Anybody from the Boston or Cambridge area of Massachusetts know where I can buy exotic fruits like saspote, cherimoya, durian, young coconuts, etc.? Preferably fairly close to public transit. Thanks!

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Hi kwan,

Asian markets would be your best bet (and likely your only bet for durian).

Good luck!

[chowhound.chow.com]

Thank you, Omega. It's time for me to change things up a little in terms of my winter raw food choices. I especially can't wait to try durian for the first time.

Speaking of durians: someone brought a fresh durian into our apartment building a few months back, and the front lobby wreaked for a couple hours afterward! We all thought it was a gas leak. Unfortunately, they had thrown it into a nearby dumpster-- whole and uneaten because of the smell-- before I found out about it. I was crushed; might have even been willing to stoop to dumpster diving for it, but the dumpster was inside an inaccesible storage area.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Hey, there. Just moved to Boston. I was wondering where you go for raw food (restaurants & grocery stores). All I know of is Whole Foods and the Harvest Co-op in Central Square.

Hi Birch,
I live about 2 blocks from Harvest and a short walk from WHole Paycheck... er, I mean Whole Foods. ;-p There's a great raw food restaurant in Boston in the North End called Grezzo. Pretty expensive, but I've heard rave reviews about the food; it's one of Alissa Cohen's restaurants. Also, you might want to check out the Raw New England Community (RNEC). THey're a huge community of raw foodists that meet, usually in Waltham, for potlucks, workshops, etc. They've had Gabriel Cousens and a host of other 'famous' raw food gurus here in recent months to share their knowledge. I'm so busy I haven't gone, but I keep meaning to get involved. If you're interested, I think if you google 'Betsy Bragg + RNEC' you'll probably come up with the website. You can subscribe and get plugged into their newsletter.

If you're in Cambridge, you might want to also check out participating in a community garden. There are quite a few of them here, and I hear the city is thinking about opening up a lot more in the near future. I think all of the gardens are organic, and you'll meet a lot of great people this way. We have good farmer's markets from spring to late fall, as well, in Central Square, Davis Square, Harvard Square and Boston.

I haven't found an ideal market yet. Recently the Harvest co-op has lowered some prices, which has helped (they were exorbitant for awhile), but I'm still trying to figure out how to get to the organic wholesale market in Chelsea to buy cases of organic fruit so I can save a bundle. If you have a car, I strongly suggest you think about going there.

Welcome to New England!

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Rad, Sharrhan. Thanks for your help!

We've been in Boston since October, and had access to some farmer's markets downtown but I had no idea there would be a farmer's market in Davis-- that's where we live. Cool.

Any further information about the wholesale organic market in Chelsea?? Do you have an address? I do have a car and would definitely go there.

[Whole Paycheck does kinda stink, especially if you are used to eating 99% organic like I have been since my husband went macrobiotic last year. (Fortunately with the macrobiotic diet we cut out purchasing almost all packaged/processed food (very few exceptions), we cut our food budget down enough to where we could afford organic.) The reason I keep going is their produce tends on average to be high quality. Last time I was in the Harvest Co-Op their produce sucked.]

Grezzo is only open in the evenings, right? Sigh, I'm missing NYC where more and more veg, organic and raw-leaning restaurants are opening every day and fresh juices are pretty much the norm, being sold out of carts on the street....