Chinatown Fruit Stands

Want to support local vendors, but am really concerned that all the fruits here look unnaturally big.

I work in Chinatown and always go to my ladies on the corner of Canal and Mulberry! When in season I buy halves of jackfruit twice, sometimes three times a week. Really friendly. If you frequent them and buy bulk they’ll definitely start to recognize you and give you a little discount on what you usually buy!
Also always stop by my coconut guy at the same corner to get a young Thai coconut (only two bucks!). Incredible deal considering bottled raw coconut water can go as high as 7 bucks. Here you get it (reasonably) fresh. Well, it comes from Thailand but he opens it for you right there! They’re all so friendly honestly, always nice experiences.

The best prices in Manhattan for exotic, conventional fruits. These are the exotic fruits I’ve seen so far: longan, lychee, jackfruit, mangosteen, breadfruit, starfruit, and asian pear. You can find durian down the block at Asia Corp Market. If you’re in Queens or Brooklyn there are more options.

Working in Chinatown for nearly a decade now I’ve come across almost every local vendor selling fruits and veggies. The lady on the corner of Mulberry & Canal fits the spot as the freshest, highest quality, and best value price wise amongst her competitors. i normally purchase Driscoll raspberries for $ ²⁄₈ oz and blueberries/​blackberries for $ 2/​pint. The lady on the corner of Mulberry and Bayard, across from the park, also sells decent berries.

What surprised me this week was noticing several vendors and supermarkets near by selling 24 oz boxes of blueberries with Trader Joe’s label for only $ 3 which normally sells for $ 6.99 at TJ’s, as well as 1Lb size TJ blackberries for only $ 1.50.
Which makes me wonder, how did these vendors get a hold of a private label?

Chinatown in Manhattan is brimming with exotic fruits. Today, they have mangoesteen– a rare fruit only found in Asia.
Believe it or not, I planned on flying to Canada just to ge frozen ones before but i didnt have info where to get it.
Mangoesteen available in north america are frozen by law so dont expect the same taste experience. Though i have to admit I ate it right out of the bag, still had some ice crystals on/​in it. hahaha