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A member of the cabbage family, cauliflower is a hearty vegetable that rarely gets the spotlight. Packed with vitamin C and delicious raw or cooked, it’s time to give this versatile veggie a nod and explore the many ways in which cauliflower can be enjoyed. Most of us are familiar with white heads of cauliflower but there are also colorful varieties of cauliflower that come in greens and purples.
When choosing what to put in your basket, look for heads that are uniform in color with no spots or bruises. Cauliflower will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator but for the best flavor, cook soon after buying.
It seems that most times I don’t notice apples. In my home we almost always have them around but they are like milk, juice or any other basic staple we buy every week. We eat apples less in the summer when there are so many other great domestic fruits available, but apples always seem to make it on our shopping list. The only time apples rise above the normal buzz of my daily life is when they are absent; gaps in available supply (like we had in August and early September this year) really stand out with a commodity so common and reliable.
Predicting the fall apple and pear harvest dates here in the US is always hard. Apples are grown in just about every part of the country so with weather as wild and varied as it has been this summer, pinpointing exactly when the fruit will be ready has been more difficult than most years. Additionally, fruit importers from the southern hemisphere ship their fruit before the expected domestic harvest. When the domestic harvest comes late, there will inevitably be a gap in supply. By late September we have made the transition from summer to fall fruit at our stores, but only now are we seeing harvest volumes start to build to support the change.
When you hear the word “organic” what do you think of? If you’re at all familiar with organic farming, then you probably know that a certified organic apple has to be grown according to certain standards – such as no toxic or persistent pesticides. Makes sense. You might also know that certified organic beef comes from cows that eat certified organic feed and steer clear (no pun intended) of antibiotics and added growth hormones. All that makes sense too. So, when someone says “organic,” bucolic images of farms, orchards and pastures probably come to mind. Bustling urban grocery stores? Not so much.
Well, like those apples and that beef, Whole Foods Market stores are certified organic. “Wait, what?” – you may ask – “A grocery store can be certified organic?” Yes, it can and we are. Though, I admit it’s a little confusing, especially since not ALL the products in our stores are organic. Basically, our certification means that we ensure the organic integrity of the organic products we sell from the time they reach our stores until they are safely tucked into your shopping cart.
You could win some really phenomenal prizes too! A $5000 college scholarship, $1000 gift card for Whole Foods Market, weekend trip for two to southern California, bicycle courtesy of Natracare, full eco dorm or room makeover, year’s supply of Nature’s Path breakfast and snack foods, organic and ethical clothing, natural body products, and much more.
Certain foods (like certain people) have unique and interesting reputations. Apples are a good example. Well-noted for “keeping the doctor away” and forever famed for causing temptation in the Garden of Eden, apples are rich in folklore and tradition. Remember Johnny Appleseed, the kind, yet eccentric humanitarian who wandered the frontier early in the 19th century planting thousands of miles of apple orchards? Many are well-documented and still exist today!
Calling all banana and pineapple fans — this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss! We’re teaming up with EARTH University to give our customers a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica to visit EARTH University’s lush campus in Guácimo, Limón. Five winners will embark on a seven-day Costa Rican adventure. No purchase necessary! Just 
As a child, I tried to eat raspberries by picking off each tiny bubble (or as I know them now, drupelets), carefully and slowly making quite a mess in the process! Eventually I wised up and figured out it was much easier to enjoy raspberries by popping them whole into my mouth. Nowadays I pity the fool who stands between me and a carton of organic raspberries — I’ll eat them so fast you won’t even know what happened!
