Hi all—new-ish to Jackson Heights near 82nd Street. I keep planning to hit the Sunday greenmarket on 82nd but by the time I get off the 7 I’m too late, or I end up with one sad bunch of kale. Last night around 8:30 I tried a random place on Roosevelt and the cucumbers were already soft. Where do you actually go in the neighborhood when you need decent produce after the greenmarket closes? I’m not looking for Whole Foods, just stuff for a quick dinner. I don’t mind walking up to 37th Ave or under the tracks if it’s worth it. Also: is the 82nd greenmarket only Sunday? I thought maybe it was Saturday too and I misread the sign.

Under the tracks is hit or miss. The stands by 74th are okay if you look low, but after 8 they’re picked hard. I usually hit Trade Fair on 37th when I’m lazy—not beautiful, but the greens and onions are fine most weeknights. Avoid pre-cut mango and the wet herbs, they turn quick. If you’re really near 82nd, the little place on 37th between 82nd and 83rd has decent bananas and okay garlic, but that’s about it.

Welcome to Jackson Heights. The 82nd Street greenmarket is Sunday only, roughly morning to early afternoon, so Saturday isn't your issue. For late produce, the neighborhood has three tiers. Trade Fair on 37th Avenue is open late and carries basic produce, but quality varies by delivery day; I find Tuesday and Friday evenings better, Monday can be thin after the weekend. Foodtown around 37th and 78th is a bit more consistent for carrots, celery, onions, and sometimes decent Tuscan kale, though their herb packs are often pre-slimed. The Roosevelt Avenue stands between 74th and 82nd are cheaper and turn over fast during the day; after 8 the best of it is gone, but if you see a box being restocked, pounce. The smaller Bangladeshi and Nepali grocers on side streets between Roosevelt and 37th often have excellent ginger, chilies, limes, and sometimes fresh methi, but not much salad greens. If you want fruit late, those carts near the 74th subway entrance are open until around 10 and usually better for bananas and plantains than berries. Check the bottom of any tomatoes at a stand. Avoid any place with mixed pre-cut fruit cups after dark—just don't.

Wait, this is helpful. I’m in the same boat but off 78th. I tried the Associated on 37th once and the cilantro was already slimy by 9 p.m. Also it smelled a little like old mop water near the back. Does Foodtown still have those narrow aisles? I can never tell if the produce section is restocked or just rearranged to hide the wilt.

oldyork_otis—when you say side streets between Roosevelt and 37th, are you talking about 74th and 75th? Any particular cross street for the mangoes or fresh curry leaves?

DykerNewbie, the Associated on 37th has that problem because the produce sits near the back and the airflow isn't great. I wouldn't judge the whole street by it. The Foodtown aisles are narrow, yes, but midweek after 7 it's calmer and the produce shelves get a second wind. For curry leaves, try the small shops on 73rd Street between Roosevelt and 37th—not the first one closest to Roosevelt, but the one with the green awning about halfway down. They keep curry leaves in the fridge near the back, not out front. Mangoes are unpredictable; late in the evening the best ones are usually at the fruit pushcart on the southeast corner of 74th and Roosevelt, but only if the guy is still there. For salad greens after 8, I'd go to Foodtown over Trade Fair, though neither is crisp by then. A better move: if you can shift your errand to around 7 p.m., Trade Fair often marks down produce before the late rush, and you can get decent zucchini and peppers before they're picked over. If you cook with ginger, garlic, or chilies, the corner groceries on 74th near 35th Ave are more reliable late than the big stores.

Thanks for all this. I’ve been near 84th and Roosevelt for two months and still just go to the Key Food on 37th around 87th? Or is that an Associated? Anyway, the produce is fine before 7 but after that it's peppers with wrinkles. I tried one of the fruit carts by 82nd last Tuesday and the clementines were actually decent. Do any of these spots sell eggs past 9? I kept striking out at the bodega.

Okay, reporting back: I hit Trade Fair last night around 8:15 because of you all. The ginger was good, bananas fine, but the tomatoes were honestly mealy. I did find a bag of arugula that wasn’t too bad. I also passed the fruit cart near 74th and Roosevelt and it was still open, but I was carrying too much to stop.

firstwinter, I saw eggs at Trade Fair near the back, not sure about past 9. Does anyone know if that small Korean market on 84th is worth checking? Or is it just packaged food? I might try Foodtown next time for the kale oldyork_otis mentioned.

city_slicker_sue, for tomatoes after 8 you have to check the cart first, not Trade Fair. The big stores get the same mealy batches, especially late in the day. I wouldn’t buy tomatoes indoors in Jackson Heights after 7 unless you plan to roast them. Foodtown kale is usually Tuscan, sometimes lacinato, and not pre-bagged. The small Korean market on 84th toward Northern? If we're thinking of the same one, it's mostly packaged banchan, ramyun, and frozen dumplings; not a produce stop. For eggs past 9, the bodega near 82nd and 34th Ave sometimes has a half fridge with eggs, but inventory is random. If you need eggs for morning, I’d just grab a dozen earlier in the day from one of the smaller grocers rather than testing the late bodega lottery. Also, look at the sell-by stickers at Trade Fair—they occasionally mix older cartons into the front. For greens, give the leaves a quick look at the stem ends; if they're brown and wet, pass. That rule has saved me from a lot of slimy spinach at 9 p.m. Honestly, the late-night egg game is weak here. Someone can correct me if they know a place.

Eggs late are a whole thing. The bodegas by 74th street under the train sometimes have a stack but they sell out by midnight. If you just need a couple for breakfast, the 82nd street deli by the laundromat has them behind the counter—ask, don't just look in the fridge. For tomatoes, yeah, cart or nothing. This thread is making me realize I've accepted mealy tomatoes as normal for too long.

The late produce situation in Jackson Heights really comes down to timing and knowing which places restock at odd hours. Trade Fair does a floor restock around 6:30–7:30, Foodtown slightly later some nights, but after 9 you're in egg-and-onion territory. The Roosevelt carts are the exception: they can still have limes, onions, green plantains, and sometimes small boxes of cherry tomatoes after 9, but only on the south side of Roosevelt between 74th and 76th. For fruit, the cart at 74th/Roosevelt is better than the one at 82nd because it restocks from a van around 8:30 on weekdays. If you want actual cooking greens after 8, don't sleep on the Bengali grocers along 73rd—they often keep fresh spinach and amaranth in the back cooler, not on display, so you have to ask. Also, city_slicker_sue, the 82nd Street greenmarket is Sunday only; the Saturday one you may be thinking of is a few blocks away and not on 82nd. Don't change your whole Saturday around it. One more caveat: if you see pallets of strawberries after 9 at a grocery store, leave them. The cold chain in some of these older stores is uneven, and that's how you get home with a box that looks fine on top and turns fuzzy by morning. One last thing for firstwinter: eggs past 9 are rare, but the small corner store on 84th and 35th has occasionally had a dozen near the register; it's not advertised, so just ask.