locally grown produce in puerto rico
(updated on 4/20/2024)
“Man, I’m am seriously craving some kale!” I couldn’t believe the words I just heard spontaneously erupting from my mouth. Two weeks of eating out before we received my appliances had finally pushed me to the breaking point. I felt like an addict getting his fix after taking my first bite of the imported kale that I found at Edwards Food Mart in Rincón.
Traditional Puerto Rican food is notable for it’s lack of green vegetables. There are plenty of starchy vegetables, legumes and even fruit, but very little in the way of green leafies and other non-starchy vegetables. Often the only non-starchy vegetable you’ll find on the menu is a side salad, generously called ensalada “verde“, usually featuring wilted lettuce and pale, flavorless tomatoes. When we do happen to find non-starchy vegetables available, often the quality and freshness is not you’d generally used to in the states. For example, a popular and somewhat expensive restaurant near my condo serves frozen mixed vegetables(!) with an otherwise excellent main course.
That said, I wanted to eat locally grown produce as much as possible. Not only is it usually cheaper because the food doesn’t have to travel as far, but it’s also generally more nutritious because it’s fresher. However, doing this meant I’d have to make changes to the foods I was used to eating and try to find suitable locally grown replacements.
With fruit this was easy. There is a plentiful and delicious selection of tropical fruits that I can eat in place of the apples and fresh berries that were a mainstay back in the states. With vegetables this has been a bit more challenging. Below I go through how I approached this, organized by the major vegetable types. Obviously, this is nowhere near a comprehensive list.
Roots and Tubers
One of the first things I noticed upon entering a produce section here is a lot of unusual looking root vegetables I’d never seen before. Yuca (cassava), tropical sweet potato (batata), taro (malanga or yautia), and yams (ñame) are popular here and it’s fairly easy to find some that are locally grown for sale at one of the many roadside stands. Of these, my favorite new discovery is probably yuca. It’s a delicious starchy side when boiled and topped with mojo sauce and if you see yuca fries on the menu, by all means get them; they are almost always amazing!
Although they are technically fruits, green plantains and breadfruit serve well as a locally available grain-free starch. Of the other major root veggies, the only one I’ve seen grown locally is ginger. I’ve not often run across locally grown carrots, radishes, turnips or beets yet.
“Fruits”
The locally grown Puerto Rican avocados are the real star here. They are awesome. You can also find locally grown eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, and pumpkin. Instead of the using imported bell peppers from the states, you can use the locally grown fresh cubanelle peppers which work fine as a replacement even though they are smaller and thinner. You can usually find fresh tomatoes at one of the many farmer’s markets or roadside stands. As I’ve written about before, the biggest disappointment for me with this type of vegetable, is the dearth of locally grown hot peppers.
Pods
You can find locally grown pigeon peas, okra and even green beans occasionally. Unfortunately, the local green beans are tough and stringier so you may want to still rely on Sam’s Club for these. We don’t eat a lot of other legumes, so the canned or dried ones that are available are fine if we feel like having some delicious Puerto Rican style beans.
Bulbs and Stems
Other than onions we haven’t found much else of this type grown here. I used to replant scallions to get a second or third batch out of them, but have since given that up. You’ll likely have to rely on imports for the rest, such as garlic, asparagus, celery, and leeks.
“Flowers”
Call me crazy, but I actually like broccoli and cauliflower. Sadly though, these had been pretty much nonexistent or only available as overpriced and past-their-prime imports. That said, I’m stoked to be seeing more and more locally grown broccoli and even cauliflower available and hope this trend continues!
Greens
This is another area where what’s available locally generally falls short but has been getting much better. Hydroponically grown lettuce as many types is widely available as well as spinach and kale. For the rest like cabbage and brussels sprout ,Sam’s Club is usually a good bet.
Conclusion
Overall, there is no question that I am MUCH healthier living in Puerto Rico than I was in the states. A lot of that has to do with how much more active my lifestyle is here. As far as nutrition goes, yes, it can be challenging at times to find locally grown versions of all the vegetables you may have been accustomed to having access to in the states. That said, I’m extremely optimistic because I keep seeing more and more locally grown healthy vegetables becoming available all the time!
I feel your pain! This is a big concern of mine too. While vacationing at my home in Arecibo, usually for a month and a half, I most certainly miss all the wide variety of veggies and spices that I eat back in California. My diet consists of kale, swiss chard, snap peas, jalapeños, bell peppers, green onions, pea sprouts, and lots of FRESH tempeh. I also use a lot of Indian spices which are hard to come by too. I feel pretty sluggish by the end of my visit. After the first week in PR I’ve had about enough yucca, mofongo, pernil, tostones, arroz con habichuelas. My husband being Cuban doesn’t seem to mind since Cubans and Puerto Ricans have similar diets. We have resorted to eating a lot of grilled chillo, black beans, and a salad of avocado, tomato and onion with a little bit of lemon or red wine vinegar and olive oil drizzled lightly over it. I wish there was a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods out there. We also have some plans of growing a few things once we’re there permanently. Oh yeah, Mexican food, wow, we definitely are going to miss good Mexican food!!!
Greens can be grown here. It’s just much more time intensive, less profitable with not as much demand culturally! So, if it’s really important to you, grow your own! Kale grows fairly easily. We have a friend we grows it and it’s delicious. Mustard greens. Romaine. Lechuga del pais. arugula, basil, tropical spinach. You may have to reseed often though as lettuce bolts quickly in heat. Tomatoes can be grown here as well. But mostly just the little ones like cherries because the big ones are susceptible to rot or bursting with too much water. Peppers, eggplant, okra, watermelon. A cinch. I’m with most Puerto Ricans though…far easier to grow a tree and forget about it until it bears then it is to tend a delicate garden and weed it all the time, replant it constantly and keep the iguanas out. Definitely not slim pickings if you are willing to change your diet to what is available and seasonal.
I’ll tweak the diet! Living in PR is well worth it. Actually it’s not that hard, as long as I have garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper I’m cool! Well I’m outta here… time for the morning jog. I’ll be
visualization the malecon 😀
Paz,
Gatica
I’d definitely try growing greens, David. The rest of your plants look great. Here in Illinois we grow many sorts of greens and just about everything you could think of. Have you tried the batata or the squash (casava, I think it is) that has a rich orange hue? We discovered them this last visit in Rincon and they both are delicious!
Hi Barbara, David and I have tried both batata and the orange calabaza squash, and like them. We used to eat the orange sweet potatoes often in Texas, but have switched over to the local batatas. They have a denser, drier texture and don’t make sweet potato fries quite the same, but have a delicious flavor when fried into thin chips (batatas fritas) or roasted whole! We use calabaza in our Puerto Rican beans and rice and for homemade pumpkin pie during the holidays. We are able to grow leaf lettuce, but are still working on kale and other cool weather greens. I think it’s just a matter of finding the right combination of water and sunlight, both of which can be tricky given our limited growing space here at the condo, but I am determined! 😉
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I see you found Fred selling his famous tomatoes in Rincón. This is an excellent market, now open all season so you should find plenty of greens there for your family.
What about Malabar ( Asian) spinach? Malabar love tropical climate, its get crazy on humid and hot weather . Excellent meaty leafs.
Where can you find locally grown zucchini? I am near San Juan and have tried several markets but no luck. Don’t wanna have to drive to Rincon to get it. Tried to grow it but as soon as it started to flower, the iguanas ate the plant. Plus my plants dont really like being so close to the ocean. Please Help!! Trying to eat healthy here is a real challenge and I can’t survive on roots because they are too starchy. Thanks.
Hi Cynthia, I feel your frustration! Finding and growing some of the veggies we are used to is a challenge here in Puerto Rico. I have seen local zucchini available at Selectos grocery stores and some road-side stands here on the west side of the island. However, they are usually only available seasonally. Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with the grocery stores near San Juan. I don’t know if they carry locally grown produce, but you might have luck at Freshmart. Similar to Sprouts or Whole foods, they often have products I can’t get anywhere else. Good luck and let us know what you find!
Holly, thank you. Just as I was complaining, I found some in Econo yesterday. They were huge but I don’t know if they were locally grown. I am going to attempt to grow them again and this time put chicken wire around the plants but the salt from the Ocean may still give me trouble…will see. Thanks again for the help 🙂
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Hi Holly and David, thanks for this very useful website. We are thinking to move to Rincon next month. I need to follow a strict diet with leafy greens and berries. Do you have an update? Is it better now?
Hi Rita, locally grown and imported leafy greens are much more readily available now than when we originally wrote this. For berries, your best bet will probably be Sam’s Club… good luck!
Hi David, We are in Aguada. Any good veggie sources here? Does the Rincon Farmer’s market go year round? Thank you for your help!
Hi Ann, yes the farmer’s market in Rincón does operate year-round. There is also another one in Aguadilla on Saturday that has many of the same providers. They are also starting a community garden in Rincón that you might be interested in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1202914280209469