Spring is here, hooray! And that means farmer’s markets everywhere will be opening soon. As someone who has committed her family to a preservative-free life, farmer’s markets are a central component. It’s where one finds fresh, locally grown (and usually organic) fruits, veggies and meats. It’s how people used to shop before the big grocers took over the country and processed packaged foods took over the dinner table. They met the farmers themselves and knew where their food was coming from.
Since we are moving in a few days to a new city, we will have to scope out where all the farmer’s markets are hidden. Luckily, there’s a great resource that does most of the work for me. The Eat Well Guide helps one find local farmers, farmer’s markets, stores and restaurants that provide local, sustainable and organic food. All with the click of a mouse! So, if you’ve never shopped at a farmer’s market in your area and need to know where one is, use this resource.
While we’re on the topic of buying foods and knowing where it comes from, I’d like to discuss a newfound love: Whole Foods Market. Up until this past weekend, I’d never stepped foot in one. The difference between Whole Foods and your everyday grocery store is astounding. Not only are there labels galore on what the foods contain, where it came from and how it was processed or raised, but Whole Foods actually provides bulk foods.
Bulks foods are your grains and beans like couscous, rice, oats and lentils. You scoop out as much as you want and/or need. I’ve never seen this in the regular grocery store, and after thinking about it, I realized how much sense it made to buy food this way. It really should not be hard to find the type of bean or grain you need in the grocery store, but it is. I’ve often wondered why there was more boxed rice than real rice. Whole Foods definitely takes a more sensible approach by providing bulk foods.
And if you think shopping at Whole Foods is more expensive than the typical grocery, you’re only partly correct. Rob and I shopped there today and actually spent less than we when shopped at Kroger for the same foods. Organic foods in general tend to be more expensive, but the price difference is not as bad as one might speculate. Organic produce tends to be only a few cents to a dollar more than non-organic produce! I was very impressed. Meats and dairy, well, you’re gonna see an increase. You have decide what to spend more on and where to spend less in those categories.
And Whole Foods regularly issues coupons on many products from cheese to granola bars. Score!
And as a reminder, if you haven’t yet checked out the movie, Food Inc, put it on your to-do list. Right now, you can get it at amazon for only 10 bucks – what a deal! (It normally retails at $26)
