Update 5/7/10: Huge congratulations to our winner — Arlene from the Philadelphia area who shops at our North Wales store!
Our Whole Trade™ pineapples are setting a sweeter standard for quality, as well as environmental and social responsibility. Grown in Costa Rica on farms that never compromise on providing delectable sweet and juicy fruit, and who keep the health of the planet high on their priority list. Our Whole Trade™ Guarantee ensures that these responsible farms and their workers receive equitable wages and better working conditions – and that you enjoy the best quality tropical treat, delivered to our stores at peak ripeness.
Here’s your chance to taste the pineapples where they are picked!
Our produce team has been learning a lot about pineapple lately. We had heard from various sources about environmental problems associated with pineapple production in Costa Rica and we wanted to know more. Over the past six months, we’ve toured farms, tasted lots of pineapple and met with a diverse group of knowledgeable people, including growers (large and small), farm workers, importers, certifiers, academics and others – a peace corps volunteer even took a long bus ride to tell us about her life and work in a community on the edge of a big pineapple farm.
As a result of what we’ve learned, this April (Earth Month) we’re introducing Whole Trade Pineapple. As always, the Whole Trade Guarantee™ is our commitment to ethical trade, the environment and the highest quality. In this case, the quality speaks for itself. This fruit is excellent – fresh, ripe and sweet. I’ll explain in the rest of this post why it’s also important that it meet the other requirements of the Whole Trade Guarantee.
Every single bite of food we take has deep agricultural, environmental and nutritional significance. The bowl of cereal I’m eating right now contains corn (which might be organically grown or not, genetically modified or not) and is bathed in milk (which might be organic or not, from cows given synthetic growth hormones or not, or it could be soy milk — GMO or not, organic or not, and let’s not even get into almond, hemp or rice milks). That yellow color could be natural or not, and the whole box could be preserved with synthetic preservatives to make its shelf life virtually infinite. This is a very simple meal (eight ingredients), and a relatively minor one in the grand scheme of my day, but the choices I’ve made with this little meal have touched at least half a dozen different crops, some cows, growers and my own health.
The relationship between a meal and the rest of the universe is complicated and gets more so when we start talking about meat, seafood and products imported from other countries. My point here is that what seems to be a tiny choice (what to eat for breakfast) can actually have deep significance when we consider the collective impact of the 1100 or so meals we each eat every year.
The incredible growth of the natural and organic food industry over the past 30 years has been driven by individual food choices made about specific meals. Yet considering that organic currently makes up just 4% of US agriculture; GMO crops make up almost all corn, soy, canola, sugar and cotton production in the US; our kids are getting fatter; and unhealthy food is getting cheaper, it sometimes seems like our movement – natural and organic foods – has barely made a scratch in the mainstream of conventional food.
“Let’s Retake Our Plates” is a Whole Foods Market initiative designed to highlight the things we all can do to continue this movement towards better food. In choosing between various types of food, we really are voting with our dollars and have the power to accept or reject so many ways of growing crops, raising animals, impacting the environment and feeding our bodies. The plate (or take-out container or smoothie cup or whatever) is the point where we, as eaters, intersect with the systems and practices through which that food is grown, raised, processed and marketed. Read the rest of this entry »
Cooking quinoais easier done than said! All it takes is fire and water and about 30 minutes with very little attention. And really, “KEEN-wah” is not any harder to say than it is to cook. Check it out.
Why Should I?
Quinoa is a complete protein containing all eight essential amino acids. It’s light and fluffy in texture but has that whole grain ability to fill people up—and if you’ve got company coming, this recipe easily doubles to serve eight people.
What Do I Need?
1 cup 365 Everyday Value® Organic Quinoa
2 cups water
½ tsp salt
Okay, Let’s Do This Thing
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium pot. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork. Print, save or share the recipe.
Tips and Tricks
For extra flavor, use vegetable, chicken or beef broth instead of water when cooking quinoa.
Toast quinoa (after rinsing) in a large skillet for 3 to 4 minutes before cooking to add more depth to its flavor.
Pour soymilk over hot cooked quinoa and top with nuts and dried fruit for a satisfying breakfast cereal.
For a healthier twist on pasta or potato salad, toss cooked quinoa with chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, vinegar and olive oil.
Add cooked quinoa to soups, stews and casseroles.
Store cooked and cooled quinoa in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Apply Your New Skills
Welcome spring—or vegetarian guests—to your table with this delicious main-course recipe. At about 94¢ per serving Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas is destined to become a favorite for family and feasts alike. For killer veggie “burgers,” serve any leftover slices on toasted whole wheat buns with lettuce and spicy mustard.
I once read that the great Charlemagne declared: “An herb is the friend of physicians and the praise of cooks.” I wonder what herbs he had at his disposal during his reign? While I certainly have no claim to fame nor reign, a quick trip to my kitchen shows no less than a multitude of dried herbs and just a few fresh: parsley, cilantro, oregano, sage and my all time aromatic favorite — rosemary, which I almost always have on hand.
This week, I plan to use it in these dishes: Grilled lamb chops with fresh rosemary and olive oil; roast potatoes with garlic and fresh rosemary, white wine and rosemary vinaigrette; and for my dinner guests on Thursday, aromatic rosemary-infused cookies.
Spring is in the air again! The days are getting warmer, the flora is blooming, and the Easter bunny is hiding right around the corner. What better way to celebrate than by helping him fill his basket with beautiful, naturally decorated eggs? Read on for instructions and tips on how to create beautiful eggs using natural dyes, how to keep them safe for consumption and different, yummy ways to prepare them for eating!
Earth Month is just around the corner and we are celebrating by hosting our very first company-wide film series! We’ll be featuring films that show the connection between the food we eat and its impact on the environment. Our food choices matter and each of us should feel empowered to make informed decisions.
Different cities are doing things a bit differently, so to find info on a film series near you, check out Let’s Retake Our Plate Film Series.
Giveaway Alert: Starting next Thursday and continuing throughout Earth Month (that means April!), we’ll be featuring team member reviews of select films that are part of the film series. Readers, we’d love to hear what you have to say about these films too! Check back each Thursday in April to share your film review with us in the comments for a chance to win a $25 gift card. (Not on this post, though. The contest starts on April 1st!) Read the rest of this entry »
When I was growing up, my brother and I used to love it when our parents would make Breakfast for Dinner (or BFD as we liked to call it). Back then, it usually involved waffles and lots of maple syrup, but as I grew older, I moved on to eggs.
With their good-quality protein as well as Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin A and iron, eggs are not only nutritious, but filling as well. (I choose the Omega-3 eggs for an added nutritional boost.) Since you can buy a half dozen at most stores and they stay fresh for about three weeks when properly refrigerated, eggs make a perfect solution for a meal for one.
Carrot cake is a big hit any time of the year, but especially in the springtime. Yet a slice of traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting could pack more than 450 calories and almost 30 grams of fat — definitely something to consider before taking a bite! Susan, a Whole Story reader, requested a healthy carrot cake recipe, and we hopped (like an Easter bunny) to the challenge.
First off, we decided to simplify things and make a straightforward square cake — a single layer, without frosting. Our version isn’t meant to replace that typical triple-layer, frosted-to-the max carrot cake. Instead, ours is more of a delicious snack that you can feel good about! Old-fashioned rolled oats and whole wheat pastry flour team up for a hearty texture while currants, coconut and maple syrup complement the natural sweetness of the carrot.
You can check out our complete recipe, as well as leave comments and ratings, on our Carrot-Oat Cake recipe page.
Matt O’Hayer’s interest in chicken-raising started as a child delivering eggs door-to-door. Folks call him the Egg Man! Fast-forward to 2007, when he started Vital Farms, an organic pastured egg farm located on 27 acres along Onion Creek in South Austin. We visited Matt at the farm and, as you’ll see, learned that his chickens have an enviable life, with lots of green grass and plenty of space to roam.
Vital Farms is a recipient of a Whole Foods Market Local Producer Loan, which they have used to purchase equipment to help them expand their production.
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.
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Update 5/7/10: Huge congratulations to our winner — Arlene from the Philadelphia area who shops at our North Wales store!
I once read that the great Charlemagne declared: “An herb is the friend of physicians and the praise of cooks.” I wonder what herbs he had at his disposal during his reign? While I certainly have no claim to fame nor reign, a quick trip to my kitchen shows no less than a multitude of dried herbs and just a few fresh: parsley, cilantro, oregano, sage and my all time aromatic favorite — rosemary, which I almost always have on hand.
Spring is in the air again! The days are getting warmer, the flora is blooming, and the Easter bunny is hiding right around the corner. What better way to celebrate than by helping him fill his basket with beautiful, naturally decorated eggs? Read on for instructions and tips on how to create beautiful eggs using natural dyes, how to keep them safe for consumption and different, yummy ways to prepare them for eating!
