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Salad is upon us. With the Peruvian stalls having well-priced berros (watercress) and rúcula (arugula), and the new hydroponic lettuces leafy and light, it’s a fairly amazing time for salad in this world. Tomatoes are good, as are eggplant, and the mangos (imported, a guilty pleasure) are perfectly unstringy. Here’s what this week’s haul looks like, with tips for a new (to you) bulk shop, which I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, actually in the Vega, very close to the magical cheese shop with the sheep cheese. I will try to explain with great precision where it is, but let’s be honest, it’s not so simple sometimes! This time I used Whatsapp to save the approximate location, so maybe that will help. At the bottom, after the vegetable blather. Peso is currently at 628 to the dollar. (good for dollar-holders, not so good for peso-holders)

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basil 500 CLP=$.80
eggplants 1000 CLP=$1.60
lemons 500 CLP=$.80
eggs 1900 CLP=$3.02
1/2 kilo arugula 500 CLP=$.80
1/2 kilo water cress 500 CLP=$.80
2 heads hydroponic lettuce 500 CLP=$.80
1 container blackberries 1000 CLP=$1.60
2 mangos 1600 CLP=$2.55
4 tomatoes 600 CLP=$.95
5 onions 500 CLP=$.80
1/2 kilo “aceitunas amargas,” a kind of “bitter” olive, closest to kalamata we have, 800 CLP
1/2 kilo almonds 6000 CLP=$9.54

15,900 CLP=$25.29

The almonds were a splurge, I’ve gone on an almond milk kick of late, and using the flour in making pancakes and such. See: pomegranate madness (as in, there is little I will not try at least once in the kitchen).

Also, as promised, cheese store, and almond purchase spot. This is the the whatsapp coordinates of the cheese shop I talk about here: cheesy goodness. If you stand where my pin was (near Antonia Lopez de Bello and Nueva Rengifo), it is inside the building, on the NW corner (more or less. To get to the place I bought the almonds and olives (and they sell loads of other items in bulk), stand in front of the cheese store turn left and walk about 20 feet, and it is on your right.

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