Harvest Co-Op

Oh, the sadness: Harvest has closed, forcing us pedestrians to march down to the forest hills location. They are running a mid-​day shuttle, but what they should really do is sponsor a hubway station at the forest hills location to make it easier for the car-​less among us to keep shopping at Harvest.

Convenient spot when I’m in a bind and need to shop for a few things. Yes certain things are expensive and they don’t have lots in stock, but there’s also some good deals here too. I like the produce since it’s local and runs cheaper than stop and shop. Plus I love the cheese section. Significantly cheaper than bigger grocery stores in the area. Nice they also have a little wine area in the back

UPDATE: It is very likely this store will be closing Feb 2015. Don’t sign up for a membership unless you want to drive to their other store (s) to use it. The other JP store is past the Forest Hills T station.
This is a nice local shop with a good selection of vegetarian food, veggies, fresh bread, etc. I am happy to find any store in JP that sells cruelty-​free products for cleaning for home and body (the CVS offers nothing cruelty free in those areas).
Yes, the selection is limited, but the food is tasty I’ve tried so far.
Yes, the prices are a bit higher, but for a local shop I can get to by walking and with the above options for vegetarians and those who to live cruelty-​free it’s a good spot.

I was so happy to be able to join a local co-​op when I moved to JP earlier this year, since I’m from Vermont and was concerned about eating local in the city. While I’m not always able to find the exact items I want (mainly in the variety of yogurts offered — please carry a local/​organic option for non-​fat plain greek yogurt, instead of Chobani!!), I love the co-​operative element of this store. It’s so convenient having this store right down the street and really is an affordable and local alternative to Whole Foods. For being such a small space, the selection is diverse and impressive and the hours are great when I need an item late at night.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE renew the lease in January 2015. There will be many sad faces on South Street if we lose our Harvest Co-​op :(

Not a great market. The whole place seems a bit run down and grubby. I hate to leave a bad review, so must end on a positive note: the one staff member I spoke to was very nice.

Solid market for all the food staples: meat is good, eggs, dairy, etc. Another bonus is that they sell beer and wine, which can come in handy after 8 on Sunday, when the liquor stores close. True story, this is the latest place open in JP to buy booze on a Sunday. So those are the good’s. Now, the bad’s. Prices are HIGH. As in, I’m not going to buy this ordinary cut of beef because it’s more expensive than Whole Foods. Moreover, the produce just isn’t that good. For a place that specializes in organic foods, I’d expect amazing produce, and Harvest really falls short on that one. Also, there aren’t any regular toiletries; only the natural stuff, which is fine for some, but it would be nice to at least have the option to buy things like Dove soap or Crest toothpaste.

The staff at the South Street Harvest Co-​op are so unfriendly and rude. Their sullenness even rubs off on customers, who are often surly too. It is a decidedly un-​JP place. The Harvest Co-​Op up the street on Washington Street in Roslindale is worth the extra .7 miles. That one is much friendlier, cleaner, and has a better selection to boot.

I have lived near here and done LOTS of shopping at this store for over 7 years and I am so disappointed to see it falling way below acceptable standards. I was in here this week (4÷22÷14) and had so little selection in the meat/​fish dept. There was not much more than chicken as an option. Really slim pickings, as though it hadn’t been stocked. I was also disappointed at two employees that I’ve never seen in there before. One had body odor so bad that the entire aisle he was in Stunk. I couldn’t go anywhere near him. The other was in the deli and was literally inaudible/​incoherent.
You are hiring really low level staff and they are making things worse.

It’s aight. Only been in here a few times for those last minute items that you really need since it’s the closest market within walking distance. Otherwise I try to avoid it due to the high prices and the sad little produce section. Reading other reviews commenting on the non-​freshness of various items further deters me from exploring any more than I already have. Their check-​out area also seems to not have been very well thought out in the grand scheme of things.
But I will end on a positive note, which stems from my excitement one night upon walking in from the cold with a running nose and no tissues and discovering an open box of Kleenex right by the sanitizing wipes near the entrance! YAYYY ’cause it was about to get unsanitary. So thanks for that guys.

We live down the street and shop here frequently. Can’t complain too much– they have the staples that we need, and we love the variety of bulk items. But I would love to see better produce — it would make such a difference if they could stock produce that is actually in-​season/​sourced locally instead of just keeping their same selection ALL YEAR ROUND (i.e. flying tomatoes in from Mexico in Aug/​Sept. seems totally silly)

I love all food co-​ops and this is no exception. They had a great selection of organic, natural, vegetarian, and vegan products, including packaged, processed, raw, and bulk. Can’t wait to go back!

Update; long overdue.
Most noticeably, the staff has changed in several months and to their credit, service has improved tenfold. Where once you were greeted (if you were lucky) with sullen looks and murmured inquiries about your preference of paper or plastic, you are now seeing a more productive staff, generally pleased with their lot in life or so it’s portrayed. The produce section, once a disdainful display of wilted, near rotting vegetation, is now immaculate. There’s a sense of pride that comes from keeping this area as clean and organized as it has become and that is due to someone having integrity in their work; and she deserves a pat on the back for the turnaround here.
Aisles are, on average, stocked very well and clutter and mess really cease to be an issue anymore. The meat and fish don’t look so sad, the salad bar even looks fresh, and the bread is no longer days old. I might even, at the risk of discrediting myself, say that the lines aren’t that long anymore either, but we know that’s a load of malarkey…
All in all, Harvest has really shaped into everything you could ask for in a smaller grocer. Competitive pricing, quality product, and fair market competition b/​w large and small producers; local and well… not. Sounds more like the utopian JP that I come to know and love than what I’ve seen from the other end of the hood!

Shiver me timbers! I thought it was going to be a terrible visit, based on word of mouth and word of Unilocal… but it wasn’t.
The staff was kind to me. I could find stuff that I had NO hope of finding in a store of this size.
I feel better about shopping here than at a big-​box chain store of any kind. Yet, it annoys me that they don’t honor member-​owners of other coops with discounts, or by reduced/​reciprocal membership.
There was almost NO produce when I went. This is troubling, since there’s not a really big produce section to begin with. The Harvest in Cambridge has way too much produce in bad shape (fruit flies, bruises, rotting… meh), so I had no real hope that the JP Harvest was going to be any better; the biggest produce problem I had at JP Harvest was the lack OF produce.
If I lived in JP, I would probably split my time between City Feed and Harvest, and rely heavily on special-​orders from whoever would take them (probably Whole Foods).

Congrats Harvest, you finally made it down to one star. Two recent things that caused this (shit like this happens all the time, but these happened in one week):
— I had to educate two cashiers and one produce stocker that they were charging people for the incorrect kind of squash, because they don’t know which squash is which (I am not normally this much of a know-​it-​all, but if you’re charging me a higher price for the incorrect item, yes I am going to speak up). I’ve worked in a small grocery before, and I was familiar with every product, and knew the price for many of the products – it can be done.
— I called to ask if they had a specific item in stock (French’s fried onions, I realize it’s not exactly health food, but they stock some random crap here so I figured it was worth a shot). Guy on the phone said «Uh, yeahhh, we should have that.» No offer to go check the shelves or ask someone else. When I got there, of COURSE they didn’t have it, although a very nice employee described how I might make my own fried onions at home (seriously, he was nice, and doing the best he could, but that’s not what I had had in mind; I wanted to buy some dang crunchy onions in a can like a normal person so I could make my green bean casserole for Thanksgiving).
Does the manager of this place not give a shit that a nice, new, well-​stocked Whole Foods full of helpful employees just moved in down the street? Actually I don’t think I’ve ever seen a manager in here, certainly no one is ever on top of the cashiers making sure that they, like, say hello to customers instead of goofing off among themselves all the time. This place is garbage.

You know, as far as grocery shopping within walking distance in JP goes, this is what you’ve got: Stop and Shop, City Feed, or Harvest. I’ll uhh, take the nice medium and go with Harvest.
The variety is pretty great, and the prices are reasonable for the product. (Unlike SOMEONE ELSE up on Centre St, ahem.) I can get a lot of my weird vegetarian and vegan substitute products here that I can’t find elsewhere. Such as textured vegetable protein; I can’t find that ANYWHERE else. It’s great for taco filling and pasta sauce. Unfortunately, the veg-​oriented fridge section looks a bit… nasty at the bottom. Eek. I typically avoid the food on the lower shelves.
The variety also gets weird and laughable. Eggo waffles? Hah, okay. Thought we were bigger hippies than that. It gets darker though: I’ve also seen MONSANTO bananas. WHAT, are you kidding me right now? NOT so funny… just evil. Like, deepest level of hell evil. I thought the Co-​op would be better than that.
On that note, the fruit looks like shit a lot of the time. I generally don’t get my fruit here, except for their non-​Monsanto bananas. Everything else produce-​wise tends to be pretty decent.
The workers there often seem miserable, but it seems to be getting better. I know there’s one fairly new guy on register who’s always in a great mood and will chat it up with the customers. I know someone who worked here once and absolutely hated it, so I do hope it’s getting better. The people who stock still seem kind of odd sometimes.
Anyway, I’ll give it 4 stars because it’s the best I’ve got in this area for shopping even though it’s not perfect. I’ll gladly walk 15+ minutes to get here even though City Feed (those assholes) is much closer.

Having perused a bunch of Harvest reviews before posting my own, I’m honestly surprised by the love/​hate trend that seems to be going on. Who knew organic food was such a contentious topic? Anyhow.
Harvest is my only walkable-​from-​home grocery option (I really don’t think City Feed should count; it’s TINY). At first I was dismayed by my lack of choice, but every time I shop there I find new things that make me happy — the latest being squeezable apple sauce and frozen orange glazed chicken that isn’t actually chicken but has an awesome texture and makes me feel less like a lump.
Other plusses:
+ They almost always have organic chocolate bars on sale (my favorite being salted caramel)
+ Their cheese/​bread/​olive selection is fabulous
+ Surprisingly decent array of frozen lunch options like Amys vegetable lasagna and Ethnic Gourmet pad thai
+ PIRATE’S BOOTY
+ Desert Pepper Trading Co. salsa
+ San Pellegrino aranciata 6-​packs
+ Wine, and lots of it
Do I wish Harvest had name brand cereal and milk that doesn’t expire four days later? Yes. Have I had any problems with their cashiers? No. Am I going to shop there after Whole Foods hits JP? Probably. It’s just so damn convenient. PIRATE’S BOOTY!

I do like…
* The bread & cheese selection
* The only bulk section in the hood
I do not like…
(Harvest: I apologize. I grew up in VT. That place has some of the best co-​ops around. You were way behind in the game from the beginning.)
* Harvest’s habit of hiring the most angsty and sullen teenagers available in JP
* Limited selection of everything
* High prices, and minimal rewards for being part of the co-​op
* Inefficient setup — very cramped, and during crowded times the line blocks an entire aisle. Feng shui, people.
Hate to say it, but I am so totally puuuuuumped for a Whole Foods around here.

There has been a lot of back and forth about the potential for Whole Foods to replace the departing Hi-​Lo in Hyde Square section of JP. Whether it should be in JP or not isn’t for argument here; it IS going to come no matter what, and with it will come one of two major upsides: either Harvest Co-​Op will finally step up its produce, or residents will have an alternative to go to for freshness.
The produce here is absolutely deplorable and overpriced.
Buy a $ 4.99 dry pint of cherry tomatoes; prepare to be greeted by mold when you pop the top. Want a bunch of bananas? Then be ready to eat them while in line or the following week because they come bruised and beaten or green and un-​ripened — there is NO in-​between, only extremes.
Packaged salads, typically Olivia’s Organics, are dated «Best By» about a week out. Good luck coming within four days of that date. I have a hard time believing it’s Olivia’s fault, because if you pick them up elsewhere there isn’t a problem. Could it be the careless way the workers are storing them before the product hits the shelves?
There is actually a sign touting Harvest as having won the award for «Best Produce in JP.» I have no idea what decade that was, but it couldn’t have been post the Y2K scare.
Great beer selection, but the wine is ridiculously over-​priced and the cheese is filled with mold — All The Time.
And note to the worker who insists on loudly whistling «Frère Jacques» over and over and over and over again while stocking the hummus? Learn a new tune.
Can’t wait until Whole Foods comes and makes this place obsolete.

Everything I said in my original review stands, nothing has changed in 3+ years. A new crop of crappy employees texting while they stand at the cash register, more crappy, grey meat, the same long, slow lines… This place is such an asshole. And he ain’t gonna change, girl! Go to City Feed and support a *good* local grocer!

It’s *nice* when you’re missing 1 simple ingredient for a recipe, but there’s a market at the end of your street.
It’s the *WORST* when that market is The Harvest Co-​Op. :(
Time after time this market has failed me:
–Plain veggie burgers for a last minute barbecue = «Sorry, we only have rancid mushroom today.»
–Bruschetta Emergency = «Sorry, we don’t have the right bread or toppings.»
–Vanilla Ice Cream = «Sorry, that expired before ⁹⁄₁₁ … and it’s $ 20.» :(
If they took some of the attention away from their Tofu management, maybe they could improve on some of their problems? Yesterday’s ceiling leak was pretty disgusting. The freezers breaking down in the summer makes me worry. But the icing on the cake is that SELF SERVE TOFU BIN. (please see added picture)
Fucking DISGUSTING!
Which health inspector gave that a passing grade? The lid is always off, not to mention the hundreds of random hands (and fists :() that have been in there.
In the past, I’ve been able to pop in here, see the checkout line wrapped around the store with lazy fools, run out, jump into my car, speed to Stop & Shop, dodge a few bullets, grab a jar of pasta sauce, save $ 3, AND watch ppl from the line finally exit the store as I returned home.
And when the hell was that potato salad made?!!
:’(