Produce Cart

I had been going to this truck for years but I stopped because of the quality of the produce. I don’t like prepackaged produce, but if it appears fresh then it’s okay. Sometimes the Reading Terminal has great bargains which are fresh so it’s worth the trip to be able to use the food I buy. The thing that really bothers is that you can smell the rotting food, especially the onions and potatoes. They have a musty odor which is a big turnoff to me. Sometimes I travel to Genuardi’s Produce in Delaware County. It’s a long trip but the prices and quality are fabulous and it’s a great day trip. Or just catch a sale at the Pathmark or Acme anything is better than rotten produce.

I’d say that anyone’s opinion of this place will 100% depend on what’s important to you: $$$ or Quality???
There are a couple wooden stands full of fruits and veggies in pre-​measured plastic bags. Once you choose from those carts, proceed to the stand adjacent to the lines which lead to the back of the U-​Haul-​ish truck where you pay for your bulk produce. This is an interesting experience, which I recommend everyone try at least once.
My picks are the bananas by the bunch for $ 1, or the bags of plums or pears which are also just $ 1. Steer away from the peanuts which smell like chemicals, and the veggies which aren’t bagged (they always seem rotten while still on the shelves).

I stop by these trucks at least twice a week, often more. I buy 95% of my produce here; the only exception is when I’m having a dinner party or something and have a very specific ingredient in mind. Yes you can’t ever know what they’re going to have, and yes it doesn’t last very long. But it’s so ridiculously cheap. Plus, they pretty much always have the basics (peppers, apples, green beans, broccoli, potatoes, onions, etc). And because of this cart I’ve tried lots of new things, that I probably wouldn’t fork over the money for in a normal grocery store. They’ve had tiny thai eggplants, and plantains, and huge stalks of lemongrass, and lots of other stuff that I don’t even know the name for.
And actually it doesn’t really go bad that quickly, and you can learn pretty fast what will last and what won’t. I’ll make a dish right away with the more perishable stuff, and save the cauliflower for the next day because I know it will be fine. When I used to live in South Philly I shopped at the Italian market, and I thought their stuff went bad way faster than the stuff I get here. And the good thing is you get to look through all the bags of stuff and pick out exactly what you want.
I just cook differently now: I go the truck, buy whatever looks fresh, and then go home and figure out what to do with it. I actually find it easier to think of what to cook when I am forced to use a certain ingredient.

I feel a little guilty for loving this truck (well, truck and two stands). In the heyday of organic, farmer’s market, local produce, I’m sneaking off to the guys who hook me up with dollar bags for my weekly fix… of produce, that is. But if I didn’t buy it, it’d get thrown out anyway, right? That’s how I justify «shopping» here.
Like the other reviewers said, only buy what you plan to use within the next day (or three tops, in my experience). It’s not refrigerated and is most likely on its way out. Keep an open mind– don’t go with your heart set on Chinese eggplant for instance, because they might now have what you want and you’ll miss out on something great just because it wasn’t on your list. I look at what’s good on any given day, and then find ways to use the veggies after I get home with my loot.
The trucks are within easy biking distance for me, so convenience is definitely worth a star or two. Sometimes I think the guy who tallies up your produce in the end just makes up arbitrary prices, because I’m always wondering where those extra 50 cents came from. But at the insanely low prices, I’m not complaining.
So far, I’ve only gone on Mondays and today (Thursday). Mondays were better in my experience, but that could all be arbitrary too.
If you’re in the area, I recommend swinging by and taking a look.

The stuff tends to go bad quickly because the produce is not refrigerated at all, either on the stand or in the truck. Often I’ve walked by to see tomatoes and squash turned to mush by the sun, but sometimes this is the place to be for fresh perishables.
It pays to comparison shop, though. About half of the time, it’s cheaper to buy your produce from Supreme supermarket across the street. There it’s refrigerated and will keep longer, but if you need a perfectly ripe tomato to be consumed the same evening, the produce truck (cart) is the place to get it.

This is the place to go if you love your fruits and vegis, but don’t want to pay stupid grocery store prices for them ($ 3 a pepper — wtf!!!) Almost everything sells for a$ 1 a bag, excepting the more exotic fare — pineapples, giant melons, fresh strawberries. The selection is usually great, and reflect a community of asian/​hispanic/​african/​middle eastern folks — which is to say, you can buy your lemongrass next to your thai chilis and pick up some beets and collards while you’re there.
In the past, I’ve really loved the guys who worked in the back of the truck, many of whom could predict everyone’s language on site and spoke almost all of them. The workers seem to have switched up lately, though, and the last couple times I’ve been there only one guys has worked the truck instead of two, leading to longer lines.
The produce also has a shorter shelf life than what you’d get elsewhere, so only buy what you can eat in 4 – 5 days. Just pretend that you’re like the enlightened shoppers all over the world who pick up their groceries fresh, on the way hope, for what they’re eating that night, and you won’t be dissapointed.