Are you ready for the wearing of the green? I know I am! St. Paddy’s day is March 17th and Whole Foods Market Team Members are all set to help you serve up that traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. Now here’s something you may not know: “corned” beef isn’t a cut of meat. It’s a beef brisket that’s been cured or pickled in brine seasoned with “corns”-now called “grains”-of salt. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a confession: My brother ate nothing but peanut butter (on bread) for an entire year. He was a little kid and my mom obviously wasn’t taking control of his diet! He wanted peanut butter and she let him have it. Of course there are all kinds of things wrong with that and, luckily, he’s outgrown the obsession. He still loves peanut butter and (in moderation) there’s everything right about that!

So, what would you do with a case of peanut butter? Read on for a chance to win one! It doesn’t matter how you like it-smooth, crunchy, unsweetened or no salt added-we’ve got you covered with our 365 Everyday Value® Organic Peanut Butter at $3.49 for 18oz. And guess what? Our March/April issue of The Whole Deal has a $1.00 off coupon. Print the online coupon or pick up the value guide with coupons in our stores. Now that’s a tasty deal. Read the rest of this entry »

Due to the recent earthquake in Chile’s central regions, we’re anticipating a significant shortage of Chilean grapes within the next 10 days.

We expect the shortage to extend through early April and perhaps all the way to the first of May.

Here’s an update based on information we’ve been able to collect over the past couple of days:

Most important, our vendor partners in Chile report that they’re unharmed.

Unfortunately, their infrastructure didn’t fare as well and there will be an impact on fresh produce supplies, especially table grapes.

Packing houses have been especially hard hit, and we’ve received reports that many cold storage facilities and packing plants have been destroyed. Thousands of pallets of fruit that was packed and ready for shipment has been lost. Chile’s Sixth Region, where grape production is peaking, is reported to be a disaster, without electricity since the earthquake struck this past Saturday. The capacity to cool and hold new fruit is extremely limited. Read the rest of this entry »

As the Director of Partnership Development and Internal Programs for Whole Planet Foundation, Joy Peterson helps develop strategic partnerships and guides our Team Member Volunteer Program.

Two weeks ago Whole Planet Foundation announced our Changing The World, Together campaign to raise $1.5 million for 40,000 impoverished people living in communities around the globe where Whole Foods Market sources products. We are off to an excellent start with over $750,000 so far. Thank you! Don’t forget you have until March 31st to donate at our stores or online.

One of the heart-warming aspects of the fundraising side of things with Whole Planet Foundation is having the opportunity to partner with like-minded companies who are committed to planting seeds of prosperity around the world. Our Supplier Alliance for Microcredit was created with founding members Allegro Coffee Company, Back to Nature, Balance Bar, Celestial Seasonings, Earth’s Best, Ito En, Naked Juice, New Chapter, Seventh Generation, Stacy’s, Teas’ Tea and, of course, Whole Foods Market. Along with our newest member, Cascal, this alliance has pledged $1.2 million to support our microlending programs. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you ready for a budget shakeup? We’ve got your back with big ideas and small changes for spring in the March/April issue of The Whole Deal value guide.

It’s the time of year when most everyone begins to feel the urge for the fresh and new, from spring cleaning to gardening to new ideas for how to improve one’s self, family, community or planet. The Whole Deal can help you on your springtime mission with wiser choices for your budget, the Earth and your fellow Earthlings. Check it out–in store or online.

Coupons

Start saving from the comfort of your home (or office) with our online coupons. The selection is updated every few weeks and you can always pick up the in-store guide to get them all.

Meals for One, Two or Four

Whether you’re cooking for the whole family or just yourself, our cost-conscious meal plans offer a week’s worth of menu ideas, plus recipes and tips for getting the most from your grocery budget.

Sure Deals!

Sure Deals are not overstocked or discontinued items—they’re high-quality products where you get more of the good stuff for less than you think. Check out our current Sure Deals!

Three Under $3

At $2.99 or less, you won’t find a better value than our selection of Three Under $3 items.

Budget-Friendly Recipes

Easy to prepare, delicious and affordable—what more could you want from a recipe? How about a bunch of them? Well then, just turn to The Whole Deal for recipes that satisfy your hunger and your budget.

Learn to Cook, Learn to Save

If you can build your own salad, you can learn to cook. And our simple, no-fail recipes expand your cook-at-home repertoire far beyond salad. If you learn to cook, you’ll surely save.

How to Spend to Save…the Planet

Your food choices make a difference to your health and the health of the planet. We walk you through one of our affordable recipes so you can see what’s behind the foods you’re spending your money on.

Earth Month: 30 Ways in 30 Days

Download a calendar of 30 money-saving, earth-saving ways to celebrate Earth Month each day throughout April…and beyond!

Pick up the in-store guide for all $30+ in coupons, three additional springtime recipes from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine and great green ideas that will keep more green right where it belongs…in your pocket!

Around the first of March I start thinking about my spring vegetable garden. This is the time when I feel the closest connection to the growers throughout the U.S. as we emerge from another winter (in some places) and contemplate the start of a new growing season. There are lots of things to think about: Are we past our final frost? (I think so but my neighbors don’t agree.) Should I plant further apart in anticipation of a wetter spring? In my own modest way many of the decisions I make mirror those of far larger growers. Among the most important of these decisions is: Should I grow from seed or should I grow from starter plants?

Lettuce just emerging from seed – Carmel Valley California

For large-scale growers the choice between seed and starter plants begins with economics. The expense associated with bringing a seed to a seedling plant stage can be staggering. Germination time, plant type, climate, geography and expected yield per acre are all factors that influence the decision. Expected return is also an important factor. Fruits and vegetables with a low per pound value (like melons and pumpkins) are more likely to come from direct seed planting.

Sweet peas from last year’s seed crop

My choices are driven less by logic and more by habit. I tend to start from seed only those items for which I harvest seeds from the prior season. These are pumpkins and hard squashes, sunflowers and sweet peas. It is important to note that if you plant from harvested seeds you will often get a variation that differs from the variety of the parent plant. This is caused by cross-pollination and the effects will vary depending on how many varieties you (or your neighbors) grow. I happen to love this effect – the variations that come out of my “mystery garden” of mixed pumpkin seeds, for example, are often unexpected. It’s also interesting to see how similar (but different) successive generations of the same plant are.

Strawberry starts – 6-pack and 4″ Alpine, Variegated and Seascape varieties

Everywhere the farmers’ markets, grocery stores and nurseries are eagerly anticipating people like me. First a trickle but soon a flood of colorful seed packets and young, delicate starter plants in 6-pack, 2″ and 4″ pots will compete for the roughly 168 cubic feet of garden space I’ve carved out of my backyard. I am a seed and plant salesperson’s dream. I live in an area where you can grow almost anything; I know just enough about plants and gardening to be dangerous; and I cannot walk by a display without buying something.

That said, here are some basic tips I’ve learned about seed versus starters plant gardening:

• Avoid seeds with long germination times. As a rule, the longer it takes a seed to germinate, the more likely it is to be affected by adverse weather conditions. Herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage are good examples of long germination seeds and you may get better results going with plant starts. In contrast, lettuce seeds germinate quickly and are very successfully grown from seed. All seed packets will tell you how long the seed takes to germinate.
• Length of season – this will vary depending on where you live (and on how good you are at planting on time). If you live in the southern states, for example, where the spring growing season is short you might consider a starter plant over seed to give your garden a head start. Also, if you are like me and tend to be late getting your garden planted, starters will cut down on the time it takes a plant to mature.
• Garden size – my garden in my old yard was 1/5 the size of the one I have today. Seed planting has a higher rate of plant failure than a garden planted from starters. If your garden area is small and you want to be exacting about what grows and where, starter plants are a better option.

Aidan with my best ever sunflower- 2004 crop (I still have the seeds from progressive generations)

You can also get the best of both worlds by making your own starters from seed – I save all my containers from prior purchases to use for starting plants I know I want a lot of (like sunflowers). Results will vary, of course, from place to place so I encourage experimentation – and do please share what you have found. On the subject of gardening in particular, I’m always open to new ideas.

When I was in my early 20s, I spent a year living in a small village near Bombay (now Mumbai), India. I learned a lot that year! One of the things I found so interesting was the culinary use of medicinal spices and the precise understanding of the uses of these spices for healing. Food is medicine – that was a given! I’ll always remember that when someone caught a cold, they were given hot milk (often Buffalo milk) with a small spoonful of turmeric stirred in. Read the rest of this entry »

During Whole Trade February, we hope you’ve learned a lot about the difference that Whole Trade makes. In case you are just tuning in, The Whole Trade Guarantee is our commitment to quality, the environment and ethical trade with partners in developing countries. To wrap up the month, we wanted to revisit bananas – our first Whole Trade product and a great example of the very real, positive impact we can have on farm workers, communities and the environment while providing a quality product to our customers.

Bananas were the first product to carry the Whole Trade Guarantee. Over the past several years, we’ve built relationships with some of the world’s best and most socially and environmentally innovative banana growers. Bananas from these farms are now stickered with the Whole Trade seal and are available in our stores nationwide almost every day. Considering the social and environmental problems that have resulted from large scale banana production in many Latin American countries, we are proud to offer this excellent fruit from growers that are truly part of the solution. Read the rest of this entry »

Our month-long celebration of all things Parmigiano Reggiano ends in a very big way and you’re invited! This Saturday, February 27^th, at exactly 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) cheesemongers in our stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. will simultaneously crack into wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano.

You could say we’re trying to outdo ourselves. In 2008, with nearly 300 wheels opened at 176 Whole Foods Market stores, we set a Guinness World Record for “Most Parmigiano Reggiano Wheels Cracked Simultaneously.” Stop by your local Whole Foods Market on Saturday to witness our attempt to break that record.

There is a real art to cracking into an 85-pound wheel of the “king of cheese.” It requires an expert hand and usually takes about half an hour using the official 5-piece knife set from Italy’s Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano. This traditional cracking method perfectly reveals Parmigiano Reggiano’s delectably crunchy crystalline internal structure. In this video, Cathy Strange, our Global Cheese Buyer explains the process as Team Member Forrest Allen demonstrates.

Our stores are buzzing with anticipation for the big event. There will be Parmigiano Reggiano samples, recipe demonstrations, food pairings and wine and beer tastings (where allowed). Many of our stores will feature in-store “crack offs” with their cheesemongers competing against each other on cracking time and ability. Be sure to check your local store calendar to find out what time the celebration begins.

As a special salute to this amazing cheese, the Specialty Team in our West Vancouver, British Columbia store carved an amazing replica of the Roman Coliseum out of a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. If you’re in the area, check it out.

We also have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of Team Members in our Specialty Departments sporting mustaches à la Paolo Borghi, one of our Italian Parmigiano Reggiano producers.

Whether you make the cracking event or not, visit our Behind the Rind page for more information about this wonderful cheese, along with recipes, pairing suggestions and much more. Let’s get cracking!

…With these recipes inspired by Whole Planet Foundation microcredit clients.

Whole Planet Foundation empowers entrepreneurs in our global communities through microcredit, and this month marks the beginning of Whole Planet Foundation’s Annual Prosperity Campaign. Now through March 31st, please join fellow Whole Foods Market shoppers, team members, Supplier Alliance for Microcredit partners and online donors to help raise $1.5 million for 40,000 impoverished people living in communities around the globe where Whole Foods Market sources products. These people, places and products have inspired us to create recipes honoring them.

To get in the spirit, check out these recipes inspired by Whole Planet Foundation microcredit clients from around the world:

Vegetable Biryani with Cashews

This satisfying vegetarian recipe was inspired by microcredit clients in India, where Whole Foods Market sources cashews.

Read the rest of this entry »