The end of September at the national buying office is “apple in the mail” time. Every few days we receive a carefully packaged box in the mail courtesy of our longtime friends in the apple trade. It is something of a silly tradition because all of us here know just about everything there is to know about the varieties produced for commercial sale. And while there are slight variations from year to year in the quality and condition of the fruit, I suspect the real reason growers send us apples is to remind us, after many months of apple availability being limited to imported and stored apples, that it is once again time for new crop apples. Read the rest of this entry »

To some people I know, cooking a meal just for themselves seems a lot harder than, say, cooking for four. It can be intimidating to look at a recipe that serves four to six and try to figure out how to scale it down…or decide what to do with all the leftovers. What I’ve learned over the years as a foodie (and chronic dieter) is that cooking for one is actually a much bigger joy than cooking for four (or more)!

The best part about cooking for one is that you only have to take into account your food preferences. Think about it: no worrying if someone doesn’t like something or is allergic to it. No wondering if they had Asian food last night if you’re wanting to cook up a stir-fry, or if they had Italian for lunch when it’s chicken piccata you’re craving.

As a singleton, I’m pretty busy with my bustling social life most nights (if you count the contestants from So You Think You Can Dance as your social life), but I still like to sit down and have a real dinner while my dog pants in my face. A real dinner, to me at least, usually consists of a protein source, good carbs and a green veggie. Cooking that for yourself every night can seem daunting at first, but with some strategic planning, you can make it all come together rather easily. Read the rest of this entry »

Neil Fusco knows tomatoes. A trained chef and restaurateur, he is a native of the legendary San Marzano region of Italy. Growing up around some of the best tomatoes in the world, it is fitting that Neil would eventually come up with pasta sauces of his own.

“Since the 1800’s in southern Italy, my family has farmed the world’s best tomatoes, the San Marzano variety. These are the tomatoes that I use to make my Cucina Antica brand of cooking sauces as well as my new Monte Bene pasta sauces.” The tomatoes are grown at the foot of Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy, giving the San Marzano tomatoes a truly light, fresh and sweet flavor. Neil’s original brand, Cucina Antica, is sold at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide and is made from 100% DOP San Marzano tomatoes. It is one of our best selling all natural, artisanal pasta sauces.

Neil has now taken his passion for pasta sauce to another level, with a new brand that blends San Marzano tomatoes with locally grown tomatoes from farms in New Jersey. Dubbed “Monte Bene” or “Mountain of Good,” Neil’s new sauce is not only more affordable but it also reflects his desire to promote ethically and sustainably sourced products.

You may be thinking: “New Jersey tomatoes? You gotta be kidding me!” New Jersey is actually the birthplace of the U.S. tomato industry. For a century, millions of cans of brand name soups were made with tomatoes grown, processed and canned in New Jersey. The desire for lower cost raw materials and higher profits moved much of the tomato industry to the sunny valleys of California, leaving behind both farmers and boarded-up factories. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not one of those people who love breakfast, but I do truly appreciate the power of the humble egg. With the exception perhaps of bananas, eggs are presented in the most perfect package nature provides. They cook quickly. They are versatile. They have just enough flavor to stand on their own, yet combine with other flavors wonderfully. Best of all, the egg is one of the most affordable sources of high-quality protein. Here are some of my favorite ways to take advantage of the nutritional and financial benefits of eggs. Most are probably obvious, but maybe you’ll pick up a new idea or be inspired to save some money by making a meal around eggs more often. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not sure when exactly but a few years ago I noticed I was eating fewer salads with salad greens as the base ingredient – opting instead for cucumbers or tomatoes. At first I thought my tastes had changed but on closer examination, I realized it was not me but the salad green itself that had undergone a transformation. As I spoke with other folks in the industry, I was surprised to find they had similar experiences. Sales continued to grow as new blends and packaging styles emerged but something was missing for me. This led me on a search for the perfect salad.

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We got it! That’s right, just in time for the Jewish High Holy Days, we now offer a new line of certified kosher chicken and turkey, available in most of our U.S. stores. (We say “most” because our meat buyer says that some of our smaller stores don’t have room to carry much and others may sell out, so we want to be cautious and not over-promise. You can always call your local store to check availability.)

These new products are provided by Kosher Valley™, a new certified kosher brand from Hain Celestial Group (Hain Pure Protein), and are certified by Rabbi Yechiel Babad and the Orthodox Union. Kosher Valley’s antibiotic-free kosher line is one of the first of its kind in the United States.

According to Kosher Valley, many steps in kosher poultry processing are still performed by hand. Specially trained rabbinical inspectors check each bird ensuring that it is of the highest quality and processed in accordance with the kosher standards of cleanliness, purity and wholesomeness. All Kosher Valley poultry is hand-salted, inside and out, to remove blood since meat with blood in it is considered non-kosher. After salting, each bird is soaked three times in icy water to thoroughly cleanse the bird and remove the salt.

Like all poultry sold at our stores, the new Kosher Valley products must also meet our strict standards requiring that the birds are raised on a vegetarian diet with no antibiotics. Looks for kosher poultry in our stores now, including fresh and frozen whole young turkeys, ground turkey, fresh and frozen chicken, and tray packs of both turkey and chicken.

Celebrate, fall is here! Lovely fall, my favorite season, filled with orangey red leaves and clear, cold days, the perfect antidote to steamy, sweaty summer. I trade in flip flops for my beloved collection of knee-high boots and pull out my favorite sweaters. I turn off the eternal humming of the air conditioner and get my blankets out of storage. I buy hot cider instead of iced tea and start planning my Halloween costume. But most importantly, I eat.

Fall foods bring back a richness of flavor that is sometimes missing from the lightness that is demanded of delicious, refreshing summer dishes. Osso Bucco doesn’t taste quite right when you’re wearing shorts and sandals in 95° heat. With fall comes the return of so many favorite tastes, and customers are already requesting the top fall food favorites. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s so hot I can barely think. Here in Austin it has been over 100°F every day for weeks on end. All I want to do is crawl into the freezer. So, that’s what I’m going to do, virtually, anyway. Maybe just focusing on cool, cold, icy things will lower my body temperature. And in the meantime you can hopefully benefit from climbing in there with me to see why the freezer is my money-saving friend. Here’s what’s in my freezer right now:

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Do you have plans for the upcoming three-day weekend? It’s not hard to make some: just invite friends and neighbors over for an end-of-summer backyard bash! Make it easy on yourself by asking your guests to bring a side dish, something for the grill, or their favorite drinks. For me, a cookout is all about the sides. I love the chance to sample different side dishes and a potluck cookout means you’ll get to taste the very best everyone has to offer.

Here are some recipe ideas to get your party started:

Stellar Sides to Make or Bring

Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

Classic Baked Beans

Grilled Corn Salad with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Orzo Salad with Broccoli and Tomatoes

Refrigerator Pickled Slaw

The Best Basic Potato Salad

Three-Bean Salad with Quinoa

Watermelon Salad with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil

Crowd-Pleasing Burgers

Beef and Bulgur Burgers

Gorgonzola and Sun-Dried Tomato Buffalo Burgers

Perfect Burgers

Portobello and Pineapple Veggie Burgers

Turkey Burgers

Refreshing Drinks to Keep Things Cool

Homemade Ginger Ale

Sangria

Spiced Iced Tea Punch

Watermelon Lemonade

Watermelon Agua Fresca

A Little Something Sweet

Coffee Granita

Flourless Brownies

Ice Cream Pie

Summer Berry Pie

Happy Labor Day!

As August rolls into September and the weather starts to cool, summer berry supplies evaporate rapidly. I always feel like I have become a giant when I shop the strawberry and blueberry displays at our stores during this time of year because the container sizes get progressively smaller as fewer strawberries come out of the fields and fewer blueberries off the bushes. Here in Watsonville where the global buying office is located, we see fewer farm workers in the strawberry fields as the long summer harvest season in the north country winds down and growers prepare to move production south again. Way north of us, the large-scale blueberry fields in Michigan and Washington State are slowing down as well. Soon, British Columbia and some small farms in Maine and Nova Scotia will be all that remain of this North American native berry. But, as these production giants give way to inevitable decline, cane berries emerge as the toast of the fall. Read the rest of this entry »