A huge shout out to Catie S for telling me about this place because it is awesome! Fruits Express…read moreis a fruits and vegetables wholesaler but they are open to the public. Some things are huge bulk sizes like their gigantic bag of spring mix ($13.50) and flat of 30 eggs ($5), but some things you can buy smaller quantities like their 1 pound clamshell of strawberries ($1.75), bunch of spinach ($1.50), bundle of asparagus ($2) and 6 pack of avocados ($4). I think prices vary depending on what's in season, but prices are definitely cheaper than regular prices at grocery stores, and some things are even cheaper than grocery store sale prices. The place is a warehouse so it's industrial looking and not fancy. You'll see staff walking around with restaurant order sheets and loading orders up into a dolly and putting boxes into their trucks. It's cash only and there are no lines, no cash register, no receipts. You just find the owner (or ask anyone who works there and they'll direct you to the owner) he'll add things up in his head and give you the total. You pay him and leave with your goodies. In addition to fruits and vegetables, they have huge cans of tomato sauce too. The owner, Hassan, is super nice and friendly. We chatted a bit and I discovered that they've been open for around 5 years but just opened up to the public 2 months ago. All staff there are really nice too. One guy showed me where the bags were and another one asked me if I wanted a box to put all my stuff in. And when I left another guy asked me if I needed help loading my stuff into my car (I didn't actually buy that much but it was stuffed in a box so I guess it looked heavy (?)). Anyway, everyone was really friendly and helpful. So this place is on Canotek in an industrial strip mall. Follow the sign towards the back of the complex. There's a door marked "Fruits Express" it might be obscured by one of their delivery trucks, which was the case when I did my first lap around the building looking for this place, lol. There's lots of free parking. This place rocks! It's a bit far from my house, but is on the way to places I go to frequently, so yeah, I'll probably become a regular!

I love fruits express! It's an industrial spot that wholesales to restaurants, but who also sells…read moreto average joes like me. I have saved a ton of cash by buying produce here. Hot tip: they also sell eggs. You sacrifice some of the conveniences of the grocery store (hours, aesthetic, location) but the prices are just about half of the grocery store, so it's totally worth it. I tell all my pals to go to Fruits Express. If you can make it out to Canotek within their opening hours, there's no reason not to give them a try. Oh, and they will like you better if you bring cash ;-)

We went strawberry picking last weekend with family and friends. It was the first time for all of…read moreus! We made it just in time at the end of the season, as all of the Shouldice pick-your-own (PYO) strawberry fields closed the next day. Berries are still available at the kiosks and farm markets until the end of the summer, as well as other fresh produce like potatoes and tomatoes and jams and salsas. There was one employee to manage both kiosks (for PYO strawberries and fresh produce), who was friendly. If you ever go for PYO, be sure to wear sunscreen, a hat that covers your ears, and proper footwear, and bring some water. It was 30+ degrees and sunny when we went, so it was quite a scorcher and there's no shade, so we were all hot, sweaty, and tired after about an hour of picking. Lots of straw mulch in our shoes after! It was $20 for a medium basket, which at first I thought was kind of expensive, but it was actually a pretty large basket and considering how much strawberries are at the grocery store right now, it was a steal! The strawberries are much smaller, of course, but much sweeter. It took us awhile to pick them because a lot of them were rotten/moldy/just not great, especially at the beginning of each row, but there were plenty of good ones still left, you just had to work for 'em :) There are orange flags at the beginning of each row and you just move them to where you stopped picking. Great activity for the whole family, including toddlers and seniors, but not very accessible.

A year ago, I was in Ottawa. I brought a portable blender with me, which is the best small…read moreappliance to bring on a road trip if you love making smoothies or blended drinks. Recently, I gifted a good friend this blender, but obviously a new one, in a different colour. I talked about bringing mine on my road trip and making strawberry smoothies. I then thought of Shouldice Farms and decided that it needed a review. I didn't physically visit this farm to pick my own strawberries last year. I was at a Petro-Canada station in Kanata. I saw a wooden display area across from the gas pumps. There was nothing being showcased during this visit. However, I came back to this station several days later. There was a woman from Shouldice Farms selling various fruit and veggies. After filling up my car with gas, I drove over and browsed. The strawberries looked so good. My original thought was to just bring them back to my hotel room and eat them for breakfast. I got far more creative and made a strawberry matcha green tea smoothie with coconut beverage every morning. I loved how naturally sweet these strawberries were. They sliced up so easily despite how ripe they got with each day that passed. I probably saved a ton of money making my own smoothies, and then spent what I had saved on more food. I have fond memories of picking up fresh, yummy strawberries at a gas station. It's definitely not something that happens in the GTA too often! (201)

There is nothing not to love. It's relaxed, fresh, local,…read moregood music, decent staff, great section. This place makes me happy. It's not cheap but you get what you pay for and there are ways to shop smart. I have too many faves to list and each time I go, I grab something different. Grab a bottle of wine at this location, too! Sometimes, there is quite a wait to check but do I time my visits. I do wish for self check outs but I know not everyone likes that and perhaps there is no space for these terminals. Love the flowers, bakery, meat sales, spicy guac and ALL of it.

This was always my favourite Farm Boy location Do not live…read moreas close anymore, but come when I am around and need produce. It is a large store with a larger assortment than most. Hard to beat on fruit and veggies Their deli is good, a great hot and cold salad bar, and meat and seafood area They also supply nice bread and bakery products. Most items carried are their own brands and very good. I will keep coming

The service is fabulous but the selection of food is horrible. They don't have enough stock -- foe…read moreexample they were totally out of regular Cheerios, chicken thighs (skin on), and they don't have a good selection of cheese. The only parmesan was Kraft in a can which is not cheese. I'm done except for an emergency. Also there is no organization to this store. It's like a rabbit's warren.

Ferme Lève-Tôt is a CSA - Community-Supported Agriculture - farm in the Outaouiais. They provide…read moregreat armfuls of certified organic vegetables weekly or every second week from June to October. They are also vendors at the Westboro and Wakefield farmer's markets. CSAs are a partnership between farmers (in this case, a small family farm) and the people who eat their delicious home-grown food. CSA partners (that's you and me) purchase a share at the beginning of the growing season, helping the farmers to cover expenses when they occur. Then, as vegetables ripen, CSA partners receive a share of the harvest. My neighbours and I (3 adults) shared a weekly basket last season. We were very satisfied with the quality, quantity, and variety of the produce (though the baskets were smaller at the beginning of the growing season). We are all big veggie-eaters so the new "family size" basket might have been more appropriate for us. The value of each week's basket was far in excess of the ~$30 per week price ... we would have paid more for non-organic non-local non-fresh produce at Loblaws. In addition to being "100-mile diet"-friendly, I would recommend CSAs as a great way to make connections in the community.

Came in on Saturday to sandwich with the wife. Farmers pick is the absolute best place to get a…read moredeli cut sandwich in ottawa. When you go there's usually a line up but the team in the deli section are pretty quick. Lunch or dinner farmer pick is an amazing option for a good meal.

I recently moved to the area and I am very disappointed with the neighborhoods grocery store. For…read morehaving the name farmer I was shocked there is nothing plant based/vegan. I understand it's a deli and prioritizes meats and cheese, but to not even have a small section for alternative diets in 2024 is crazy and really limiting their customer bases. I now have to travel further to any other food store to do groceries and won't go to multiple stores so they are missing out on hundreds a month from me and I'm sure many others. this store is charming and all the workers I encounter are so very sweet, they also have plastic bags which I swear are extinct now haha. The 2 plant based items I found in the frozen section were $20 which is 0.9% more than loblaws and loblaws is 0.3% more than Walmart . Please be more inclusive to diary allergies

My wife's favorite chocolates! Delicious dark but not bitter chocolates…read more Do the tour! I learned so much. Pro tip on the hot chocolate: get it without the marshmallows. They don't really add anything and it means you get less to drink.

My first time to Almonte. Spur of the moment road trip with the dog after our short west end hike…read more No plan, no agenda. This was the first place of interest I saw from the road and I about 2 wheeled it in the lot like the Dukes of Hazzard. Going inside made me rethink my life priorities of keeping sugar in my life to a minimum and skipping all desserts. It was an adorable place with lots of offerings, tables to sit at... you can see through the clear windows all the hard work they do in creating. Also, there were cute things/props everywhere. Sooo many chocolate bars. 3 sample types of their yummy bark. It was busy enough and staff were great. Very clean. First thing I grabbed were the dark chocolate covered cherries. The smell of the chocolate in the air was killing me so I caved on those. I also grabbed a 500ml jar of wildflower honey. I love honey. Never can have enough. At the counter, one of the nicest looking lemon squares was looking right me. I had to have it. Ate it next day, it was one of the best I've ever tasted. I can count tart lemon as a savory, no??? ;) I managed to skip the truffles - they too were staring at me through the clear case. Not ordering a Mexican hot chocolate was rough but it wasn't going to go well with the beer flight I was going to have across the street. Glad I found this place and it will always be a place to return to. Did I mention the Gelato??????????

Was there this afternoon, bought some strawberrys and Hot house tomatoes…read more Then I got home, around five thirty the tomatoes. And the strawberrys, went into The garbage. I bought three pints,of strawberries many went in the garbage,and the tomatoes also. This is my, second visit that I threw food. Out in the garbage, I'm very sorry but it's my last.

A wide variety of fresh produce available. The meat section is very good. The steaks are always…read moretasty and tender.

Dusty has retired and his beautiful daughter has taken over!…read more Love paying cash, no tax. I got a lot in my opinion, for $10. Great location, limited parking. Street may be ok but very busy road. The cherries are amazing and huge! Jalapenos, perfect. 50 cents each! Huge tomatoes, still $2. Radishes, nice and spicy! I love it here and recommend!

stopped by Dusty's to get some fresh wild blueberries on the way to the cottage - Cha Ching....corn…read morewas $7 per dozen of corn and the blueberries were about $15 for what i needed. Now they were Farm to Table for sure - the question is, your paying double to buy from those vendors.....and i'm not convinced that what I buy at Metro this time of year isn't almost as close. I know that some of the Metro stores actually work with local farmers and sell their products when they are in season.......