Farmer’s Markets are Available in Almost Every Town in Costa Rica, Though Schedules Vary.

While there are plenty of culinary perks that come with living in the tropics, I still cannot get over the high prices on food and produce at our local supermarkets. After being frustrated for months as a result of dealing with the price mark ups, we became desperate for a farmer’s market alternative.

In the past, my husband and I have shopped at AutoMercado, Perimercado, Mas X Menos, Saretto, MegaSuper, PriceSmart, Palí and Hipermas trying to test out which has better quality of food, price per unit/measure and variety. After visiting our local market in Pavas, we began realizing that many items, though certainly not all, are cheaper at the markets.

Some of the items we shop for regularly include chicken, fish, lettuce, cilantro, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, broccoli, green onion and various fruit items. Finding cheap food in Costa Rica is much harder that it would seem and unfortunately for the citizens of this country, the cost of living has been on the rise for the last 5-10 years. The cost of food items is high along with the luxury and imported items we North Americans are accustomed to. However, after months of observation, we realized that there is no obvious logic to the variation in prices in each store and market, though fresh produce purchases are generally left for feria days.

The Saturday feria in Pavas has become a regular shopping trip for us. It is located adjacent to the Palí and runs from sun-up to late afternoon and stretches about 500 meters down a wide thru street with vendors on both sides. The vendors are friendly and the food is fresh, but make sure you are getting a good price, especially on eggs. I have found that they are no less expensive here than at any of the supermarkets. Buying frozen fish is certainly priced fair, as well as most of the produce. We usually walk in with four reusable grocery bags and fill them for just c 10,000 (about $18). In addition to the fresh produce and meats, beautiful flowers, potted plants, baked goods and Costa Rican artisan handiwork is available.

After each trip, we look forward to dinner including grilled zucchini and bell peppers over coconut rice. I don’t know what the open flame does to food but it always takes things up a notch. Post-feria planning is essential as food in Costa Rica just doesn’t last as long as in the states!

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Filed under: Living on September 1st, 2009