Now’s the time to go all out with summer melons. Whether you show up at the next picnic balancing a watermelon on your hip, or add chunks of cantaloupe to your morning smoothie and summer fruit salads, there are lots of ways to appreciate melons. Here are some of our favorite recipes featuring one of summer’s most refreshing fruits:
I’m a big swimmer, especially in the summer. It’s a great way to unwind from a hard day at work, and I usually swim for at least an hour every evening. By the time I’m done, I’m ravenous and it’s late, so I turn to my trusty stash of summer vegetables for a delicious, simple dinner for one.
With such gorgeous, sweet tomatoes in season, I enjoying slicing one and topping it with salt and pepper. Add to that some fresh summer field peas I cooked up on the weekend (usually with an onion and sometimes a smoked ham hock) eaten cold with a splash of vinegar and half of an avocado with a squeeze of lime and you’ve got a healthy, filing summer meal that requires minimal work with great rewards.
Need a little more protein after a vigorous swim or workout? On the weekend, I like to roast a chicken or pork tenderloin or maybe boil some shrimp so I can have some with my assortment of summer veggies for an extra boost all week long. Kept in the fridge already sliced or peeled, these simply prepared proteins make a quick, easy addition to a weeknight meal of summer vegetables.
Some other great ideas for summer produce:
Don’t forget the okra! If you think the only way to eat okra is breaded and fried, or even boiled and slimy (although, I must admit, I like it that way), think again. For a couple of interesting ways to cook okra, slice and sauté in a little canola oil until just brown and crispy or slice it in half and grill it on each side until crispy. The “slime” disappears and you’re left with a unique, satisfying treat.
Zucchini and squash are available in abundance all summer long and taste great when sautéed in canola oil with a little onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Feeling decadent? Try topping it off with a handful of panko bread crumbs mixed with grated Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over the top and broil until brown. I do it all in an iron skillet and it takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. One medium yellow squash or zucchini is usually plenty for me as a meal or a side, depending on my hunger level.
Watermelon can be savory too! A little chopped red onion and crumbled feta combine with cut watermelon to make an awesome salad. You can usually find all of the ingredients on your Whole Foods Market salad bar and toss them together yourself. Add a little freshly chopped mint if you have it on hand or in your garden for some extra zing.
Don’t forget dessert! Cut a peach in half, discard the pit and brush with some melted butter and brown sugar. Grill cut-side down for about 3 or 4 minutes. Serve with ice cream or just eat them by themselves.
A container of cut, seedless watermelon in our produce session is always a great treat for one since buying a whole watermelon for one person is a little intimidating, to say the least!
Now that I’ve given you some of my favorite summer produce favorites, what are yours and how do you prepare them when cooking for one?
Driftless Organics - Soldiers Grove, WI For the owners of Driftless Organics, farming is their dream job. When you grow everything from Asparagus to Zucchini, it’s vital to love what you do. To them, healthy soil is the foremost reason to farm organically. But, of course, the taste is another good reason — they’re confident their products taste better!
Learn more about Driftless Organics in this short video.
Don’t live close enough to experience their produce yourself? We’ve got local vendors all around the country growing great food just like this. Check your local store for what’s available in your neck of the woods.
Thirty years ago Whole Foods Market opened to make people happy—with better, healthier food choices. We’re still listening to our customers’ needs and desires and with your help every year these choices are better and more affordable. To prove our point, all of the manufacturer coupons in The Whole Deal value guide are now available online. That’s over $45 in savings!
The The Whole Deal value guide is designed to make bargains easy to spot:
Coupons – print the coupons you want, when you want
Sure Deals! – high-quality products where you get more of the good stuff for less than you think
Three Under $3 – at $2.99 or less, you won’t find a better value than our selection of Three Under $3 items
Money-Saving Meal Plans – these meal plans offer a week’s worth of menu ideas and recipes for one, two or four
Plus, the August/September issue of The Whole Deal in-store value guide is packed with tips and ideas to help you succeed in the budget business. Just take these money-saving, better-eating back-to-school tips, for example:
Use the freezer for leftover portions, bread crusts, stock makings…and frozen peeled bananas to make Banana Nice Cream.
Stretch the animal protein by filling your plate mostly with healthy whole grains and vegetables, and about 3 ounces of meat, poultry or seafood per person.
Got any more back-to-school budget tips? We’d love to hear them.
LANCASTER FARM FRESH COOPERATIVE – Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Since the day a produce manager for Whole Foods Market in New York City tasted his first bite of organic asparagus from Pennsylvania, he was determined to get the product into his store. He traced the asparagus back to a small Amish family farm in Lancaster County and drove down there the next week to seal the deal. With the help of the non-profit cooperative Lancaster Farm Fresh, Whole Foods Market began to work with this farm and 40 other Amish and Mennonite growers from the area. All the produce sold through Lancaster Farm Fresh is raised on small family farms and is certified organic.
Congratulations to Stephanie and thank you everyone who entertained us with your stories of how hot it is where you are. Stay cool everyone!
Yep, it’s late July and hot as heck just about everywhere. Doesn’t it sound perfect to cool down with some ice-cold tea? We know! That’s why we’ve just introduced our new line of 365 Everyday Value Organic ready-to-drink teas.
Now these aren’t just your run-of-the-mill ordinary bottled teas. These new teas are organic andWhole Trade®, which ensures the ingredients are grown with a commitment to ethical trade, the environment and quality products. And 1% of the sale of Whole Trade products benefits the Whole Planet Foundation™. That’s doing good twice (three times if you count the good it does you to drink great tea!).
A majority of our tea leaves are grown in China and India — both known for their superior quality in tea leaf production — and our teas are bottled in the USA using 45% post consumer recycled plastic. We’ve created four flavored and lightly sweetened 16-ounce bottled teas and two unsweetened 64-ounce value options. Here’s the rundown:
In 16-ounce bottles:
Organic Mint Green Tea
Organic Lemon Black Tea
Organic Peach Oolong Tea
Organic Mango Acai White Tea
In 64-ounce containers:
Organic Green Tea
Organic Black Tea
We encourage everyone to give these great teas a try, and we’re going to jump start some supercharged cooling by choosing one reader to win a case of these delightful teas. Tell us why it’s sooooo hot where you are and why you think you should win the case of tea. We’re going to choose one winner at random but hey, make your story good ‘cause we want to sit back with a fun read and an ice-cold glass of tea. Enter your comment by August 4th.
This week’s star is that late summer favorite: heirloom tomatoes. It’s the final week of our collaborative 8-Week Recipe Contest with food52, an online community for home cooks. If you have a great recipe starring fresh heirloom tomatoes, go to the food52 contest page to submit your recipe for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Whole Foods Market.
All recipe submissions must meet Whole Foods Market’s Quality Standards, which means that they must be free of hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners.
To enter, go to the food52 contest page, create a log-in account, and then follow their instructions for entering. (While we love seeing your recipes, entering one in the comments section of this blog post will not get you entered into the contest.)
Food52 is accepting heirloom tomato recipes starting today, July 26th and ending on July 30th, so make sure to get your recipe in quickly.
Winners of the eight weekly contests will be eligible to win a grand prize of a $1,000 Whole Foods Market gift card! Stay tuned for more details about he grand prize voting!
Thanks to everyone who has entered the Food52 contests this summer!
Are you a fan of The Whole Deal in-store value guide? If so, here’s a sneak at what’s inside the special December issue we’re putting together. It will focus around giving, entertaining and shopping on a budget and feature recipes for amazing “small bites” party food that cost less than 50 cents per piece—many much less than that!
Yes, yes, it seems awfully early to be talking holiday parties, but to be ready to inspire and assist you when the time comes we have to start Christmas in July, so to speak. Last year customers sent in so many delicious recipe ideas that we’re asking for your help again this time! Simply use the comments space below to share your own favorite value-focused “small bites” holiday recipe that costs less than 50 cents per piece.
To ensure your idea gets consideration, make sure each small bite costs 50 cents or less and that all ingredients are available at Whole Foods Market. Think your favorite could be our favorite too? Put it in the comment section below! One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card and have their recipe printed in the December issue of The Whole Deal. But, hurry up, the deadline to enter your recipe in the comment section is August 11th!
Good luck…we can’t wait to get a taste of your ideas—whether savory or sweet.
And, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our e-newsletters. You’ll be among the first to hear about new recipes, specials, store events…and future contests.
When relocating our long-revered Lincoln Park store in Chicago down the street to its new Kingsbury Street location, we made a conscious effort to create an environment that pays homage to the surrounding neighborhood and to the city of Chicago itself. In the process, we gained a talented new Team Member, a one-of-a-kind work of in-store art, and developed an ongoing partnership with a local kid-focused organization. Check out this video to learn the Lincoln Park story, and to see another example of how Whole Foods Market connects to the communities we serve.
In the grocery business, the summer months can be slower than at other times of the year. After all, the summer is an excellent time to go on vacation, spend your afternoons at the beach and grill dinner in your backyard. We feel that way too! That’s why at my store, as well as at Whole Foods Market stores across the country, we bring summer treats like cookouts, farmers’ markets and other fun stuff right to our customers all summer long.
Every Friday afternoon, my Wayland, MA, store features a farmers’ market with local produce. Run by our Produce Assistant Team Leader John, customers can pick from amazing local corn, tomatoes and many other seasonal treats available that week. John shares his expertise with anyone who has a question, and trust me, he has the answers. He works closely with our local farms — Davidian and Atlas — to bring in the best of the best. And here’s a special tip from our Produce Team Leader: “I can’t think of anything better or more consistent than white nectarines this summer. I have been eating them all season and I haven’t had a bad one in the bunch. Crisp and refreshing — really delicious!” Read the rest of this entry »
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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Watermelons, with their plentiful juiciness, make thirst-quenching additions to drinks. Try Strawberry Watermelon Coolers or Watermelon Lemonade.
Add some shrimp for a more robust salad like Shrimp, Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad.
Try Chilled Minted Melon Soup as a starter or for dessert.
Use every bit of that watermelon! You won’t be able to resist the alluring pale pink color of Pickled Watermelon Rind with Radishes.
I’m a big swimmer, especially in the summer. It’s a great way to unwind from a hard day at work, and I usually swim for at least an hour every evening. By the time I’m done, I’m ravenous and it’s late, so I turn to my trusty stash of summer vegetables for a delicious, simple dinner for one.
Don’t forget the okra! If you think the only way to eat okra is breaded and fried, or even boiled and slimy (although, I must admit, I like it that way), think again. For a couple of interesting ways to cook okra, slice and sauté in a little canola oil until just brown and crispy or slice it in half and grill it on each side until crispy. The “slime” disappears and you’re left with a unique, satisfying treat.
Watermelon can be savory too! A little chopped red onion and crumbled feta combine with cut watermelon to make an awesome salad. You can usually find all of the ingredients on your Whole Foods Market salad bar and toss them together yourself. Add a little freshly chopped mint if you have it on hand or in your garden for some extra zing.
Organic Mint Green Tea
Food52 is accepting heirloom tomato recipes starting today, July 26th and ending on July 30th, so make sure to get your recipe in quickly.
In the grocery business, the summer months can be slower than at other times of the year. After all, the summer is an excellent time to go on vacation, spend your afternoons at the beach and grill dinner in your backyard. We feel that way too! That’s why at my store, as well as at Whole Foods Market stores across the country, we bring summer treats like cookouts, farmers’ markets and other fun stuff right to our customers all summer long.
