We know you’ve all been eagerly awaiting the results of our Food Blogger Budget Recipe Challenge and we’re pleased to announce that the winner, by overwhelming audience voting is….
Thank you, Whole Foods! It was an honor to participate in Budget Recipe Challenge. I am thrilled to receive the Whole Foods gift cards. I plan on giving away several gift cards at my blog- Karina’s Kitchen. I’ll be sharing the rest with my two sons- both on their own, cooking on a budget, fans of Whole Foods.
One thing I’ve learned about the business of produce is that every season is different — success is often a byproduct of learning from the past but remaining nimble about the future. Nowhere is this truer than with apples. Over the last twenty years the apple industry has undergone a huge transformation — the flavor, the look of the apple (and orchard), variety, and growing method have all changed significantly. This change has not come easy. Unlike row crop growers, apple producers have to take a much broader outlook as changes in variety and growing method often take many years to bear fruit. For example, if a lettuce variety does not produce a desired result a grower can change the seed 90 days later. For an apple producer the decision is multi-generational and the productive life of an orchard is measured in decades — the growers children will literally live with the decisions the parents make.
It all started with a brief conversation at the Fancy Food Show in New York City in July of 2007. The owner of a company was telling me about an idea for a new product.
“What’s it called?” I asked inquisitively.
“Sacha Inchi,” he said.
“Uh…I’ve never heard of it.” I replied. I asked him what it was.
“It’s the next cool thing.” he predicted.
Blumetti’s Gourmet Foods of Rockwall, Texas, was one of the first recipients of a loan through Whole Foods Market’s Local Producer Loan Program. They are also one of the program’s biggest success stories. Since receiving the loan, Blumetti’s pasta sauces have expanded to two additional regions. They are also providing the sauce for all store-made pizzas in the Southwest region!
Jim Blumetti spoke with us about his company and its relationship with Whole Foods Market.
You probably have this week’s secret ingredient sitting in your pantry right now. It’s Old Bay Seasoning and for over 60 years its proprietary blend of spices, including celery salt, mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, ginger, mace, cardamom, cinnamon and paprika has been the secret ingredient for adding that extra special zing to all types of seafood dishes. Most home cooks use it to flavor steamed shrimp, but this week’s encore presentation features a recipe from guest Chef Chris Schlesinger of the East Coast Grill where Old Bay Seasoning takes on a more flavorful and starring role.
With the presidential debates drawing to a close this week and Election Day coming up, we’re finding that everyone’s got politics on their mind – and for good reason. This week’s featured read is from Michael Pollan who wrote a thorough and detailed open letter to our next ‘Farmer-in-Chief’ in last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine’s Food Fights! issue. He encourages the US’s next leader to bring the important issue of food quality and safety into the discussion and see the new administration address some issues that are important to all of us.
It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the campaign: food. Food policy is not something American presidents have had to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration — the last time high food prices presented a serious political peril. Since then, federal policies to promote maximum production of the commodity crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice) from which most of our supermarket foods are derived have succeeded impressively in keeping prices low and food more or less off the national political agenda. But with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close. What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact — so easy to overlook these past few years — that the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.
What changes would you like to see in food policy in the coming years?
The Koch Family has been raising turkeys on 60 acres of land in the Lewiston Valley of Pennsylvania for three generations. Duane Koch runs Koch’s Turkey Farm with the help of his three sisters, and together they raise free-range turkeys using an all-vegetarian diet of locally grown corn and roasted soybean. With the feed mill, turkey houses and processing facility all located on the family property near Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, the turkeys are able to live their entire lives on the same land.
Note: Our Farm to Market slide shows currently feature farmers and producers from our South and MidAtlantic Regions. We hope to expand to others in the future.
Imagine a world where honey bees are your family’s livelihood. The hives are tucked deep in the jungles of Chiapas and Quintana Roo, and have been tended by Mayan communities for generations. Although there is a centuries-old beekeeping tradition there, honey production has only recently been recognized as a viable and stable income opportunity in the global market.
In years past, middlemen, or “coyotes,” took a majority of the beekeepers’ income. With assistance from TransFair USA, Wholesome Sweeteners is able to pay a fair price directly to the beekeepers, who have formed vibrant worker-owned cooperatives that create meaningful employment, improve product quality, and send their children to school – until now, an unaffordable luxury in these economically-depressed regions. Additionally, by protecting the hives and native plant forage areas, Fair Trade encourages biodiversity and helps the forests thrive.
Can you say great deal?! Print out our new coupon — $5 off any $25 or more purchase in any of our U.S. stores – good from now until October 22, 2008.This coupon has now expired!
Want to save even more? Check out our Whole Deal pages, dedicated to highlighting our value products, sharing money-saving menu plans and featuring budget-conscious recipes. This is also where you’ll find great customers tips on saving while shopping with us. Send us your ideas and you may win a $25 gift card if we choose your tip to feature on this blog.
In honor of our fabulous new coupon, we’re featuring customer tips for saving with coupons:
From Catherine:
The best way that I save money is with valuable coupons. The coupons in “Whole Deal” save me a ton. I also look in the health-oriented magazines like “Delicious Living” and the “Taste for Life” that are free at Whole Foods. I always find more coupons there, and in many health-oriented magazines. Then, if you go to the various manufacturer websites, you can often get even more e-coupons, or search the web for them and get some e-coupons automatically sent to your e-mail. Often these coupons can save anywhere from $1.00-$5.00 a piece. These really go far if the item is on sale to begin with! Coupons are easy to find for teas, snack bars, and many shelf and frozen items. Then I have more money to splurge on fresh produce.
From Nicole G:
I lost my job in December 2006, and I was out of work for a year. Of course our budget shrunk, but I did want to buy the same quality of food for the kids and us like I was doing before. I had to come with some idea how to save money while still shopping at Whole Food Market, so in one day I went to the store and wrote down all the brand food they had on their shelves. I started looking for on line coupons, and now every week when I do my grocery shopping, I also bring my coupons with me. I am also getting 4 gallons of milk at once because you get 10% off and using coupons I only pay $5/gallon instead $6.69/gallon. If the shredded cheese is on sale (I usually buy Organic Valley brand) I get 3-4 bags (with sale price and coupons I only pay ½ of the price), and I keep it in the freezer. I take out one bag of the time and use it. I also freeze the butter. There are many ways to save money and still shop for good organic quality food at Whole Food Market. I also plan my meals based on the sales they have. They email me their weekly store sale deals, and I can plan ahead what I need to buy.
From Nikki K:
I have begun writing my favorite brands to ask for coupons or simply compliment their products. I print coupons off of manufacturer websites, sign up for newsletters, and have joined a group to exchange coupons and receive some that don’t come in the paper in my area. I’m also taking the Value Budget Tour at Whole Foods tomorrow and am stoked about it! And I shop without my husband, because things not on my list always seem to end up in my cart when he’s around And lastly, I love to try what the “Value Guru” has cooked up and get meal ideas from her.
We have a really cool new bag coming out! You’ve probably seen our large grocery tote bags made from recycled plastic bottles for only 99 cents. Our customers have given us great feedback on them.
When it came time to design a new bag, we wanted to make it even better. We came up with several ideas and these two rose to the top:
1. generate public interest in reusable bags by getting an environmentally conscious celebrity to help design the bag and
2. highlight a strong environmental program on the bag that is helping to change our world.
Done and done. Sheryl Crow collaborated with us on the design of the bag. Didn’t it turn out great?
The Natural Resources Defense Council promotes a great program called Simple Steps. In addition to our monetary donation to the NRDC, each bag has the SimpleSteps.org website printed on it, which encourages customers to embrace simple steps in their everyday lives that reduce consumption and consider the environment.
Since it is gift-giving season, the bags are available in the large grocery tote size and also in a smaller, gift bag size for only 79 cents. Check ‘em out and let us know what you think.
When we sell through this run of bags, we’ll be designing the next version. What ideas do you have for taking these to the next level?
Welcome to Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market.
Don’t know us? In a nutshell, we are the world's leading natural and organic grocer and we’re passionate about healthy food and a healthy planet. Learn more about us.
We’re lucky to have a whole bunch of smart, passionate people doing incredible things in areas like organics, supporting local growers, green practices, fair trade, micro-lending and all kinds of food related stuff. We’ll use this blog to share some of the cool things going on around here.
Of course, what makes this blog really exciting is YOU — so join the conversation!
Subscribe via RSS
Imagine a world where honey bees are your family’s livelihood. The hives are tucked deep in the jungles of Chiapas and Quintana Roo, and have been tended by Mayan communities for generations. Although there is a centuries-old beekeeping tradition there, honey production has only recently been recognized as a viable and stable income opportunity in the global market.
And lastly, I love to try what the “Value Guru” has cooked up and get meal ideas from her.
