How to get food – like meat, fresh veggies – in Fresno without going to the grocery store
Coronavirus cases are climbing and the CDC now says up to a quarter of people without symptoms could be spreading the disease.
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As a result, many families must think twice about leaving the house, even to gather food. However, there are ways to get fresh food, even fruit and veggies, without having to visit the store.
And we’re not just talking about grocery delivery services like Instacart and Shipt, which are getting increasingly longer wait times as people flood them with orders.
Local farmers are selling boxes of vegetables and fruit directly to customers.
And other places, from restaurants to their food suppliers, are also selling boxes of fresh food, often with high-demand items like milk and bread.
But first the basics.
In addition to Instacart and Shipt, many stores allow you to order online and pick up in the store, like Walmart and Target. You still have to go into the store, but you don’t have to walk the aisles.
Target Drive Up lets customers shop online and have their orders brought out to their cars, but the service doesn’t include perishable items like fresh vegetables or milk.
Bitwise Industries is offering free grocery delivery for the elderly and sick people in Fresno, Madera, and Tulare counties. Send the recipient’s name, address, and shopping list to groceries@bitwiseindustries.com or call 559-460-7809.
From farms and more
The trend of weekly subscription boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables from farmers pretty much died out in Fresno when Oooby closed in November. But a pandemic version of it is making a comeback.
Mao’s Family Farm in Fresno is taking email orders for its fruit and vegetables each week. Customers can pick up their orders on Saturday mornings at the Vineyard Farmers Market at Blackstone and Shaw avenues in Fresno or at the Visalia Farmers Market.
Customers can pick up their orders at their booth, or they’ll bring it out to your car.
Here’s how it works: Email them at MaoLee.Farm@gmail.com and they’ll send you an order form with what’s available (right now that’s lots of greens, the season’s first strawberries, sugar snap peas, carrots and lots of Asian vegetables like bok choy).
Order by 5 p.m. Friday. Payment is taken through Venmo, an app that connects to bank accounts or credit cards.
Thao Farms in Fresno is selling $40 boxes of vegetables through The Annex Kitchen restaurant. The farm specializes in Asian vegetables.
Recent boxes include Chinese mustard greens, bok choy, kale, leeks, celery, green garlic, and more. They may sell out, but boxes are restocked throughout the week.
Order via Annex Kitchen’s website or Instagram.
The Annex Kitchen is also getting deliveries from its suppliers and customers can order those items the same way. Recent options include mushrooms, lettuce, Granny Smith apples, bell peppers, onions, and kale.
The restaurant is also selling uncooked steaks, Mary’s free-range chicken breast, Enzo olive oil, eggs, cheese, milk, butter, flour, rice, toilet paper and paper towels.
Also for sale are bread, pasta, sauces, salad dressings and cocktails the restaurant makes in house, along with wine off its wine list.
Order online and set a pickup time. Call when you get there for curbside service, or pickup from the restaurant’s back door at 2257 W. Shaw Ave.
1st Quality Produce is a distributor normally supplying restaurants, schools and casinos, but it has began selling to the general public. This is a good option for readers who don’t have internet access or who have big families.
Customers can order and pick up their items without leaving their car.
Drive to the wholesaler at 2445 S. Gearhart Ave. near Church and Orange avenues between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Call 559-442-1932 to let them know you’re there.
They will bring out a menu. Choose what you want, pay with card or cash and your order will be delivered to your car in a few minutes.
You can see a full list of items available on 1st Quality Produce’s Facebook page. It includes a long list of vegetables and fruit, from avocados to jalapenos and salad fixings. Many are in food service sizes; you may have to buy two pounds of grapes or five pounds of apples, for example.
Also available: meat, eggs, shredded cheese, butter, tortillas and more.
The Visalia Farmers Market is taking online orders for “farm fresh box” of fruit and veggies with a drive-thru set up for Saturday morning pickup at Caldwell Avenue and and Mooney Boulevard.
You can pre-order online starting at 11 a.m. Wednesdays. Options include a $10 custom box with five items you choose (additional add ons available) or a $15 organic box.
Pay with cash, credit or EBT card at pick up.
Restaurants selling veggies
The Patio Cafe in Fig Garden Village is selling care packages with produce from local farmers, supplemented by fruit and veggies from the restaurant’s supplier. Local eggs, bread and other food is also in the boxes.
Call the restaurant to order at 559-243-1074 and pay over the phone or in person when you pick up. A small box has a suggested donation of $25. A large box for a family is $40.
The California Pizza Kitchen restaurant is selling a fruit and veggie box, plus several meal kits and individual items like uncooked meat and pantry staples.
The box features 20 pounds of fruit and vegetables for $34 and includes apples, broccolini, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and more.
A “chef’s board” for $25 includes a baguette, two cured meats, two premium cheeses, dried fruit and mixed nuts.
There’s also a lettuce wrap kit and a taco kit serving four, and kids build-your-own pizza kits.
Other items are available individually, including eggs, sugar, milk, fruit and vegetables like avocados, limes and tomatoes, dry pasta, bread, Goldfish crackers, whole pies, juice, and uncooked meat and seafood. Six packs of beer and bottles of wine are also available.
See details and order online. Delivery is available for a fee. Or drive to the restaurant at 7985 N. Blackstone Ave. and ask for a menu.
Vino Grille & Spirits, at Champlain Drive and Shepherd Avenue, is selling community boxes with all kinds of vegetables, eggs, bread, butter, milk, fruit, potatoes and more. Boxes vary depending upon what’s available.
The suggested donation is $40. They can be ordered at www.vinogrille.com and picked up a day or so later, between noon and 5 p.m. Click on any reservation button to reserve a box. Details: 559-434-1771.
Edible Arrangements is also selling boxes of fruit and vegetables for pickup or free delivery.
Options include a box of fruit like cantaloupe, bananas, strawberries and more for $24.99 or a box of both fruit and vegetables (including carrots and potatoes) for $29.99.
You can also order fruits and vegetables paired with treats like Rocky Mountain chocolates, cookies and chocolate-dipped fruit. They range from $37.97 to $84.98.
Order online or call 559-230-0300 in Fresno.
Lazy Dog restaurant on Blackstone Avenue near Nees Avenue is selling pantry boxes for $40.
They include three pounds of raw boneless chicken breasts, 15 eggs, a gallon of whole milk, bread, a pound of butter, three rolls of toilet paper and two pounds each of uncooked rice, onions, red potatoes and carrots.
Details: Order online or call the restaurant for information about same-day availability at 559-691-5300.
Bread
Max’s Bistro has set up a temporary bread store selling the same loaves that used to be on supermarket shelves. Customers can get sourdough, honey oat, country French and cinnamon raisin bread.
The restaurant is also selling meals, wine and cocktails via curbside pickup, Uber Eats, and offers free delivery within three miles. Details: See its menu online or call 559-439-6900.
Culture Bakehouse, a new home-based business in Clovis, is offering sourdough bread for pickup and delivery.
Options include country loaves, loaves of roasted garlic and rosemary, and everything seeded bread available on Wednesdays and Sundays. Baguettes and loaves of sandwich bread are available on Fridays. Prices range from $6 to $9.
Order in advance at CultureBakehouse.com.
La Boulangerie de France in Fig Garden Village is selling all kinds of bread, croissants and pastries, along with cakes to order. The restaurant is still serving its bistro menu for takeout, too. Details: 559-222-0555.
Jimmy John’s, the sandwich shop, is selling its “freaky fresh” 16-inch loaves of French bread for $2 for pickup or delivery, along with its regular menu. Order online or call 559-981-5701 for the Fresno store or 559-323-9970 for the Clovis store.
Meat
Valley Protein is a Fresno meat processing company that has turned to selling directly to the public. It’s using contactless delivery, asking customers to pay through Venmo or leave cash or check in an envelope in a predetermined location.
The company sells uncooked meat by the pound, including chicken breast, wings, filet mignon, New York steak, Wagyu grass-fed beef patties, mahi mahi filets, and marinated taco meat like carne asada and al pastor.
Order online. Questions? Email hello@valleyproteinfresno.com.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is selling cooked meats by the pound. They include brisket, chicken breast, jalapeno-cheddar kielbasa, pulled pork, pork ribs, turkey and Polish sausage kielbasa.
Go to Dickeys.com and click on the meats by the pound tab. Pickup and delivery is available.
This story was originally published April 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
