I rang Psarakos to enquire about a special on wine & the male who answered was very rude & abrupt…read more He told me to get my facts straight & hung up on me! The worst customer service ever!! I will be going to Dan Murphy's from now on!!

It doesn't look much from outside, but Psarakos Brothers Vege Barn is a little bastion of all…read morethings fruit and vegetable in the inner north. Stretching over a couple of football fields' worth of real estate, the place is chocked full with produce ranging from your run of the mill 'Australian'-style spuds and onions, to a wide range of Asian varieties and further regional obscurities. The stuff here is pretty much non-organic, but is usually in pretty good shape at least for a week after purchase. The big difference here are the price-points. Psarakos provide their veges in bulk, so it pays to sift through the bins, but the prices match and even often better those seen at Preston or Victoria markets. Plus there is very little hassle-factor in shopping here, with ample parking and a very relaxed overall vibe about the place. A downside is the opening hours which are limited and Saturdays can be a little hectic. But if you hate the market rush and chow through a couple of bags of greens a week, you can walk out of here with two bags full of groceries for under forty bucks.

Of all the cluster of speciality stores in the Psarakos complex, these chicken ladies and dudes are…read moremy second favourite. I'll get this straight though: I ain't a big chicken eater, so won't even suggest I have the foggiest idea what all those bits of birds are under the glass. Sure, there's the breasts and legs and stuff, I'm not stupid, but I'd be buggered if I knew what to do with them. There's another reason I rate these chicken folk so highly, and it's not my relationship with the granddaughter of a chicken farmer either. The reason I love (that's right, love) these folk is the eggs. I love eggs! Who doesn't? And if you love eggs, you gotta love free-range eggs. They're yellower in the yolk and they hold together so, so much better in the pot. The good folk at J & N Poultry know eggs. Off course they do, it's their job right? Right. But they take a lot of pride in their eggs. They take so much care, in fact, that they'll personally check the well being of every egg in the dozen they sell you. And you just don't get that kind of service anywhere these days.

This isn't the closest fruit and veg shop to my house so I don't come here unless I happen to be on…read moreSydney Road and it happens to be a convenient time to do some vegetable shopping. The first few times I came here I thought they were rather pricey compared to my local fresh produce shop, but a recent visit has led me to change my mind. La Manna had lots of good deals going, and I managed to find tarragon there, which I hadn't found in other stores in the neighbourhood. I don't know if I just never get the nice, smiley staff member at the cash register, or if none of them smile or make an attempt to be friendly, but that's just how it goes in La Manna. It would be nice if they were nicer to me, but if it were that easy for everyone to be nicer to each other, there would probably be less fighting in the world. How on earth did I go from fruit and veg to more peace and love in the world please? I think it's time for afternoon tea break.

Last Sunday my partner and I did something we've never done before... we awoke before 9am. But more…read moreimportantly, we got our butts out of the house and decided to stock up our fridge for the week (and stock it healthy.) La Manna is just a short walk away and is an absolutely gem of a local grocer. Piles of fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and all that other healthy stuff that you look at in the supermarket but always walk right past. You know the ones - quinoa, freekah, sunflower seeds and anything green... We stocked our basket sky high with enough veggies to feed a small family and smugly strutted out on to Sydney Road - proud smile on our face for all that we had achieved before 10am on a Sunday - and all for just a few clams! A highly recommended destination when you want the best and freshest veggies without the hefty price that can often come along with them.

All milk bars have their strengths and weaknesses. E & F Colosimo Milk Bar and Greengrocer has a…read morebetter than average selection of icecreams, cold drinks and weirdly enough, lifesavers; but it should really rethink the addition of 'greengrocer'. I'm guessing the local fruit and vegetable dispensaries close a bit earlier than this place, because there's nothing particularly inviting about the somewhat withered goods on offer. Other than that, there's your usual assortment of supermarket items such as canned goods, cleaning products, milk, bread and two minute noodles for your average milk bar mark up. The storeman is a little gruff, but hey, it's a milk bar. Maybe he's just been having a bad day whenever I've dropped in.

I love that scene in The Simpsons where Otto walks out of a shop called Stoners Pot Palace and says…read moresomething along the lines of, 'that's a flagrant case of false advertising'. Hilarious. Naturally On High conjures images of those shops in NZ where you can get 'party pills' over the counter and they get you high in a sick kind of way for about 20 minutes, then you come down for five days and it's worse than any actual drugs you've ever taken. Reality is, they only sell organic dry goods, grains, nuts and produce here. Boring. But not really. They also do bread and it's pretty good, though you never seem to be able to get the same one twice, which kinda sucks. And they do all these sweets but then you get them home and you realise the chocolate's actually carob so you try and pass 'em off to you stupid nieces but they're wise to it and turn their spoilt brat noses up at them. But this place does do great healthy stuff. And they do know their shit. But you gotta put up with some pretty flaky service and narrow aisles and shit. I'm on the fence about this one...

Bulk goods and organic products are the calling card of Naturally on High, despite the inevitable…read moreassociations its' name conjures up. Not everything is totally organic and there's some gelatine based lollies down the front end, but all the bases seem to be covered from skin care through to dried fruit and nuts. The prices are very reasonable and there are some interesting brands on offer. However, the place is always ridiculously busy, so you end up spending a longer amount of time in a queue than you would at most other places, and the service can be a bit impersonal and spacey at times. It's also a very cramped store that's difficult to navigate if you're carrying a lot of stuff, but it's not too impossible a quest.

The Mediterranean deli has a bounty of deli flavoured goodness for you to choose from! The store…read moresigns in Greek font advertise specials on feta and ham. Freshly made dips mingle with gourmet cheeses and meats. This store is Small goods galore (just won poet points there!) Marinated olives and sun dried tomatoes head up the antipasto selection and don't forget to grab some crispbread or grissini for you dips! While the deli counter is where it is at for freshly made produce the side of the store is home to a selection of groceries. This is where you will find your Mediterranean brands. For Meditation small good in Northcote remember Fresh Co. Deli in Northcote Plaza!

Located within the La Trobe Uni car park, Kingsbury market has become very popular, especially on a…read moregreat weather day like today. It's held every Sunday and thankfully there is plenty of parking available. There are lots of people and lots of dogs with their people. This seems to be the norm. You'll find a variety of stalls including flowers, plants, gardening tools, clothing, handcrafted children's clothing, fruit & veg (including organic), honey, pre-loved toys & books, DVDs, shoes, jewellery, soy candles, crockery and lots of food stalls such as Dutch pancakes, pasta, paella, popcorn, mussels, nuts & dips & cheese, bread, gourmet pies etc. One of the most popular good stalls is Gozleme, there is always a queue of people (& their dogs) waiting to buy the delicious cheese & spinach or lamb filled pastries.

Corriander. Pears. Eggplant. What do they all have in common?…read more You can find them at Growers Fresh. This large greengrocer owned by the Sculli Brothers is located on the ground level of Greensborough Plaza. It is spacious, well lit and organized. The staff know their produce and are happy to help with your selection. As well as fresh fruit and vegetables they also have yoghurts and juices which seems to be a trend in greengrocer stock now. The produce is high quality and a good range. The store easy to navigate with your trolley, the prices reasonable and specials well signed posted on the windows. It's all peachy!

Georgie's Harvest has the best potatoes. The best. If you're cooking up a roast and want an awesome…read morevariety of veggies like potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, onions, mushrooms - this should be your first stop. I guess that is how I would describe their speciality, it's mostly root vegetables here and they're the best. They also grow their own chillis including jalapeños, habeneros and birds eyes. The husband and wife team here are so lovely and they know their stuff. If you want to know what kind of potato you need for a certain dish, they'll help you find the right one and what the best is seasonally. If you're thinking how many potato types could there possibly be, there's a lot... They also stock some pretty good herbs and condiments while you're at it. The Kenneff Tangs fiery sauces pack some punch! Always my first stop at the South Melbourne Market for produce before stocking up on greens elsewhere.

CERES - or Centre for Education & Research in Environmental Strategies - is a non-profit…read moreenvironmental and educational organisation and 'urban farm' situated in Melbourne's East Brunswick. Boasting a permaculture nursery, organic market, restaurant, cafe, function centre, educational programmes, workshops and courses and the occasional kick ass music festival and offering free entry to all, CERES is nothing less than an environmentally friendly; sustainable, and decidedly local Melbourne institution. I'd recommend a visit to CERES organic market and a trip to its cafe as well as a mozey around the environment park's nursery where you can buy plants to take home to your own urban oasis. And with all nursery staff 'qualified in Horticulture and Permaculture' and being passionate about teaching urbanites how to grow their own food, I promise you'll leave feeling a little less green.

If you haven't been here you absolutely must check it out. CERES named after the Roman goddess of…read moreagriculture, is a community run park with the goals largely set out by its acronym: Centre for Education & Research in Environental Strategies. In recent years they have moved to set up a bunch of community hub projects to get more people involved and help turn a profit for the cause. If you turn up to CERES you can walk around the park through the beautiful gardens and water features; or you can check out the fully fledged plant nursery, organic markets and the cafe. They also have an events centre called the Merri Table, which is a bar & function restaurant serving up organic food. The nursery is remarkably cheap and has a fantastic range of plants. They also have a station where you can return your old plastic plant pots or pick up free ones from others that have returned theirs. The market is set around the organic farm, which is a beautiful setting to buy the delectable range or organic food sold here 9am-2pm every Weds, Fri and Sat. And the cafe is set within the gardens of CERES and they serve up a range of food, drinks and coffee - which to be honest are all pretty average and overpriced. But then again the setting does kind of make up for that lack. CERES also hosts a range of outdoor music festivals and events, so keep an eye out on their website in case you miss out!