Ayala Alabang Weekend Market
May 1, 2010 by PinoyOrganics
Filed under Food
We went to Ayala Alabang Weekend Market this morning and we thought we should share with you some of our personal great finds for the day.
Our first stop was this vendor we fondly call “Manong“. He is the only one who sells watercress and today, we got it at P40 per bundle. The farms where he gets his produce are supervised by Benguet State University (BSU), one of the prime movers in encouraging Ibaloi farmers to practice organic farming in Benguet.
Next stop: potted herbs! This particular potted tarragon caught our attention and we couldn’t bid the seller goodbye. We bought the love-at-first-sight tarragon plus other kitchen herbs – basil, oregano thyme, flat parsley and thai chili pepper. We will tell you more about this in our article about herbs.
There’s this booth we always visit because almost everything they sell come straight from their own family farms in Cavite. They usually harvest everything late in the afternoon, a day before market day. When our suki-vendor saw us, she smiled and encouraged us to buy her pesticide-free pineapples. According to her, the best time to buy pineapples would be year-round except December til January. We almost missed the last three pineapples which they were selling at 3 for P50 only.
After buying the last kilo, we spotted the basket of big santols and asked the vendor’s assistant to give us 5 kilos. As if on cue, a lady who looked like a suki herself bought almost the entire basket! We whispered to our suki-vendor and she said not to worry because they still have a sack under their selling tables. The big bag of santol we bought looked freshly picked and she explained to us that this is their first harvest from their own old santol tree which has been with their family for years.
We bought sea salt, pure patis or fish sauce, dried dilis, a kilo of Pompano, lemongrass and all the available ingredients needed to make Guinataang Halo-Halo — fresh niyog, galapong, camote, and langka. When we saw our bill, the santol was only P20 per kilo. No wonder that lady almost bought the entire basket!
We made a few more stops to our other suki-vendors and bought the rest of the items in our “Must-Buy List”.
All in all, it was a great morning to start the day and when we left the market, it was only 8:30am.
Do you want to meet our suki-vendors? Join us on May 15th as we launch the Pinoy Organics’ Market-to-Plate Tours. For more details, check our calendar of events.
What are your top 5 must-buy when you go to your favorite market?
hi! I just started going organic about two months ago. I’m from the south and I go to Salcedo Market every other week but now I’m thinking of just getting my vegetables in Country club’s saturday market. I’m only hesitant to do so because their stalls dont say that their vegetables are organic and when I ask, of course all vendors will say they are (even if the vegetables don’t look it).
I wanted to ask, would you know which stalls in the country club sell organice vegetables? thank you so much!
Hi organicgirl! Thanks for dropping by Pinoy Organics.
If you’re from the south, yes, please support your local farmers in AAV Saturday Market. One of the best way to know who’s the real organic/ natural producers is by building your relationships with your “suki” or preferred vendors. Better yet, visit their farms! Of course, you should read about Philippine organics regularly.
Watch out and join our next Market-to-Plate Tour in the South! Add us in Facebook (pinoyorganics) or Twitter (pinoyorganics) so you won’t miss it. You can also organize 10-15 people by inviting your family and friends and we’ll conduct a group tour for you! 😉
madam/sir:
Where is the ayala alabang weekend market? is it inside ayala alabang or just in the vicinity of ATC? I want to buy ikmo and yellow gumamela seedlings. Thanks
Hi Milorito! AAV Saturday market is in Ayala Country Club inside the village. Check it out. 😉
can you please tellme if this goes on every week end at ayala alabang country club , i live in muntinlupa city
Hi Nerissa. Yes, this is every Saturday from 7am til about 2pm.
hi !!
can I ask if AAV Saturday Market is also selling organic eggs and chickens??
Last time we visited a month ago, we didnt find a any organic/naturally grown chicken and/or eggs in AAV. Try Mercato Centrale. We have several producers selling hormone-free, naturally-grown chickens and eggs there.
Hi Nerissa. Yes, AAV Saturday Market is at the country club every week. 🙂