St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th and we’re ready with a traditional holiday favorite – corned beef! Corned beef is made from brisket that has been cured or pickled in brine. It’s name comes from the brining process. The grains of salt used to make the brine were once referred to as “corns of salt,” hence the name “corned beef.”
All our stores will offer a great prepackaged corned beef brisket made exclusively for our customers by Wellshire Farms, using beef that has been raised without the use of antibiotics or added hormones. Wellshire brines the briskets with a slow-cooked recipe that has been passed down for generations, consisting of simple ingredients like water, sea salt, raw sugar, beet powder, spices and garlic. The outside is coated with a flavorful blend of chopped and crushed bay leaves, mustard seed and allspice. They also use beet powder to add a natural sweet flavor as well as a pinkish color to the outside. When you thinly slice Wellshire corned beef, you can see the pure, authentic brown color of the beef.
In addition to the Wellshire corned beef brisket, some of our meat teams have been working for weeks to brine our own in-house corned beef. These are made from beef brisket or round cuts that are corned in-house with our own unique salt-based brine. Since we don’t add any sodium nitrates or nitrites, the beef develops a grayish hue through the brining process and is often referred to as a “gray corned beef.” The result of this in-house brining technique yields a deliciously authentic corned beef that is fork tender when prepared.
We’ve got some exciting news! We now have our first 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating System Step 5+ producer — Thompson Farms! To achieve a Step 5+ rating, a farm’s animals must be born and live their entire lives on one farm, pigs and cattle must be slaughtered on the farm, and chickens can only be transported short distances. Thompson Farms is an all-natural pork producer that raises free-range pigs on 1,000 acres in southern Brooks County, Georgia. The farm has been in operation since the 1930s, when Raymond Thompson and his father started growing produce for the surrounding community. Raymond then continued the tradition with his own son, Andrew, when they opened Thompson Farms Smokehouse.
The farm was able to achieve its Step 5+ rating because they built an on-farm processing facility designed according to rigorous humane animal treatment standard, thanks to a loan from the Local Producer Loan Program at Whole Foods Market.
Have you tried Thompson Farms pork? Let us know what you think!
I’ve been looking forward to this all week! Yes, today is the day that organic whole (uncooked) chickens are $1.99 per pound in our continental US stores. You can pick up as many as 10 chickens, so it’s prime time to stock your freezer with flavorful whole chickens that were raised meeting the USDA’s organic standards:
No antibiotics, ever
Raised with access to the outdoors
Fed only organic, vegetarian feed
Remember, this sale is for one day only, so make sure you stop by today, February 17th.
Availability and limits may vary by region, so you can contact your store for details. While supplies last. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this.
Our organic birds are ahead of the flock! Not only have they met a strict set of organic standards, but we also work closely with our chicken producers to ensure birds are certified to the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Program. This tiered welfare program rates how chickens are raised using independent, third-party certifiers who audit every farm and assess their compliance to the different Step level standards.
In order to achieve Step certification, each producer needs to meet approximately 100 different standards covering everything from animal health and management, to housing and outdoor conditions, and handling and transport. For example, birds with access to the outdoors (Step-Rated 3) must be given shade and places to hide from hawks and other aerial predators, so they feel comfortable being outdoors and get to enjoy roaming around outside the barn. At Step 4 (pasture-based), birds live continuously on pasture or in foraging areas and are only housed at night or when seasonal conditions might put them at risk. These are just a couple of examples of what’s required to be a Step-rated bird. Read this blog post to learn all about the different step levels for chicken.
Have you tried our organic chicken yet? Whether succulently roasted, flame kissed out on the grill or fried to golden, gastronomic perfection, our organic birds always fly off the table. Friday, February 17th, is the perfect time to try one and take advantage of a great deal as Whole Foods Market organic whole chickens are on sale for one day only. Learn more about this awesome sale!
Ever wondered if you could pick up 10 chicks at one time? You can! Just kidding — sort of. This Friday, February 17th, after all of the Valentine’s Day hubbub settles down, you can pick up as many as 10 organic whole (uncooked) chickens for $1.99 per pound in our continental US stores. Now that’s something to love.
Availability and limits may vary by region, so you can contact your store for details. While supplies last. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this.
All jokes aside, nothing says kitchen success than the simple joy of pulling a flavorful, juicy roasted chicken out of the oven. When it’s an organic chicken you’re cooking, there’s really something to celebrate!
We know that your food choices count toward your health, schedule and budget. Meat can be an easy and healthful solution for weekday dinners when served with veggies and whole grains. Plus, our butchers know the best deals (hint: look for value packs and lesser-known cuts!) and will wrap up just the amount you need for recipes and sensible, affordable portions.
You can serve meat for dinner with ease of mind, knowing that we prohibit added hormones* and demand no antibiotics, ever. The Global Animal Partnership 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating on pork, chicken and beef in our fresh meat cases allows you to know how the animals are raised for the meat you are buying.
Here are some easy ways to enjoy meat for a weeknight dinner:
Beef Roasts are on sale in our stores all weekend for $3.49 per pound! That means you have three days — Friday January 6th through Sunday, January 8th — to pick up these roasts on sale. Grab one to enjoy this weekend and more to put in the freezer for future weekday meals. Remember, the sale is this weekend only, so make sure you stop by and look for the sale signs on selected roast cuts in our meat department.
Whether you like to prepare roasts for company or for everyday meals, beef roasts are an impressive way to bring hearty winter meals to your table. Our sale on beef roasts for $3.49 per pound will last for three days this weekend so you can shop our US stores* this Friday, January 6th, through Sunday, January 8th, to pick up this budget-friendly deal on fresh, ready-to-cook roasts! Make sure to look for the sale signs on selected roast cuts in our meat department to find which cuts are on sale in your store.
*Types of roast cuts and limits may vary by region, so you can contact your store for details. While supplies last. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this. This sale is valid in the continental US and Maui.
Have you decided what to serve for Christmas dinner yet? Why not give goose a try! Whether you serve it as the star of the meal or alongside traditional favorites like ham, turkey or beef, a succulent roast goose adds a delightful flair to your holiday table.
Historically, goose has been a firm favorite in Europe. Not only did Charles Dickens famously write about a tender and flavorful goose as the centerpiece of the Cratchit’s Christmas table in A Christmas Carol, but in Victorian England, “Goose Clubs” were formed where people could save up all year just to have a Christmas goose! In recent years, thanks to growing interest in seasonal, alternative and local food, goose has been gaining more and more popularity in the US as well.
There’s nothing like the holiday season for putting your home kitchen skills to the test. Whether it’s a house full of hungry out-of-town guests, family and friends dining at your place for a special meal or a crazy busy schedule of holiday events that leaves you little time to cook weeknight meals, beef roasts may be just what saves your sanity this season. From a show-stopping prime rib to a fabulous one-dish pot roast meal, here’s the scoop on how to get the most from a roast.
Our Best Tips
Oven roasting produces a well-browned, flavorful exterior and moist interior.
Slow cooking by roasting or braising (cooking in a covered vessel with some liquid) turns tougher cuts (like the shoulder or rump) and less common or value-priced beef cuts (like chuck roasts and round roasts) into something truly feast-worthy.
Tender cuts with little connective tissue like rib roasts and tenderloin respond well to roasting or dry-heat cooking. You can do this by roasting meat uncovered in the oven.
A general rule is to roast for about 20 minutes per pound at 350°F for medium.
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.
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