Dixon Fruit Market — Local services in Dixon

KEY POINTS: 1) Extremely overpriced 2) Deceptive product labeling 3) More suoermarket items than actual local produce

Sigh. I excitedly stopped in yesterday, lured in by the abundant, colorful freeway signs. The employee greeted me and had a kind demeanor. The store was clean and they had various samples offered which is something to be appreciated. 4

Firstly, being a frequent patron of local farm stands, I'm used to seeing any bagged produce at one set price, labeled somewhere on the clear plastic bag. This particular store has a small, white label with ine set price but in teeny, tiny writing has "LB" written in a direction opposite of the price. I've NEVER seen bagged produce by the pound, ONLY as a set price. Secondly, I walked the entire srore glancing at a wide array of different products and noticed the sky high prices, even on such things as soda or bottle of water. I used to work for a popular farmer's market and could see that the Dixon market carried many of the same items and I was shocked at the markup percentage. I purchased 2 tanales, 3 tomatoes, about 5 medium sweet potatoes, 4 thin yellow squash and 3 tiny little turmeric roots and it was slightly under $30....say what?! When I questioned the amount, I was shown the miniscule "LB" on the produce sticker but it took me numerous glances to actually see it. I truly hate to be so negative, but geez, the tamales weren't anything special, either. To be almost $3 ,they should have been far more moist and far more flavorful. Very disappointing visit, I...

After years of driving by Dixon Fruit Market on our way up north or back on Highway 80, we finally decided to stop and check it out. Within just a few minutes, I found myself wondering what had taken me so long!

Founded in 1975, Dixon Fruit Market is the oldest fruit market on I-80. It is family-owned and operated, and most of its products come from local farms. While we were there, several customers stopped by and started chatting with the operators, one of whom turned out to be the owner's son. One customer mentioned that they had been shopping there for many years!

Dixon Fruit Market offers a wide selection of local nuts, dried fruits, jams, butter, olives, and fresh seasonal produce. I can personally vouch for their oranges, berries, and honey! We bought a bag full of oranges, and every single one was delicious. The honey was wonderfully aromatic, and the berries... well, I ate those so quickly that I couldn't even recall the details!

Next time we visit, I plan to...

Everything is pretty expensive here, but maybe that's just a sign of the times. I purchased a small package of dried pineapple which ended up being around $12 (I couldn't find a price, so I just took it up to the register when I also paid for my tamales- I was surprised by the cost). I also purchased 3 pork tamales which were very disappointing. The masa was really hard and weird- almost like plastic, and the overall flavor was bland. I ate two and reheated one the next day, which was actually even worse on the next day (I actually ended up just throwing it in the trash). The lady working at the cash register was not rude, but was probably the most disinterested worker I have encountered anywhere in quite some time (and I deal with bureaucratic workers all the time). It wasn't terrible, but I see no reason to ever stop again...