I am truly blessed to be a food writer in Beijing. I’ve been on my fair share of full-out binges in restaurants and kitchens all around the city and enjoy every second of indulgence. But sometimes I enjoy cooking at home for a change of pace. This means finding time to shop for groceries, and luckily Beijing’s got plenty of produce markets for those who want fresh food for dinner.

The Country Fair farmer’s market takes place each month in various locations around Beijing and is considered organic. I was eager to find out what the event is all about, since “organic” here is usually just a synonym for healthy. Country Fair may not follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s strict standards, but they instead consider organic a concept. “The farms use non-chemical cultivation techniques inspired by traditional sustainable methods: no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, a variety of crops and farm animals,” says Caroline Merrifield, one of the fair’s organizers.

Shopping wholesale is something I miss from back home. Beijing’s lucky to have Metro Cash & Carry, just down the street from Ikea. Metro’s enormous aisles are filled with essentials—imported spices, dry foods, condiments, kitchen appliances and anything you need for a dinner party. Their produce section is impeccably clean, and the organic selection is part of the Star Farm initiative, which follows a farm-to-fork methodology. Each item comes with a tracking number that you can enter on Metro’s website to find the exact farm the produce came from. I was quite impressed when typing in the number brought me to an interactive map with the farm location, product and processing information.

Though I appreciate organic efforts, what’s most important to me is going local and seasonal. The Sanyuanli Market is what I consider the best wet market in the city. They have everything you could think of: stalls filled with herbs, cheeses, meats, noodles and seasonal harvested foods. Many restaurateurs come here as well, so this is where to find the good stuff at the best prices. Imported ingredients come fresher and cheaper here compared to any Western grocery store. For those who need a market retail crash course, I’ll be helping Chef Jeff Powell out at his Apr. 23 market-to-table cooking class, which starts at Sanyuanli and proceeds to The Hutong.

Going out to eat in Beijing is affordable and delicious, but the satisfaction of picking up your favorite ingredients at a market and cooking yourself is unbeatable.