An International Market
The Winchester Farmer's Market which should be called the Winchester International Market
Don’t let the name fool you. On the outside, it says, “Winchester Farmer’s Market.” Now, when I think of a farmer’s market, I think of fresh produce being sold outdoors by local farmers. But the Winchester Farmer’s Market is a full fledged international grocery store located on the south side of Memphis at Winchester and Kirby.
The aisles are labeled by nationality - Japanese, Korean, Thai, Mexican, etc. There is a complete produce section featuring fruits and vegetables you can not find in our American groceries. The meat and seafood department is extensive in its selection and is full service, offering services such as fish cleaning, etc. And like most stores, there is also general merchandise available.
One thing you’ll notice right away is the prices. They offer reasonable prices on almost everything in the store. If you cook at home and enjoy international cuisine, your family can save big by shopping the Winchester Farmer’s Market – or international market, as it should be called. For example, on our recent visit to their produce section we saw watermelons for 99 cents, limes at 10 for 99 cents, etc.
Char picks up some habenero peppers.
But even better than the prices is the vast selection of foods you can’t find at your standard grocery store. In the produce department, we picked up fresh lemongrass, whole turmeric root, chayote with the entire spiky peel on, Chinese bok choy, Chinese eggplant, rambotans, Asian pears, etc. They offer rows full of pepper varieties, roots, and leaves. For spices and sauces, you can find an array of Asian and Latino delights.
My favorite sauce, Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce, is found among other spicy flavorings. I use this paste on everything! It’s got a great flavor and plenty of peppery spice from the chili peppers. Char buys their fish sauce for her famous Thai dishes.
They also offer everything you need for preparing sushi at home. Rices, seaweeds, crunchies, etc. – it’s all there and reasonably priced. Speaking of rice… they sell rice in gigantic bags. It looks like the mulch and soil area outside of a Lowe’s or Home Depot garden center. It’s an interesting sight for those of us used to buying rice in little baggies or boxes to see rice sold by the cubic feet!
Char holds up a hog head from the Winchester Farmer's Market.
The labels are all in Asian languages so I'm a bit confused as to what Char was "reading"...
The frozen section also has pre-prepared entrees and side dishes to make dinner easy. Frozen entrees are also categorized by nationality. We picked up Korean mandus there for steaming – something you just can’t find at the Kroger!
The meat and seafood department is fantastic for selection and price. Whole octopus, live fish, hog heads, bull testicles, veal brains, hearts, kidneys, chicken feet, chicken necks… it’s all there right beside the more traditional ground beef and chicken breasts.
The seafood department cleans and prepares live fish for you if you so desire. It’s one area of the store where you can smell the freshness!
In addition, you can find great snacks – usually healthier than those we are used to. Our kids LOVE Kancho. We pick up a few boxes of Kancho each time we visit the Winchester Farmer’s Market. You’ll find many of the treats sold at this store are made with real sugar rather than corn syrup and are often made with natural fruits rather than sugar! Once you eat these healthier treats, your body actually starts craving the cleaner, healthier taste of the more natural foods.
What a colorful table of yumminess!
After we made our purchase, we were once again surprised by how affordable the market can be. We bought food enough to make several meals, freezing some in the deep freeze and eating some fresh – all for about the price of two nice dinners.
We took lots of photos at the market – to view the gallery and see chicken feet, bull testicles, veal brains, chicken hearts, hog heads, rice bags, and more, click here.
