The Leader • Saturday, April 20, 2018 • Page 1B
Area markets provide cornucopia of options because it’s close by, it’s open when they can shop or it just has good parking. The most convenient are the larger grocery stores like the area’s three Kroger stores or the new H-E-B on North Shepherd Drive. “I love Whole Foods in the Heights,� Suzy Jones said in a Facebook post. “H-E-B is great, too, and the old standby is Kroger. I do shop based on the time of day and what I need.� According to resident Cathy Pawlowski, the new H-E-B in
By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com There are 10 grocery stores, nine markets and five weekend markets in the area that local residents can choose from to buy their groceries. Sometimes it’s like playing a game of eenie meenie miney mo or a matter of going to the closest store, while some strategically map out their grocery needs at multiple stops. When shopping at a store comes down to convenience, the shopper is going there
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Photo by Zarah Parker Junior’s Produce, in the Houston Farmers Market at 2520 Airline Dr., is among several grocery businesses in the area that sell fresh produce and other food items.
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Houston Farmers Market 2520 Airline Dr.
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Heights Morning Market 3106 White Oak Dr. A
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Reyes Produce 2426 Airline Sr.
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El Rancho Supermercado 5264 W. 34th St.
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El Rey Meat Market 2430 Airline Dr.
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Sprouts Famers Market 195 Yale St.
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Food Town 5367 Antoine Dr.
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Foodarama Market 1805 Ella Blvd.
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Eleanora’s Market 2120 Ella Blvd.
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La Michoacana Meat Market 4711 W. 34th St.
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Joe V’s Smart Shop 12009 Northwest Fwy
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Whole Foods 101 N. Loop W.
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Little White Oak Night Market 2623 Keene St.
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1348 N. Shepherd Dr.
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H-E-B 2300 N. Shepherd Dr.
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The Farm Stand at Petrol Station 948 Wakefield Dr.
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Tex-Mex Produce 4910 N. Main St.
Kroger 1352 W. 43rd St.
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239 W. 20th St.
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Revival Market 550 Heights Blvd.
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1035 N. Shepherd Dr.
The Heights Grocer 4525 N. Mail St.
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Asia Market Thai Lao Food 3620 N. Main
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Heights Epicurean Market 1245 Heights Blvd.
Graphic Design by: Martha Buhler
the Heights isn’t just convenient, it also has the best produce. Another local, Amanda Barringer, also says H-E-B also offers the most variety. Places like H-E-B and Kroger offer a one-stop shop that smaller market stores or farmers markets aren’t able to offer. You can get your produce, meat and all your other needs in one store anytime during the day. And while many people take advantage of this, especially since larger grocery stores have bigger parking lots, one Kroger location doesn’t always make the cut because of the crowds it draws, which means it’s not such a breeze to get in and out. “(Kroger is) always so crowded and their parking lot is ridiculous,� said resident Lynne Evans, referring to the Kroger on 43rd Street. Other local shoppers hop from store to store and farmers markets to buy certain items for certain places. For produce, Judy Minero shops at Whole Foods on Yale Street. She goes to Costco for meat and Angela’s Oven for bread and pastries. Jan Garver shops H-Mart for fish, Whole Foods for meat, Polonia for smoked sausage and El Bolillo for bolillos and tortillas. But Garver also shops a local farmers market to check items off her grocery list. “I like the farmers market on Wakefield,� Garver said. “For some produce there’s a limited supply because it’s what will grow here at a specific time.� The Wakefield market is The Farm Stand at Petrol Station, 948 Wakefield Dr., which
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The above map identifies grocery stores and markets throughout the area.
is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Area farmers markets provide in-season, fresh produce and are usually open on Saturdays and Sundays. For some residents who wish they could visit markets aren’t always able to because their hours of operation don’t fit into their schedule. “I would shop at Wakefield farmers market,� resident Marcy Basile said, “but they open too late and close too early. I see clients 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturdays. A weekday market in the area would be awesome. For now, I order from Imperfect Produce every other week.� Imperfect Produce is a subscription service that will send you the “ugly� produce that aren’t pretty enough for grocery store standards. Maureen Hall shops at H-E-B after having bad luck with produce at Kroger and Sprouts. And while she’d like to try a weekend farmers market, she said she’s never up early enough to have the time to stop by one. Junior’s Produce, 2520 Airline Dr. recently took over the Houston Farmers Market space previously occupied by Canino Produce. Junior’s offers fresh produce daily from 6 a.m.-6 p.m., offering another alternative to locals who want fresh veggies but can’t wait for the weekend. Farmers market don’t offer a wide variety of produce a chain grocery store is able to because they provide in and out of season produce, but markets still have plenty of advantages.
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From left to right, red potatoes, rainbow carrots and Tuscan Herb seasoning from Fine Art Farms at Eleanora’s Market.
Photo by Zarah Parker
From farm to market to my table By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com Last Saturday at Eleanora’s Market, I learned that plenty of booths provided the perfect excuse to indulge my sweet tooth.
As soon as I arrived I made my way to Sweet Granny Bea’s because I saw that her banana pudding was in stock. I don’t like a lot of banana puddings because they tend to taste fake and from a box, but whatever Granny uses makes the pud-
ding perfect. Next, I stopped by Underwater Oven to buy my nieces and nephews cookies, and of course I slipped an extra in the bag for myself. After resisting the urge to buy even more sweets I found
myself in front of the fresh, organic produce of Fine Art Farms. Despite a table full of produce I focused on the seasonings. I decided to purchase the Tuscan Herb Seasoning, which has sea salt, garlic, sesSee Farmers P. 7B
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