Every Saturday morning, Sámara's farmers market sets up in town, a 15-minute walk from our gate. It's small, it's local, and it's the best food shopping you'll do all week. Here's how to do it right the first time.
What you'll find
Whatever is ripe that week: mangos and jocotes in the dry season, mamón chino and guanábana later in the year, plus year-round staples like pineapple, papaya, bananas, and limes. Beyond fruit there are vegetables, herbs, flowers, fresh tortillas, eggs, baked goods, and usually fresh fish and meat. The selection follows the calendar, which is exactly what makes it good. If you want to know what to look for in any given month, we wrote a month-by-month fruit guide.
Go early
Two reasons: the best produce goes first, and by 9:30 the sun is doing its thing. Early also means you'll shop alongside locals doing their weekly run, which is the version of the feria worth seeing.
Bring cash and a bag
Small bills in colones make everything smoother, though most vendors will figure it out with you either way. Bring your own bag or basket. Prices are fair and haggling isn't really the culture here; if something seems expensive, it's probably just out of season.
Three phrases that carry you
"¿Qué está bueno hoy?" (what's good today), "¿Me da un kilo?" (a kilo, please), and "¿Cómo se come esto?" (how do you eat this). That last one is the secret weapon. Vendors light up explaining their fruit, and you'll walk away with preparation advice no guidebook has.
The kid move
Let each kid pick one fruit they've never seen. A spiky mamón chino or a face-twisting cas turns shopping into the morning's entertainment. Worst case, it becomes a fresco (more on those in our frescos guide).
Back at the villa
Each of our kitchens has a blender, and feria fruit plus ice is a recipe that doesn't need a recipe. For everything the feria doesn't cover, the supermarket is a 10-minute walk, and Blue Mountain Farms delivers farm produce, eggs, dairy, and bread to the villa on Tuesdays and Fridays. Between the three, you may cook more on vacation than you do at home.
Plan a Saturday into your stay: check availability. Come hungry.