If you guessed artisan cheeses, you’d be right! And you won’t find them anywhere other than in our stores because award-winning artisan cheesemakers Sue Conley and Peggy Smith of Cowgirl Creamery and Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove developed these two exclusive cheeses to celebrate Whole Foods Market’s Big 3-0. What a cool present!

Cowgirl Creamery’s Buckaroo (named by one of our team members through an internal contest) is a versatile washed-rind cow’s milk cheese minimally aged 60 days and made from organic milk from nearby Straus Family Creamery. Here’s a video where I’m actually helping make the cheese, along with our co-CEO Walter Robb.

Cowgirl Creamery created Buckaroo as a small production organic cheese in a great price range that you could either use in cooking or as a table cheese. Buckaroo is creamy with fruity and savory components and is perfect in a grilled cheese sandwich or over shaved vegetables like this Buckaroo Summer Squash.

Cypress Grove’s Lil’ Ziggy is inspired by ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats, which were pyramidal structures with flat tops designed to provide a holy structure between heaven and earth. A mixed mold, soft-ripened goat’s milk pyramid cheese, Lil’ Ziggy is created from a new proprietary blend of cultures. The cheese is bright and complex with overtones of fresh cream and pairs well with a dark wheat beer or Sauvignon Blanc. Lil’ Ziggy is classic and innovative at the same time. The purpose of the ziggurat is to bring the temple closer to the heavens, and that’s what Cypress Grove hope a a bite of this cheese will do.

We hope you’ll enjoy these 30th birthday presents. And keep an eye out in our stores for more great products from our vendors honoring our 30th.

For most of us, September means back to school, changing leaves on trees and the gradual cooling (thankfully!) that marks the beginning of fall. For produce, September also marks a rare overlap of two distinctive seasons where the remaining bounty of summer is joined by the first of fall’s apples and pears. In a few short weeks, the lure of the fall harvest season will be irresistible, but for now, we still have time to celebrate the peak harvest of two of Mother Nature’s finest fruits: figs and grapes. Read the rest of this entry »

I remember when “health food” sandwiches started “making the scene” in California when I was a kid. How did we know it was health food? It was made with whole wheat bread and alfalfa sprouts – that’s how! I get a kick out of how things can change so radically over time, and then again, not change much at all. Take sprouts, for instance. They’re a really great addition to a healthy diet with lots of choices and many great ways to enjoy them. Still, there are plenty of people who narrowly define sprouts as 1) bean sprouts that come in some Asian dishes, or 2) alfalfa sprouts, the classic topping for “heath-food-store” sandwiches.

I say broaden your horizons! Sprouts are the very young shoots of germinated edible seeds from vegetables, beans or grains. Remember that just about every seed, nut, bean and grain can be sprouted, and doing so increases its nutritional value. While I happen to like both alfalfa and mung bean sprouts, I am just as enthused about other varieties as well, especially during the summer when I love to add them to my salads and sandwiches. I’m talking about broccoli sprouts, sunflower sprouts, clover and radish sprouts, too. If you’ve never been a sprout kind of a person, I hope to change your mind! Not only will you be enjoying a crunchy, cooling, tasty treat, you’ll also be getting: Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks for your help choosing the grand prize winning recipe in our food52 summer recipe contest. The votes are in, and we’re pleased to announce that the winning recipe is:

Fresh Mozzarella with Balsamic Glazed Plums, Pine Nuts and Mint

Congratulations to Brita, the creator of this recipe and the winner of a $1000 Whole Foods Market gift card!

Serves 4 to 6
Balsamic vinegar is good friends with buffalo mozzarella. The tanginess of the vinegar is a nice complement to the subtlety of the cheese. Because this recipe is a little bit sweet and a little bit savory it can be served as a appetizer or dessert. Recipe courtesy of the cooks at food52.com. Photo by Sarah Shatz, courtesy of food52.com. To learn how to make this recipe, watch the video on Food52.

Ingredients
1 large ball buffalo or cow’s milk fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
4 ripe plums, pitted and quartered
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 splash olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Put vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Adjust heat to low and simmer until it is reduced nearly three-quarters in volume and thickened to a syrup. About 15 minutes.

Add plums to syrup turning gently to coat and continue to cook for another 4-7 minutes more. Turn off heat and let cool.

Meanwhile assemble mozzarella slices on platter, allowing to overlap slightly and season with salt and pepper to taste. With a fork, remove plums from syrup and place atop cheese, then top with the remaining syrup, pine nuts and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 6oz/159g): 170 calories (70 from fat), 7g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 22g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 16g sugar), 5g protein

Recipe courtesy of the cooks at food52.com. Photo by Sarah Shatz, courtesy of food52.com.

Check out the eight finalist recipes from our summer partnership with Food52.

It’s been a delicious summer, hasn’t it?

Did you hear the special news? We are having a great sale on ground grass-fed beef just in time for Labor Day. ONE DAY ONLY – Friday September 3rd, you can pick up ground grass-fed beef for $3.99 a pound. Perfect way to try out grass-fed beef if you haven’t yet; and if you have, a perfect opportunity to stock up!

Here are the highlights on a few of our rancher partners who provide us with this great beef.

Cold Spring Ranch
North New Portland, ME

At its inception in 1880, Cold Spring Ranch operated as a diverse livestock operation in Western Maine. After operating as a dairy from the 1950’s until the mid 90’s, Gabe Clark started raising grass-fed beef on his 240-acre ranch. Today, Cold Spring encompasses five ranches where Gabe grazes Angus cattle. The cattle roam freely throughout their lives and the ranch places an emphasis on humane animal treatment. Gabe also focuses on supporting his local economy with his all-Maine based company.

Grass-fed beef from Cold Spring Ranch is available in our store in Maine.

Panorama
Vina, CA

Established in 2001, Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Beef cattle are raised by family ranchers in California, Oregon, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming on USDA Certified Organic pastures of natural grasses, legumes and range forage. The ranchers raise their cattle in low-stress environments and employ land-management practices that promote animal health and protect delicate rangeland ecosystems. Many Panorama ranchers have been nationally recognized for environmental stewardship.

• Organic grass-fed beef from Panorama ranches in Northern California is available in our Northern California stores.
• Organic grass-fed beef from Panorama ranches in Oregon is available in our Oregon and Washington stores.
• Organic grass-fed beef from Panorama ranches in Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming is available in our Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Utah stores.

Want to know where the grass-fed beef in your local Whole Foods Market comes from? Just check our Grass-fed Rancher Partners page. And don’t forget to pick up some grass-fed beef in our stores to give it a try yourself! We’ve got recipes and cooking tips along with the whole scoop on the benefits of grass-fed on our Grass-fed Beef page.

Liz Pearson worked as the kitchen director for Saveur magazine before moving back to her native Texas. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, she consults regularly with Whole Foods Market as a writer, recipe developer and food stylist.

You may have heard rumors that grass-fed beef is not as tender as grain-fed, but here’s the real story. Since it’s lower in fat, grass-fed beef runs the risk of drying out or becoming overcooked much quicker than grain-fed beef. So the name of the game is to keep the meat moist, an easy task when you consider the following tips: Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for a simple and nutritious after school snack for the kids? Look no further! Our Banana Nice Cream recipe is a fast and fresh treat – free of refined sugars – and it takes only a few minutes to prepare.

Watch Mary and her daughters, Josephine and Helen, whip up this snack and talk about how they could get creative with different ingredients.

This recipe packs an energizing punch with just three ingredients: unsweetened soymilk, frozen bananas and smooth almond butter. You can also customize this frosty treat with your favorite fruits, nut or seed butters, non-dairy beverages and spices…or even unsweetened cocoa powder for the chocolate lover. Yum!

For snack time and any time, it’s ideal to choose whole foods like fresh veggies and fruits or nuts and seeds instead of conventional, packaged foods. Here are more nutritious snack ideas to help you do just that.

Do you have a favorite fast and fresh, nutritious snack? We’d love to hear about it!

This is it, folks. The big news I’ve been promising you. All of our U.S. stores will help shoppers celebrate Labor Day by offering ground grass-fed beef at a sale price of just $3.99 per pound on September 3rd only.

This is the perfect way to try out grass-fed beef if you haven’t yet; and if you have, a perfect opportunity to stock up!

Here’s what I think are the most important aspects of grass-fed beef:

• Grass-fed beef ranching is not only good for the animals, but involves managing natural resources and supporting local producers.
• Grass-fed beef is a leaner choice and has a more favorable ratio of omega fatty acids.
• Grass-fed beef is priced fairly for the producer and is worth every penny.
• Grass-fed beef is a delicious alternative to grain-fed beef and cooks a little differently.

We’ve got more details on all of those aspects on our Grass-fed Beef page and you can read about our Grass-fed Rancher Partners and find out who supplies the grass-fed beef that you buy in your local Whole Foods Market. Very cool.

Grill up some unique burgers befitting flavorful grass-fed beef:

• Bahn Mi Grass-Fed Beef Burgers
• Apple and Cheddar Grass-fed Beef Burgers
• Or use grass-fed in any of these 25 ground beef recipes.

Don’t forget to mark the date! September 3rd – One Day ONLY – $3.99 per Pound of Ground Grass-fed Beef. Let’s fire up the grill and cook some beef!

To help power an afternoon of learning and growing, experts say a nutritious lunch should include lots of fiber and whole grains, some protein and healthy fat, a veggie and just a bit of natural sugar, like a piece of fresh fruit.

Easier said than done, you may be thinking. How do you get them to eat it? Our best advice is to get kids involved in the lunch-making process. They have a vested interest in what goes in their lunch, so put that advantage to good use. Ask them: Would you like grapes or apple slices? How about black bean dip or hummus? Sliced turkey or ham? Carrots or celery? Woven wheat crackers or whole wheat tortilla? Read the rest of this entry »

In the lead up to Labor Day – the last big grilling event of the summer – our Whole Foods Market meat teams are pulling out all the stops to introduce you to our grass-fed beef rancher partners.

You may not realize that most grass-fed ranchers are either independent (selling beef from their own property) or they join small, locally focused producer groups. We’ve sought out partnerships with a variety of regional and local grass-fed ranchers, including many family farms, with the goal of helping bring grass-fed ranching back into the mainstream because of its positive impact on the cattle, the environment and how it supports local communities.

Here are the highlights on a few of our rancher partners. Come back to the Whole Story blog later this week to read about more of our partners and to hear about something special that I can’t talk about until later this week. Shhh…

Rain Crow Ranch
Doniphan, MO

Eighteen years ago veterinarian Patricia Whisnant began raising grass-fed beef on their farm for personal consumption. Today, Rain Crow Ranch includes four ranches in the Southern-Missouri area that raise ten thousand head of Black Angus cattle. All cattle are 100% grass-fed and free-roaming. Dr. Whisnant is passionate about the grass-fed agricultural model, which she says is “better for the animals, better for the consumer, better for the land, and better for the family farms.” Read the rest of this entry »