Crooked Kitchen

One way to save money on food is to shop at local, independent markets, especially ethnic markets. When I was living in Santa Barbara, I did some exploring of the local markets, and found that prices on most real food were cheaper than prices at the chain supermarkets. Here in the LA area, I have a large ethnically-biased produce market that I do a lot of my shopping at.

Sunland Produce is a supermarket-sized business on the corner of a major intersection. I believe it’s owned by an Armenian family, and they seem to cater mostly to the local population of Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic customers. Aside from the namesake produce section, there are aisles of ethnic pantry items.

Olive Oils

Some of the interesting things are the varieties of olive oils and vinegars. exotic pickles and peppers, cans of hummus and baba ghanoush, and all kinds of spices. There’s also a great bread aisle with all varieties of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern breads and pitas, and lots of interesting little cookies and desserts.

Breads

They also have a full service deli with exotic meats and cheeses. I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet (the meats anyway – I can’t do the cheeses), but I plan to eventually. The other counter of the deli has olives and Mediterranean items like hummus, baba ghanoush, and dolmas.

Meat Deli Counter

Cheese Deli Counter

Then there’s the meat counter. It runs most of the length of that side of the store, with most every cut of lamb, pork, beef, chicken, and fish. And the prices, like the produce, are pretty good. It’s a great place to get cheap meats, though I wouldn’t try to buy a high-end steak there.

Meat Counter

Of course, there’s the produce. Awesome prices, great variety, and lots of things you wouldn’t find at a regular supermarket, like tamarind, Korean chiles, and fresh green almonds.

Produce: Greens

Produce

I’ve put up all the pictures on Flickr, so you can look around there and see what my market offers (hint: if you’re in the San Fernando Valley area, it’s worth checking out yourself!).