Column by J1 Reporter Eleanor Kolterman

As a 17 year old, some of my favorite hobbies outside of school are cooking and baking. I love to make foods I’ve never heard of before and complex recipes that require very specific ingredients. I want to be sure I am making these recipes with the best fresh produce I can get my hands on, however, not all of these items can be found at your local Walmart, or at least not of the best quality. Not all grocery stores are equal.

Omaha has a wide variety of stores that specialize in one or several types of ingredients and cuisines, and with enough searching and perseverance, you can find just about anything you will need to make even the most extravagant of recipes. 

Produce is vital to any meal and its quality can vary greatly depending on where you chose to buy. In Omaha the best overall option is of course fresh fruit and vegetable stands. You will find them in the spring, summer and fall in places such as the farmers market because they will be fresh and most likely local. 

These stands are only open seasonally and are closed some months of the year, however, in season, I love going to the farmers markets in the Old Market and Aksarben. Here, they have fresh produce from local farmers and other artisan items like bread. I love being able to buy straight from local farmers to support their business but also because the produce is extremely fresh and grown with care, not produced en masse. It is important to support small businesses that use ethical farming practices and you might even be able to talk with the farmer about how their produce is grown and goods are made.

Since farmers markets are only open seasonally, your next best options are Whole Foods, Costco and Hy-vee.

Other than fresh produce, these stores also carry a variety of high quality products such as cheese, meat and basic food essentials like rice, flour and sugar. This makes them ideal for when you need to do some general grocery shopping as well as look for specific high quality ingredients.

Although these stores are amazing, they don’t always carry everything I need, especially when it comes to making Asian food. The Asian Market off of 76th and dodge is my favorite place to go when it comes to Asian cuisine. They carry almost anything you would need from fresh produce, to live seafood and other meat, to pantry goods. They even have a kitchen in the back where they make items like fresh kimchi.