Larry, I think I love you

Another fabulous delight of my new neighborhood here in Northern CA is all the farmer's markets. My aunt (who lives a bit farther north) has been telling me for years that you can grow anything here. Now I see it with my own eyes!

While we were here for Lance's job interviews, I was busy reading Yelp, Chowhound and other sites that mentioned anything and everything to eat or drink in the area. Time and time again, I came to people raving about Larry's Produce in Suisun Valley. I said to myself, "Self- get thee to Larry's".

I'm not sure I can adequately describe all the things I love about this place. But I will sure try. First of all, on my very first trip, we were still "living" at the Homewood Suites while house shopping. In other words, I didn't need much. Heehee. As I drove up on a late Saturday afternoon I wasn't sure I'd find parking. In fact, I had to park on the street.

Now, this is a very rural area. Not much out that road except vineyards and farms. You either live there or you're going for the fruit of the earth. And by golly, there are a lot of hungry and thirsty people out here.

So, I pull up and I see a large stagecoach driving around giving rides. And by driving, I mean, horses are pulling it. That is just cute. Larry's main building is sort of an open air kind of barn, for lack of anything better. On either side, there are acres of crops. You can either shop in the barn, or you can walk into the field and pick things yourself. Who wants to pay for that? I don't know but for some reason, I find it delightful.

Next, I see all these people pushing around wheelbarrows. Yes, wheelbarrows. Full of produce.And I mean FULL. Thought #1: man, where did they get all these wheelbarrows? #2 how can a family consume a wheelbarrow full of produce in a week? #3 where can I get a wheelbarrow?

As if I'm not already having the best time, I see the prices. You MUST be kidding me. Packages of fresh picked berries for $1. HUGE cucumbers 3/$1. Swiss Chard for 79 cents???? A bag of cilantro the size of my torso for $1. Papaya like I've only ever seen in Fiji for 89 cents a pound. Tiny bananas like we grow in Roatan! Heaven!! Oodles of mushrooms...handfuls and handfuls of them and it only came out to $2. And then there is the wild section. Where I walk through oohing and ahhing and wondering, 'what the hell is this stuff?' I don't know, but I want it! Peaches, plums, pluots, grapes, nectarines...cheap, cheap, cheap. No longer do I have to eat what's on sale. This is better than on sale. It is dirt cheap and uber fresh. Kill me now!

So, move forward a couple of weeks and now I'm a Larry's regular. I don't buy produce in the stores unless it is an after hours emergency. You know what I'm saying. We are currently a one car family so I asked my husband to run to Larry's during lunch yesterday to pick up some things. I gave him a list. He forgot it. :) So, I emailed him the list. Here was said list.

1 lemon
2 onion
2 swiss chards (red or green)
Couple of handfuls of mushrooms
1 lettuce (red or green leaf, not a big bag of lettuce)
1 bag spinach
2 tomatoes
Cilantro

He came home with
 
1 lemon
2 onion
1 swiss chard
mushrooms
1 cabbage (which he adamantly tried to claim was lettuce. "It said lettuce!!!")
1 HUGE bag of lettuce (which he tried to claim was spinach "The sign said spinach. That is spinach!" me"Just because the sign says spinach, doesn't mean this is spinach. This is lettuce" him "Whatever")
box of tomatoes
HUGE bag of cilantro
 
But you know what? He delivers for free. And it was cheap. And so, sooooo tasty!