I’d like to point out a little gem of a market on Church Street in Duboce Triangle, across from Safeway. It’s called Golden Produce, and it’s got some of the freshest, best-looking and most affordable vegetables in town, much of them certified organic. We’re talking plump, perfectly shaped eggplant the color of Cabernet and muscular-looking bell peppers that seem to have been airbrushed by Pantone. Even more enticing are the baby vegetables—fingerling potatoes, tiny artichokes, mini-bulbs of bok choy and sunburst squash the size of silver dollars.

And they don’t just look good. I cut the baby red potatoes in half, nuked them for a minute and threw them into a Niçoise salad—voila. The eggplant lent an ideal earthiness and hearty texture to a lamb stew I made last week.

Golden Produce performs beyond the produce aisle too. Though it’s small, its shelves are packed with dozens of organic soups and pasta sauces; bulk grains, beans and nuts; good Italian coffee; fresh-baked baguettes; an olive bar; and a nice selection of pedestrian cheeses. You could stop in here on your way home, get everything you need for a few days of healthy, organic meals, and walk away with your wallet considerably less damaged than if you had gone to Whole Foods.

Golden Produce
172 Church St.
415-431-1536