Summer’s over and you’re getting into the back-to-school swing of things. This is the time when those good intentions for gathering around the dinner table for nutritious meals together can go flying out the window. Take heart, our week long meal plan for four gives you quick, simple and health-conscious supper ideas that will take the pressure off and let you focus on what’s really important.

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With a week left to go, our customers have already donated over $1,228,000 to put salad bars in public schools across the U.S. That amazing amount is enough for about 491 schools and we aren’t through yet. We’ll be collecting donations through the end of September, so keep donating at the registers or online. The more we raise, the more local schools will be able to have salad bars.

In case you’ve missed some of the details along the way, here’s how it works. The donated money goes to our partner, Chef Ann Cooper’s Food, Family, Farming Foundation (F3), who is conducting a grant process where schools apply for one of these free salad bars. Now don’t get worried when you hear the word “grant.” They have made it a very simple process. The whole point of the formal grant is to make sure that the schools receiving the salad bars have the support they need to make good use of them.

The grant money will be used to buy the physical salad bar. Each school that is chosen will receive a portable, five-well Cambro salad bar complete with utensils, pan inserts, chilling pads and training tools. Chef Ann’s The Lunch Box will provide the necessary training tools and ongoing support to help ensure proper management. The food on these salad bars will be provided through the school’s current buying channels for procuring food — not provided by our stores. (All school districts buy food on contract or bid and do not have the ability to bring food in from non-wholesale vendors — in many cases it is not even legal for them to do so!) Read the rest of this entry »

All of our birthday celebrating (our big 3-0!) that brings up memories of the good ole days. Like eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the roof of the original store in Austin so we could see the fireworks on July 4th! Or that hilarious Halloween when we changed the name of our best selling Gouda cheese to “Nasty Rat Milk Gouda from Hell” and sold more than ever before! Our customers loved it and continued to ask for it for many months. But mostly, I remember being introduced to unique and creative ways to use a plethora of natural, delicious foods. One such favorite was, and still is, tofu. Read the rest of this entry »

We broke ground on the Enright Park Community Garden in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh in July 2008. In partnership with the surrounding neighbors, the Kentucky Avenue School, and East Liberty Development, Inc, we worked together to transition an overgrown and abandoned corner lot into a thriving field of cucumbers, zucchini, raspberries, tomatoes and more. The space is now surrounded by rail fencing and bordered by its namesake, Enright Park.

Located just three blocks down the street, our Pittsburgh Whole Foods Market commits a part-time garden team member to help with daily maintenance of the space. Countless others of our team members volunteer hand-in-hand with neighbors and school children to weed, water and harvest. When amazing people work together for the good of the community, great things happen. Our garden is proof!

The Pittsburgh garden was the first of its kind in our Mid-Atlantic Region and was the inspiration for other gardens being put into food production at schools, group homes, assisted living facilities and other community spaces. All of these garden projects have evolved into a new non-profit foundation called “Whole Grown,” whose focus is to teach people how to grow, prepare, preserve and celebrate food from their own gardens.

Appreciation goes to these great vendor partners for taking the time to record video birthday messages to us. We are feeling really special on this most special day — our big 3-0!

From Transfair:

From Dogfish Head Brewery:

From Country Natural Beef:

From Wellshire Farms:

Just because you’re cooking for just one or two doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste or health for your convenience. And eating well doesn’t have to take a toll on your time or your budget. See what we mean with this meal plan straight from the pages of The Whole Deal value guide. You get a week’s worth of supper ideas and recipes that are simple to prepare, have your health and your wallet in mind and best of all…they taste great!

MONDAY: Veggie Monday

Spread warm refried beans over a tostada, top with a fried egg, spoon salsa all over and serve with a quick lettuce, fresh corn and cherry tomato salad. Read the rest of this entry »

Jim is our Store Supplies and Services Specialist for Whole Foods Market’s Rocky Mountain Region.

Our 30th birthday celebration got me thinking about some of the great green changes we’ve implemented over the years: buying in bulk (reduced packaging), company-wide recycling programs, composting, wind and solar power and eliminating plastic bags. While all of those things (and more that I didn’t mention) are great, I’m even more excited about what we can do in the next 30 years!

What you may not think about is that those big changes all started out with a lot of research, trial and error, and working with suppliers and experts to figure out how to make change happen. And that’s exactly what we are doing currently with Styrofoam trays. Now, I don’t have a big announcement to make. We are in the trial stages on this, but I thought you might be interested in reading about some of the process involved with assessing our options. A good thing about Whole Foods Market is that we invest the time, energy and dollars into making change happen. Once we get things going, other retailers come on board and we’ve changed the way business operates. Read the rest of this entry »

Ineeka Tea
Chicago, IL

Ineeka Tea takes pride in being the only North American tea company that is vertically integrated. With upwards of 25,000 people living and working on their 12 farms, spanning 15,000 acres, they also consider themselves the largest biodynamic community in the world. Every person living and working on their farms receives free housing, medical care, electricity, utilities and mandatory education for children. This focus has created a model never really seen before in the agricultural community. The result of this successful biodynamic community is fabulous organic and biodynamic teas without using any artificial flavors.

To learn more about Ineeka Tea, watch this short video.

Don’t live close enough to experience their tea yourself? We’ve got local vendors all around the country providing great products like this. Check your local store for what’s available in your neck of the woods.

In honor of our 30th birthday, some of our vendors gave us the best present ever – new products that make us (and soon hopefully, you) want to get the party started! We’re honored to have built partnerships with these creative and passionate folks. Each of the delicious items below lends itself well to any type of celebration; whether it’s a big weekend brunch with family and friends, or a full-blow affair where geeking out over menu planning is half the fun. But enough chitchat – let’s get to the cool new products!

Wellshire Farms Whole-y Smokes BBQ Seasoned Bacon
The smoky flavor will blow your mind, and best of all – it’s got only six ingredients. Naturally, it’s produced to our strict meat standards, including no synthetic nitrates/nitrites and no antibiotics, ever. This bacon works beautifully for BLT sandwiches, alongside pancakes and eggs, or wrapped around skewered shrimp or scallops that are headed for the grill.

Parducci Sustainable Red or White
As the first carbon-neutral winery in the US, Parducci shares our values and commitment to quality, community and the environment. The red is robust and dry with berry fruit flavors and spicy complexities. Enjoy it with pasta, pizza, grilled meats and flavorful cheeses. The white is crisp and clean with notes of citrus and melon. Try pairing it with fresh salads, the best chicken you can get and organic vegetable dishes.

Changing Seas Roasted Smoked Salmon, Pepper or Natural
A birthday present to us from Villa Farms in Norway, a vendor partner that exemplifies our commitment to responsible aquaculture. This Atlantic salmon is slow roasted and smoked in Europe’s premier smokehouse – the flavor is unbelievable! Try it flaked over salads, as an appetizer or tossed with pasta.

Whole Foods Market® Birthday Cheddar, Aged 29 Months
Get this special limited-edition Vermont Cheddar while you can — it was created just in time to age 30 (ok, 29) months for our 30th birthday! It’s nice and creamy with a pleasant crisp and sharp finish and a great way to take your mac and cheese to the next level. It’s also great on burgers, party trays or on top of a slice of apple pie.

Allegro Whole Foods Market Birthday Blend (whole bean & ground)
We love this vendor so much, we asked them to become part of Whole Foods Market decades ago! Our birthday blend is a medium-roast blend of Guatemala and Ethiopian beans with layered notes of dark chocolate, dried apricots and strawberries. Try serving it with a platter of fresh fruit, assorted cookies and chocolate to really compliment the flavors. It’s also a great way to get the day started!

Have you tried some of this new stuff already? If so, let us know what you think. If not, keep an eye out and give one of our 30th birthday products a try at your next celebration!

Are you planning an Oktoberfest celebration? We doubt anyone can top the ten million pints of beer and more than ¾ million sausages consumed at Munich’s Oktoberfest. Of course, they have a reputation to uphold as the birthplace of Oktoberfest back in 1810 celebrating of the wedding of Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria.

Whether you’re celebrating big or small, we’ve got the best wurst (sausage) and brew (beer) in town to make your plans a success.

Start off with Beck’s Oktoberfest brew. Germany has such a storied history of brewing beer that since the 16^th century the German Purity Law, also known as Reinheitsgebot (pronounced Rine-Hites-gaBoat), requires that only malt, hops, yeast and water be used in the brewing process.  Beck’s Oktoberfest is a Maerzen style Lager characterized by a rich amber color and aromas of caramel, coffee and chocolate.  It is full-bodied and slightly sweet, with notes of caramel and roasted malts.  Prost!

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