Ready, set, go! The race is on as we head into the crazy, busy, exciting, fun (and did-we-say-crazy?) holiday season. Which is why we’re sharing our best tips, recipes, entertaining help and video how-to’s on our convenient holiday web pages. We also have blog posts planned throughout the season to help make it all fall into place a bit easier. Kind of like Rudolph, we’re here to light the way. Here’s a sampling of what’s in store:
RECIPES: Find inspiration and share a new spin on classic favorites to add to your holiday table.
GUIDES: Our guides and tips make it easy to share great taste and celebrate great value.
ENTERTAINING: Share holiday cheer and traditions with parties that celebrate the best of the season.
GIVING: Good stuff worth sharing — share it all with unique, fun gifts they’re sure to love.
LOCAL STORIES: Celebrate the season by supporting local farmers, producers and artisans who love to share their work.
HOLIDAY VIDEOS: Watch quick holiday how-tos and get the inside scoop on holiday favorites like turkey and wine.
We hope you find all of this great stuff helpful. Did we miss anything? Let us know and we’ll try to add it!
As a kid, I was always excited about Halloween! I loved to dress up and trick-or-treat with scary-looking friends, but truth be told, candy was not my thing. In fact, my favorite Halloween treat was the pumpkin seeds I could scoop out when carving the Jack-O-Lantern. My mother would roast them for a wonderful snack.
For many years my only experience of pumpkin seeds was at Halloween, but moving to Texas changed that quickly. I soon learned they were called “pepitas” and were popular in many delicious dishes.
It’s probably no surprise that pumpkins are native to North America. But did you know they were part of the native diet for thousands of years? They were especially popular in the Southwest. Every part of the pumpkin was used for food, including the seeds. Like me, the Native Americans could not resist the sweet, subtle flavor of the seeds, and they even used them for medicinal purposes.
You say potato, we say endless possibilities. With white, yellow, red, purple and even sweet potatoes to choose from, there are countless ways to cook these terrific tubers! Here we’ve collected ten of our favorite ways to enjoy potatoes with additional recipes and ideas to inspire you. Remember to store potatoes in a cool, dark place and keep them separate from onions as they’ll both deteriorate more quickly if stored together.
Do you know someone who would appreciate a delicious delivery? Treat them to a Whole Foods Market gift box, available only online and deliverable anywhere in the US. There’s something for everyone on your list – from the coffee connoisseur to the serious snacker to the healthy eating enthusiast.
If you can’t decide which gift box to give – consider sending a gift card. You can purchase gift cards online to use in our stores, choosing from a physical or digital gift card (that means you send via email or text message!). So reward those deserving recipients (including yourself) and let the giving begin.
The Gift of Grub is a party in a box, with a little something for everyone. Enjoy your fill of salty, sweet and savory nibbles, all of which are free of hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners. Carefully selected to please your party palate. Perfect for casual entertaining, host(ess) gifts or everyday snacking!
For $50, this box includes:
Grafton Village Cheese 1-year Aged Vermont Raw Milk Cheddar
Nothing can disappoint a host(ess) like finding out one of their guests can’t eat the fabulous food they’ve prepared. Entertaining during the holidays seems especially fraught with challenges. No one relishes the thought of Aunt Sally munching on celery sticks while everyone else digs into the classics that she can’t enjoy. From vegetarian or lactose intolerant to gluten sensitivities or nut allergies, people have a variety of needs when it comes to food — some that are personal choices and others that are medically necessary. Whatever the reason, you’ll want to make sure all of your guests are well-fed and satisfied. I’ve got some special tips to help make this easy and delicious! Read the rest of this entry »
It’s the time of year that we need to take extra good care of our bodies and specifically the immune system. Join us in exploring herbs and nutrients available at Whole Foods Market that may offer support. Malia Curran, MS, MPH is a nutrition consultant, speaker, and mom of two young children.
The immune system is a powerful defense team nourished by specific nutrients found in food or supplement form:
Garlic and ginger both contain compounds that can help optimize the body’s immune system.
Vitamin C is integral for white blood cell production and healthy inflammation response in the body. Whole Foods™ brand Vitamin C 1000mg is a “sustained release” formula.
A high-quality medicinal mushroom complex that includes shiitake, reishi, maitake and cordyceps contain polysaccharide compounds that can stimulate the body’s immune system.
Probiotics, found in fermented foods and supplement form, can aid the body in maintaining healthy levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut that are very important for immune system function.
Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to the five lucky winners: Ellen from Hillsborough, NC; Erica from Santa Fe, NM; Erin from Clearwater, FL; Sarah from Tulsa, OK and Stephanie from San Jose, CA. Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you believe it’s almost November? Now is the perfect time to take stock of your pantry and make sure you have the basics on hand for your big Thanksgiving meal, all of that holiday entertaining and baking, and for everyday cooking in between. Here are some of our favorite tips to get your pantry in ship shape order and ready for the holiday season.
Plus, five readers will win an assortment of organic and natural pantry favorites perfect for preparing your Thanksgiving feast. Read on to find out how you could be one of the lucky five.
Start with a Clean Slate
Before bringing home your holiday groceries de-clutter your pantry and restore order. Here’s how:
Take stock of what you have by taking everything out of your pantry and spreading it out on the kitchen counter. Separate the stuff you use every day from less frequently used items. Consider donating unopened extras to a food pantry. Anything past its expiration date should be tossed out. Remember the adage, “when it doubt, throw it out.”
Wipe down dusty shelves, cans and jars with warm water and a bit of dish soap. For sticky messes, sprinkle the spot with baking soda and top with a warm, wet paper towel. Let sit for a minute then scrape off with a spatula. Dry shelves thoroughly before restocking.
Place stuff you use every day (cereal, nut butters, snacks) within easy reach.
It’s best to put lightweight items on higher shelves and heavy items on lower shelves.
Group items together, such as baking supplies, canned beans and veggies, sauces and soups.
Place flours, dried beans and nuts in clear containers so you can see when you’re running low.
Corral small items (like oatmeal packets) into baskets so they don’t get lost.
Feeling inspired? Extend these ideas to your freezer and fridge.
In this episode of Gluten Morgan, Karen Morgan, the author of the acclaimed cookbook, Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free, and founder of Blackbird Bakery, says “take a hike” to gluten with these homemade snack bars featuring tangy orange juice and dried cherries that you can easily substitute with other dried fruits or add nuts. Make them just how you like them, wrap and go!
Choosing a turkey used to be pretty simple. All you’d have to do is get a head count of dinner guests and find the biggest bird possible to feed the crowd. Now it can be pretty daunting. Here’s some advice to help you make the right turkey choice for you.
The biggest difference for almost any turkey you choose at Whole Foods Market is that they are fresh. Our birds are harvested close to the time of being sold. You may not realize that the FDA allows birds to be harvested in February, kept at 27°F for months and then sold as fresh in November. That’s not what we sell here, but people who are buying our fresh birds for the first time aren’t used to getting turkeys that are really fresh.
We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’ll be sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.
In the heart of Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley, Bill and Karla Chambers founded Stahlbush Island Farms as newlyweds with just two crops, sugar beets and pumpkins. Since then, they’ve raised four children on the farm and have expanded to grow dozens of crops — including fruits, vegetables and grains — for their frozen foods, organic canned purees and organic pet food.
Recognizing the need for high quality fruits and vegetables, the Chambers’ elected to enter the frozen foods market by picking and processing their produce on site. Their fruits and vegetables are harvested at the very peak of ripeness and flash-frozen within four hours to preserve the just-picked goodness in their frozen offerings.
The Chambers’ have a forward-thinking philosophy that applies to more than just their products. The company created environmentally friendly freezer bags and purposely did not patent the technology so that other companies can follow their lead. They also turn agricultural waste into energy with the first biogas plant of its kind in North America. The plant produces enough energy to power the farm and approximately 1,100 homes. Leftover agricultural matter from the biogas plant is then used to fertilize their crops. Vegetables powering vegetables — talk about going full circle!
Check out the slideshow and let us know what you think about the Chambers’ innovative farming methods by leaving a comment below.
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.
Of course, what makes this blog really exciting is YOU — so join the conversation!
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Can you believe it’s almost November? Now is the perfect time to take stock of your pantry and make sure you have the basics on hand for your big Thanksgiving meal, all of that holiday entertaining and baking, and for everyday cooking in between. Here are some of our favorite tips to get your pantry in ship shape order and ready for the holiday season.
Choosing a turkey used to be pretty simple. All you’d have to do is get a head count of dinner guests and find the biggest bird possible to feed the crowd. Now it can be pretty daunting. Here’s some advice to help you make the right turkey choice for you.
