We’re excited about showcasing Brett Dennen in April’s “Artist Discovery” initiative. Brett’s new CD, “Loverboy,” comes out April 12 and is already creating quite a buzz. Brett opened for John Mayer and has toured with Dave Matthews, Rodrigo y Gabriela and the John Butler Trio. He’s also made big splashes at Bonarroo, Austin City Limits, Coachella, and the Newport Folk Festival. You may also have heard his work on Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood, House – or a slew of other shows. We hope you enjoy his music along with his tips for eating healthy while on the road.

I eat very healthy. Ninety percent healthy. The other ten percent of the time I allow myself to indulge; but for the most part, I’m healthy. I consume lots of raw foods and when I eat cooked foods, they tend to be whole foods: vegetables, sea veggies and quinoa. I am pretty much a vegetarian, except for seafood. I love sushi! I love oysters!

Whenever I explain my eating habits to people, I always hear, “How do you eat healthy on the road?” It’s actually quite easy. Every city of some significance has a Whole Foods Market, or something similar. At every venue I ask that they stock up on foods I like so that it is there waiting for me when I arrive. When I have some time to kill, I go out shopping and stock up on items to put on the bus for days off or for some of the places I may go where I know that healthy food is harder to find.

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We’re so excited! Earth Day is coming up on April 22^nd. Around here, we simply aren’t capable of limiting our Earth celebration to just one day. So we’ve taken it upon ourselves to call April “Earth Month” and we’ll be sharing eco-tips and activities all month long on the blog. Once a week, we’ll feature a fun kid-oriented and earth-friendly project. First up is a compact herb garden planted in an aluminum can from your recycling bin (though you might want to give it a rinse first!). This is a fun way to get the kids (or your inner child) gardening and recycling all at once.

Herbs are a healthy and tasty way to add fresh flavor to your favorite dish, salad, marinade or even sorbet. Herbs also contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants like all fruits and vegetables. And they’re simple and fun to grow with a quick payoff.

To ensure you’ve got everything you need to begin, gather your materials and then spread them out on your work area. This project can be done just about anywhere — at the kitchen table, on a deck or patio, or in the yard.

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The Meat Purchasing Team at Whole Foods Market holds dear to our hearts the company’s core value of creating “ongoing win-win partnerships with our suppliers.” Having worked here for a number of years now, I can honestly say that our teams go the extra mile to forge and nurture long-term partnerships with our meat suppliers. Some of our suppliers have been with us for almost 30 years!

In creating true winning partnerships, the first step is communication. We talk with our suppliers frequently, visit with them regularly, collaborate with them on new initiatives, and work with them on new products. For Whole Foods Market to be successful, we need to ensure that our suppliers are also successful. This is how a true partnership works.

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Spring is a time to celebrate! But no need to break the bank while entertaining friends and family for Easter, Passover or other spring festivities. The March/April issue of The Whole Deal value guide is overflowing with spring savings and fresh recipes that are festive as well as friendly on the pocketbook. Try these seasonal favorites!

Start the party with Lemon Tarragon Smoked Salmon Spread, a simple recipe that can be made up to two days ahead and is sure to impress your guests. The recipe serves 8 for $1.29 per serving* and uses our “Responsibly Farmed” salmon, which is raised to meet our strict standards for protecting the environment and is grown without antibiotics, added hormones or land-animal by products in their feed. Serve with 365 Everyday Value® Organic Water Crackers, priced under $3 as one of the Sure Deals for spring.

As an appetizer or occasion-worthy side dish, Irish Cheddar Potato Bites will have your guests and family coming back for more. If you’re serving a spiral-sliced ham as the main course, remove a little bit from it ahead of time for this recipe or feel free to use beef brisket or broccoli in place of the ham. Enjoy this recipe with an Irish flair by using two Sure Deal ingredients, Kerrygold Kilaree Cheddar and Kerrygold Unsalted Pure Irish Butter. Serves 8 at $1.40 per serving.*

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Congratulations to the winners of The First Yum baby photo contest.  Our Grand Prize winner, Amy H with her entry “Finger Lickin’ Good,” will be receiving a $500 Whole Foods Market gift card and a Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera.  Second prize winners will receive a fabulous Whole Baby gift basket and third prize winner will receive a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote!  Here are all the wonderful winning photos:

Spring is an exciting time for fruit in the field. Here in the U.S., trees start to emerge from their winter dormancy – blossom sets starting first in the southern parts of the country and gradually moving northwards. For berries and field crops like melons, the ground that was very recently barren and brown (or white with snow) also begins to show early signs of greening — blooms emerging with the promise of the fruit to come. Everywhere there are signs of spring and a reawakening, along with dangers too, in the form of aggressive storm systems and late frosts that can severely damage or even destroy crops scheduled to harvest months from now.

The first chapter of the 2011 summer fruit season was a sad one. The freezing January temperatures that crossed the border into Mexico all but wiped out some early summer peach blooms on an organic farm we look forward to every year. February and the first part of March was kinder to the U.S. apricot and cherry growers, though. There has been a lot of rain and some high winds in California but we are past the point where the crop is in danger of freezing. On the east coast, the winter chill hours necessary for a good dormancy period were nearly perfect this year and the early spring weather conditions have been excellent. In a few days, the danger of frost will have passed and the Southeast peach and blueberry growers will be off to a great growing season.

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More and more coconut products are coming onto the market recently. There’s the hydrating coconut water and the refreshing non-dairy coconut milk. Heck, there’s even coconut milk ice cream. But have you ever tried coconut oil? Don’t feel left out, not a lot of people here in the US have. The coconut has been an important food source for people living in the tropical areas of Asia, Africa, the Pacific and South America. In fact, the coconuts are mentioned in Indian documents dating BCE and coconut oil remains an essential cooking oil in India today.

Pressed from the fruit of the coconut palm tree, coconut oil is ideal for light fare and subtly flavored dishes. It gives a perfect hint of coconut flavor to ethnic dishes like Chicken and Vegetable Curry Soup. It’s divine in baked goods, desserts, confections and smoothies—try Raw Banana Ice Cream or Chocolate Buckeye Candies with Puffed Kamut. Use it to sauté veggies or drizzle over popcorn, for a delicious, can’t-quite-place-it flavor.

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Hippocrates once said, “Let food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.” These wise words of wisdom are no secret to many ancient traditions of healing. In fact, there are plenty of age-old references to many common “pantry items” such as herbs and spices for supporting health, none of which is better known than ginger. This tropical aromatic rhizome (an underground stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes) was famous in ancient and modern time, and used as a delicious addition to Asian and Indian dishes, desserts, beverages, candies, teas and natural health supplements.

Ginger thrives in warm, tropical weather. Currently it is cultivated in India, China, West Africa, the West Indies, Jamaica, the Caribbean, and here at home in Hawaii, Florida and Texas. It’s a rare person who is not familiar with its pungent, sweet, spicy taste and earthy, woody appearance and fragrance.

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You may have noticed lately that we’re really excited about the 2009 Bordeaux vintage that wine experts suggest is the best in more than 30 years. As you can guess, being the global cheese buyer, I can suggest the perfect cheese companions for these amazing wines: French cheeses!

Bordeaux wines are some of the finest and most desirable wines in the world and this special shipment of the 2009 vintage was selected and priced (under $20) to introduce these old-world wines to those who may previously have been intimidated by its bold history, reputation and price. Don’t miss this opportunity to try these limited-time-only wines, featured through April while supplies last. To help you enjoy these wines to the fullest, here are some of my favorite traditionally produced French cheeses that make perfect companions to these outstanding wines.

One of the most versatile among our selection of these special Bordeaux wines is the Château Magence Graves Blanc. This crisp white wine has lively floral and citrus notes and balances round notes of Meyer lemon and sweet peas with the acidity of key limes. I recommend trying any of these four artisan cheeses with this wine and enjoy the variety of flavors you experience.

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A few simple essential cooking techniques can help you prepare healthier meals without the use of added oils, a key aspect of our Health Starts Here™ program. One of the most common cooking techniques for healthy eating is steaming. This technique is great with fresh vegetables as it helps them retain optimum freshness, texture and nutritional content.

Steaming works by boiling water continuously, causing it to vaporize into steam. The steam then carries heat to the food perched above the boiling water in a bamboo or metal steamer. The steamer needs a lid placed on top during cooking to allow the steam to cook the food.

This is a great method for cooking vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, green beans, asparagus or leafy greens such as Swiss chard, kale or mustard greens. Steaming helps the vegetables hold their shape. I prefer my veggies a bit crunchy and vibrant green, so I know that I’m eating something that is full of life and full of nutrients. Steaming does this beautifully.

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