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Today’s adventure was to my favorite vegetable stand, Le Bonta’ della Primizia, owned and operated by Diana and Raffael. Vegetable stands are everywhere, selling local produce at incredibly low prices. When your reference point is California food prices, it’s hard not to be surprised at the difference. Many stands also sell a few stock and specialty items with a couple of cheeses, salami, eggs, and cream. This vegetable stand shares the neighborhood block with a wonderful pasta shop, cafe and pastry shop, and a tiny grocery with nonperishables and a few cheese types. (Plus, a bank with an ATM is on the corner!) It’s like the block IS a grocery store. I love it because I can avoid going to the big store for at least a week. And there is parking!

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Vegetable stands can remain open during the lockdown, but it’s affecting these shops, too. There isn’t the same level of activity or spending.

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Diana and Raffael’s shop is clean and full of fresh produce. (Some of these photos are before COVID). In the morning, someone is always preparing ‘pre-made’ items to go. They have great salads to go and other things ready for you to throw together, e.g., chopped veggies for a sauce. And they sell a variety of nuts in large bags. I go through a lot of nuts and they can be expensive. So far, I’ve purchased pine nuts and walnuts. They were reasonably priced and very fresh.

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Raffael chooses his produce carefully. He knows the best selections and what his customers want. This story is proof: While I haven’t set the farm up yet, I had an abundance of persimmons this year, so I thought I’d ‘play’ farmer and make a ‘sale.’ I offered Raffael to take them, and if they sell, pay me, if not, no payment.

He wanted to see a photo first (smart man), which I happen to have on my iPad, and after seeing my persimmons, he declined the offer. I understood. Mine were the common kind you see growing everywhere. The persimmons he was selling were big, beautiful things, protected in cardboard trays. In truth, I was trying to dump off the fruit so it wouldn’t go to waste. Silly me, fruit in the wild, like the persimmons growing everywhere, go to ‘waste’ all the time. It’s the nature of, well, nature. Someone will feast on it.

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Those cute little field mice love fruit, a wide variety of bugs will eat for weeks, and my beloved Magpies think persimmon is a real treat. I did give a bag to my neighbors, but that’s all they wanted. I’m not sure they even wanted that bag. Mario and Georgio (landscapers) didn’t want any. One friend and her daughter were happy with the sour fruit. I had a hard time giving it away, so Raffael made the right decision.

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