they are in a hurry to make a sale. It is a madhouse though, which is why you need to get up extra early and beat the insane crowds. If you aren't there by like 6:30-7am, you are screwed. By 10am it's completely nuts, and by 11:30-noon, a lot of the vendors start to pack up and leave. There is an indoor section too, which has all the meat counters, and cheese counters, along with breads and pastries - all broken out into individual booths/kiosks with separate vendors. The prices are a mixed bag depending on what you are looking for. For example, one meat shop would sell you a large bag of 6oz boneless skinless chicken breasts for only $20 - It would have cost me a lot more to get that many pounds of chicken at the chain stores, plus they are in a convenient 6oz size, and not those freak chicken breasts they sell at the store. I also like to pick up the thick cut smoked Amish bacon, as well as the home made cheeses.
I prefer to buy my fresh ingredients from the public market, too. Although the supermarket is more convenient, nothing beats fresh produce. Buying from the market means having to patronize the local farmers and smaller business enterprises over the large-scale businesses. I feel better by doing so. When I buy from these small-time sellers, another family's income is augmented. It's a personal philosophy of mine.
We no longer have a market in the area that we live. However, there is one in a local market town called Garstang. They have some lovely fresh produce that often costs less than in the stores because you are cutting out the middle man. It is also a great chance to buy some ingredients you wouldn't get in the supermarket as there are a lot of local delicacies and different variations on the regular products sold there.
We do this in the spring and summer. I usually only make it down to the local public market on the weekends, but I do love getting fresh and quality products. It is sometimes cheaper, too!
