Cupboard and Pantry: Monterey Market in Berkeley

If unkempt store appearance or cosmetic flaws on produce are of upmost importance for you to avoid, this is not the market for you. I can understand the chaotic appearance of the store based on the shear volume of business being done at this Berkeley institution, but cleanliness is another matter. The floors on my last visit were sticky, heaven only knows what they had mopped up, and there was a need to crop out the edges of the refrigerated cases in the following photos, to avoid showing how dirty they were. That being said, I can deal with it; we have to wash everything anyway. Why? Because the prices are dirt cheap, excuse the pun, and they are an incredible resource for unusual products.

Case in point, the Bergamont sour oranges and Seville oranges pictured above. I have never seen these oranges for sale San Francisco. The Bergamont oranges were 79 cents per pound, and make the best marmalade with their classic "Earl Gray" aroma. The Seville oranges were also that same low price and are the classic marmalade orange. Navel oranges, the size of baseballs, could be had for 29 cents per pound. Granted, I had to forage through boxes of all three to find pieces of fruit in mint condition, but it was an adventure.

Their selections of fruits and vegetables are broader than most stores twice their size and I repeat, the prices are cheap by any standard. Click on a photo to enlarge it to better see the price. Monterey Market also has a fine selection of olive oils, vinegars, fresh mushrooms and condiments for a variety of ethnic recipes. The wine and bakery sections do not disappoint either.