Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween

Well, it's the early morning of Halloween, so if you are still thinking about culinary inspiration for this evening, here's a reminder of the guide post I did a week or so ago. Don't let any vampires get you.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Last Call For Current Vitamin Cottage Sale

Just a heads up that the current sale at Vitamin Cottage runs through this Saturday, which will already be November 1st. You can read my original report about it here, and bear in mind that stocks of the most popular sale items tend to run low at the end, no rainchecks. But who knows what the next sale might bring. And apologies there might be news about Whole Foods sales just for this weekend, but I'm afraid I'm not going to have a chance to check those out this week.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

No Time For Grocery Deals

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage just through this Saturday, November 1st (check the list of posts at the lower left for that one). I usually go over my favorite sale items on Wednesdays when the sales start, but I'm afraid this week, or at least today, is just too busy for that, with apologies to those wonderful people I know have come to like checking that post! In any case, you can check out the new sale flyers yourself by following these links.

Lucky's Market (click Colorado then your location of interest - the flyers differ considerably between the Boulder and Longmont stores)

Sprouts on Arapahoe (click View Flyer)

Whole Foods Pearl Street store (click the Download Featured Sales box at the top to see it in flyer form, and the sales at Pearl generally represent those at the other Boulder Whole Foods as well)

Happy shopping!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Whole Foods' Beer Sale Tomorrow

The Whole Foods store on Pearl Street has a sandwich board outside proclaiming that for tomorrow only, the 29th, all beer in its wine and spirits store next door will be 20% off. I've generally found that for everyday prices, you'll find better ones elsewhere, but you can't beat the Whole Foods location for convenience (although Hazel's is only a couple of blocks away) and now with an across the board beer sale for temptation.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Two Fun Events Coming Up

The Boulder Farmers' Market is giving us a heads up on two fun events coming up at the end of this week, and it makes you proud to be a Boulderite when you read that Halloween treats are locally sourced. Here's the news from the Market:

Friday, October 31: 3-6pm
BCFM at the Munchkin Masquerade, Pearl Street Mall 
Come visit us on Halloween on Pearl Street Mall, where we'll have a booth for the Munchkin Masquerade. We'll be dressed up and handing out locally-sourced treats! 

Saturday, November 1: 11am-3pm
Goat-o-Ween at Mountain Flower Goat Dairy, Boulder
Mountain Flower presents their most popular farm event of the year, Goat-o-Ween. Ticket price includes all farm activities for the day including farm tours, meet-and-greet with the goats and llamas, milking demonstrations, costume contests (animal and human!), face painting, gourd decorating, fiber arts demonstrations, goat milk lotion making, kids' crafts and activities, goat-and-you photo booth, Angelic Acrobatic Arts acrobatic show and Hen Scratch bluegrass band! Kids under 2 enter free. 

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Chef Skokan's Book Launch Party

So cool that local chef Eric Skokan of the amazing Black Cat restaurant has his own new cookbook, Farm Fork Food, that he will launch during a party at his Black Cat restaurant (1964 13th Street) at 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday according to the Daily Camera.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

As this glorious fall progresses (temps in the 80s today!), we still get to enjoy our Boulder Farmers' Markets, both downtown and out at the Boulder fairgrounds in Longmont. Wonder if Brussels sprouts will still be there. We got two dinners worth out of the gigantic stalk I picked up at my Red Wagon CSA a couple of weeks ago. Here's what the Farmers' Market says:

This weekend at the markets you will find: artful winter squash, rainbow carrots, apples, pears, potatoes, radishes, turnips, tomatoes, garlic, beets, onions, and if we're lucky-Brussels sprouts will make another quiet appearance.

Boulder Farmers' Market Saturday 10/25
  • On stage: Augustus at One Boulder Plaza 
  • Boulder Valley School District locally sourced food truck breakfast
  • Art activity at BMoCA (all ages): Stop by the front steps of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (right next to the tea house) for a fun family art activity. 
  • Live Chef Demo: Eric Skokan of Black Cat Farm and restaurants 
Longmont Farmers' Market Saturday 10/25
  • On stage: Flynn & Co

Friday, October 24, 2014

Harvest Festival At Casey Sunday

The Boulder Farmers' Market is giving us a heads up about the following fun-sounding harvest festival this Sunday afternoon at Casey Middle School. Here's what the Market says:

Sunday, October 26: 12-4pm
Join us at this BVSD School Food Project event and celebrate the harvest. At the festival, there will be an Iron Chef competition, kids' activities, live music by Left Hand Market Boys, goats from Mountain Flower Goat Dairy, local farmers and vendors (including BCFM!), lots of delicious local food and much more! 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

Our local Whole Foods will offer us the following nice organic chia sale for the entire weekend, but I don't see that they've posted any other weekend or one-day sale this week, which doesn't mean you won't run into some unadvertised special at the store. Here's what they say about the chia seeds:

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current one continues through October 28th at Whole Foods and through November 1st at Vitamin Cottage (you can use the post index at the lower left to look back for those). Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through October 29th, the best thing to me is the return of the Vitamin and Body Care Extravaganza, with everything in the department 25% off. It's such a great time to stock up on your favorites that you know otherwise rarely or never go on sale. In meat and seafood, wild Alaskan salmon has finally switched to previously frozen at the end of the fresh wild season, with sockeye fillets $10.99 a pound. They also have flash frozen swordfish steaks for the ridiculously low price of $4.99 a pound, which is assuredly not my preference of domestic swordfish. Value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound, bone-in country style pork ribs are also $2.99 a pound (shoulder roast also), whole or split fresh chickens are $1.69 a pound, and their own stuffed chicken breasts are $3.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, gala apples, D'Anjou pears, and bunched broccoli are all $1.50 a pound (but I'm loving that Whole Foods has reduced its everyday price on organic broccoli to $1.97 a pound, at least at the Pearl Street store, so you know you'll never have to pay something outrageous on broccoli again), red, green or black seedless grapes are all $2.50 a pound, curly green, red or Lacinato kale are all $1.50 a bunch, and grape tomatoes are $2.50 a pint. Elsewhere in the store, bulk coffee is $7.99 a pound (but the everday price at Lucky's is $6.99 a pound, at least at the Longmont store), there's a line drive sale on all Pacific brand products at 30% off plus you save an additional $3 when you buy five of them, some Green Mountain Creamery Greek yogurts are $1 each, $1.69 is quite low for local Noosa eight ounce yoghurts, some Alexia frozen potatoes are BOGO, the 14-ish ounce size of Muir Gen organic tomatoes is $1.49 each, and some of my favorite DeLallo whole wheat pastas are $2.49 a package, but I stocked up when Whole Foods had them for just $2 each.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Munson's Corn Is Still Going Strong

What a spectacular fall we've been having, and having been spared a really hard freeze so far, that means we still even get to enjoy fresh corn from Munson's Farm. This late in the season, the ears are really big, but they're still really, really good. When I was there a couple of days ago, the guy told me that they'll continue to have corn until we have a night that reaches 28 degrees for four hours, and that yes, they do still have plenty to pick.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Halloween Party Ideas

Halloween isn't a big culinary celebration in this house, but if you're looking for some inspiration, here are a few guides to help you out: Halloween Recipes and Party Ideas from Epicurious, Spooktacular Treats for Halloween from Whole Foods, and Halloween from Food and Wine magazine. Boo.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Our Boulder Farmers' Markets are coming up shortly on what looks to be a lovely, mild fall morning. Here's what they say you can expect to find, and in addition to squash, squash, squash, there are lots of other options as well!


This weekend at the markets you will find: onions, potatoes, pears, apples, pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, Spaghetti squash, Delicata, tomatoes, spinach, arugula, beets, rainbow carrots, sweet peppers, turnips, garlic & mushrooms. 

Boulder Farmers' Market Saturday 10/18
  • On stage: El Javi
  • Boulder Valley School District locally sourced food truck breakfast
  • Art activity at BMoCA (all ages): Stop by the front steps of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (right next to the tea house) for a fun family art activity. 
Longmont Farmers' Market Saturday 10/18
  • On stage: Old's Cool Rock

Friday, October 17, 2014

Dinner Ideas For The Week (Almost)

Almost, because I haven't figured out next Thursday yet, but that's always something super simple like a salmon burger or pork chop. While I usually turn to the Boulder natural grocery specials for inspiration, other things factor in, and this week that includes using my final Red Wagon Organic Farm CSA pickup for the year, a forecast of lovely dry weather for the weekend, and the Daylight Savings change bearing down on us soon, all of which adds up to grilling for the weekend!

For tonight, some of the beautiful Norwegian salmon from Whole Foods' one-day sale today (look a few posts below for details) will go on the grill, along with some foil packages of organic fingerling potatoes that I captured Tuesday on the last day of Whole Foods' nearly half price sale, dressed with olive oil and a bit of parsley. I'm hoping to get some of our last ears of Munson corn for the season later today (haven't been out there recently, and I hope they haven't been hit by any freak frost).

Tomorrow will be back to the grill, this time with boneless NY strip steaks that the Lucky's Market in Longmont has for just $5.98 a pound this week. Sorry no time to check Boulder Lucky's, but I'd bet this special is limited to Longmont, as it's the "natural" meat they do there, as opposed to the "never ever" meats of the Boulder Lucky's. For a side, I'll try a new recipe from Bon Appetit, squash with dates and thyme, although if Whole Foods still has figs, I might already tinker with the recipe by substituting those. Brussels sprouts from the CSA pickup will also go nicely with the steaks.

Still needing something big on the weekend that will also serve as an easy midweek reheat, wanting something vegetarian after those steaks, wanting to give the family griller a break, and also needing to use the lovely collard greens from my CSA pickup, that absolutely calls for baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens from Cooking Light. With the oven going, I might try roasting my sunchokes from Red Wagon too (one last challenge from the CSA!).

I'm grabbing some smoked gouda from Whole Foods during this weekend's three-day sale with a favorite pizza in mind for Monday, barbecue chicken pizza from Bon Appetit. I have plenty of chicken breasts in my freezer from Lucky's excellent sale, but both Sprouts and Whole Foods are offering special prices on them this week (look below to the Wednesday sale post).

Tuesday will be our easy reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is the baked rigatoni casserole. Salad on the side will keep it extra simple.

With a freezer full of batches of my own pesto, for Wednesday I want to try a new pasta recipe from Bon Appetit, pasta with pesto, shrimp and cured ham from Bon Appetit. Sprouts has some already peeled shrimp on sale through Wednesday.

So aside from having not yet planned Thursday, which is always something simple, that gets us through a full week and uses all the bounty of my final Red Wagon CSA pickup for the season.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Fresh From The Fields This Week

This week is my final pickup from my Red Wagon Organic Farm CSA (sniff). But they are also offering an extension option and possibly a winter/spring option - more on those later if time permits. Here's what will be in my final pickup, always a good indicator of what will be at the Boulder Farmers' Market as well. Nice to see that kale, collards, and bok choi persist among the hard squash and root veggie choices.

This week we hope to bring you the following:


Regular Share
  • Winter squash
  • Choice: Brussels Sprouts OR Large Winter Squash
  • Choice: Kale OR Collards OR Bok Choi
  • Choice: Lettuce OR Braising Mix OR Arugula OR Spinach
  • Choice: Eggplant OR Sunchokes
  • Choice: Carrots OR Celery

    Large Share Additions


      • Extra Choice: Kale OR Collards OR Bok Choi
      • Carrots AND Celery
      • Cauliflower

      Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

      This weekend, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a nice one-day salmon sale for tomorrow only, plus several sales lasting all the way through Sunday. For tomorrow only, the 17th, Norwegian salmon will be $4 off at $8.99 a pound (it's farmed, but Whole Foods always has superior fish, and my understanding is that Norwegian is the best of the farmed). From tomorrow through Sunday, there will be two specials on local Justin's yummy peanut butter cups, singles at four for $5 and 10-packs $4.99 each. You could make some trick or treaters or maybe just yourself very happy with those. Also through the weekend, smoked gouda will be $5 off at $9.99 a pound, four types of Dr. Bronner's castile soaps (32 ounces) will be $9.99 each, and organic Fuji apples will be half off at $1.48 a pound.

      Wednesday, October 15, 2014

      Whole Foods Introducing Ratings For Produce

      Whole Foods already gives us lots of information about why their meats and seafood are responsibly obtained (and therefore command a higher price than at some of our other natural stores), and now they are extending responsibly grown ratings into produce and flowers. You can read the details from Whole Foods here.

      This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

      Happy Wednesday, food day. Although my stupid computer needing to install 14 updates this morning delayed me by more than an hour getting to this, I'm still in a really good mood, but the delay means must be quicker than ever. We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage through November 1st (check the index of posts at the lower left to find that one). Here's what's looking good to me now.

      At Sprouts through October 22nd, fresh wild Pacific salmon fillets are still amazingly being offered at a very low price, $5.99 a pound. I wonder how they taste this late in the season. Fresh tilapia fillets are $6.99 a pound, previously frozen Jonah crab claws are $5.99 a pound, and 31/35 count peeled and deveined raw shrimp are $9.99 a pound, for those who like to pay a little more for that peeling convenience. In meat, we're back to our $3.99 a pound sale prices for chicken Italian sausage, stuffed chicken breasts (they're quite good), and boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders (not such a great sale price but improved by the fact that it's any size package, not just the really big ones).

      Organic produce is looking good as usual at Sprouts, with Gala or red delicious apples and butternut squash both 99 cents a pound (although you can find a good organic hard squash deal by throwing a stone towards any Boulder store right now), green curly kale is just 99 cents a bunch, two pound bags of heirloom rainbow carrots are just $1.50 each, D'Anjou pears are $1.50 a pound, and red, green or black seedless grapes are trending upwards but still decent at $2.99 a pound. Elsewhere in the store, they are doing a big sale on Sprouts' own brand, found in all sorts of departments. All sorts of products with pumpkin are also being featured, along with a pumpkin picture contest involving Instagram.

      In Whole Foods' new sale through October 28th, I'm liking organic red Bartlett pears and organic Granny Smith apples both $1.48 a pound, organic red, green or rainbow chard all $1.50 a bunch, and organic Yukon gold or red potatoes just 98 cents a pound. Whole Foods has also been doing a rather remarkable job of lowering their regular prices on organic produce recently (organic broccoli now a reasonable price, I think $1.97 a pound, every single day for example). Back to the sale, Amy's frozen pizzas are considerably off at $5.99 each, and I'd be tempted to pay $2 more per pound to get Whole Foods' Market Made chicken cordon bleu (respnsibly raised, etc., etc.) at $5.99 a pound rather than the stuffed breasts $3.99 at Sprouts. Ditto boneless skinless chicken breasts also $5.99 a pound. Whole Soy dairy-free yogurt cups are $1 each, and the big size of San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounces) are $3 each, but I did much better stocking up on San Marzanos that were organic too for just $2 each in the sale at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago.

      Tuesday, October 14, 2014

      Plant Based Fall Cooking Class

      Finally, some news in the events calendar that isn't a twitter chat. I just checked calendars for Whole Foods on Pearl and in Superior, and all they list are twitter chats for the entire month of October, but the Whole Foods at Baseline and Broadway actually has some interesting news for Thursday of this week. Here's what they say:

      Baseline Cooking Class: Plant Based Meals for Fall


      Thursday, October 16th
      6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
      Baseline Cafe, Free

      Join us on Thursday, October 16th from 6:30p-8p for our next Plant Based Cooking Class. Learn easy and comforting fall recipe ideas where meat is not the center of the plate. Sign-up at any register or email: M'Lissa Baker

      Monday, October 13, 2014

      Whole Planet Foundation Joins Hunger Games

      Here's a great combination from Whole Foods to help alleviate poverty:

      Whole Planet Foundation is excited to announce our partnership with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I to raise $1 million for global poverty alleviation. Join the #CourageofOne sweepstakes starting October 17th and enter for your chance to win prizes including premiere tickets and Whole Foods Market® gift cards. Be sure to bookmark this page www.wholeplanetfoundation.org/mockingjay, you won't want to miss it!

      NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  Void wherever prohibited by law.  Click here for Official Rules (available 10/17/14). Open to legal residents of 50 US/D.C., Canada (excluding Quebec) and the United Kingdom who are of the age of majority in their state/province/territory/country of residence at the time of entry. Promotion Period: October 17 – December 15, 2014. Sponsor: Whole Planet Foundation, 550 Bowie Street, Austin, TX 78703. Motion Picture Artwork TM & © 2014 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

      Sunday, October 12, 2014

      Tough Night For Plants Ahead

      Boulder's low for tonight is sounding like 33 degrees, and our house usually sees frost much earlier than downtown does. Being mid-October, I'm ready to say goodbye to my beloved basil plants this year. Yesterday I basically stripped them of just about all remaining leaves, yielding three more containers of freshly made pesto for the freezer. Hint: the nice guys at the deli at the Pearl Street Whole Foods will give you those small plastic containers that are the perfect size for freezing pesto portions if you just ask them.

      Flatirons Food Film Festival Coming Up

      And it's not just movies about food. There will be dinners, tastings, demos and other fun stuff starting this Wednesday, October 15th. For all the details, go to the Food Film Festival website.

      Saturday, October 11, 2014

      Boulder Chef Skokan Releases New Cookbook

      Boulder's own Eric Skokan of the Black Cat restaurant and farm has his own new cookbook, from which he'll be demonstrating at today's Farmers' Market. Here's what the Farmers' Market says:

      Farmer/Chef Eric Skokan releases a brand new cookbook this month   

      Eric Skokan's brand new cookbook is on it's way to Boulder as we speak. In the coming weeks, Eric will be doing live cooking demos at the Boulder Farmers' Market (10/11 and 10/25) from his book and will be selling copies at the market. 

      5280 Magazine published a preview on the book last month: 

      Eric Skokan's book, Farm, Fork, Food: A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm (Kyle Books, October), is much more than a cookbook: It's a recipe for living. "[This project] evolved into more than just a book of recipes," the chef and co-owner of Black Cat Bistro and Bramble & Hare Restaurant says. "It's a journey of a farmer, a chef, a restaurant, and a family as it captures all of our favorite flavors of each season." 

      Throughout the pages, Skokan deftly describes each season with insightful prose and a well honed combination of recipes, including spring pea soup with mint, lemon, and crème fraîche; stuffed summer squash with ratatouille and Taleggio; and winter roots roasted in embers. "One of the secrets to cooking seasonally...is the use of 'building block' recipes," he writes. "These recipes are the 'glue' that can hold a collection of fresh produce together and turn it into a memorable meal."

      Boulder Farmers' Market Today

      As we advance into fall and dry out a bit from the rain, you can enjoy the Boulder Farmers' Market starting at 8 this morning. Here's what they say to expect, and thank heavens there are still options like arugula and beets in addition to all the hard squash.

      This week at the markets: potatoes, pears, apples, pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, tomatoes, spinach, arugula, wax beans, beets, carrots, onions, sweet peppers, turnips, garlic & mushrooms. 

      Boulder Farmers' Market Saturday 10/11
      • On stage: Old Wooden Ship
      • Boulder Valley School District food truck: local breakfast sammies
      • Live Chef Demo: Eric Skokan of Black Cat Farm and restaurant, showcasing his new cookbook: Farm, Fork, Food: A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm  
      • Art activity at BMoCA (all ages): Stop by the front steps of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (right next to the tea house) for a fun family art activity. 
      Longmont Farmers' Market Saturday 10/11
      • On stage: Antonio Lopez

      Friday, October 10, 2014

      A Weekend For A Fish Stew

      With previously frozen cod fillets just $5.99 a pound and 41/50 count shrimp $4.97 a pound at the Lucky's Market in Longmont, that is just screaming for me to do a longtime favorite this weekend, smoky shrimp and halibut stew from Bon Appetit. As I've said before, making it with cod instead of hiding a $25 a pound piece of halibut in it makes a whole lot more sense. Unfortunately, the Lucky's in Boulder isn't advertising either of those specials (although they do have their yummy salmon burgers for $2.99 each), but our Boulder Sprouts stores have cod a bit higher at $7.99 a pound this week and sea scallops $8.99 a pound, bet they'd sub well for the shrimp.

      Thursday, October 9, 2014

      Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

      Whole Foods is doing so many things this weekend, I'll have to run over them quickly. First, for tomorrow only, organic Bartlett pears will be just 98 cents a pound, way better than half off. For the entire weekend from tomorrow through Sunday, nearly 100 non-GMO verified products will be on sale (you'll just have to look for them), Manitoba hemp hearts will be $5.99 for eight ounces, 365 chocolate truffles will be $4.99 a box, Traditional Medicinals teas will be $4 each, and online they say that all hot soup in the store will be 25% off. That's funny because when I was at the Pearl Street Whole Foods on Tuesday, they had a giant sandwich board on the sidewalk announcing the weekend hot soup sale at 50% off. Guess we'll have to just see which is right.

      Wednesday, October 8, 2014

      Bittman Releases New Cookbook

      Mark Bittman is continuing his how to cook everything theme with the release of his latest, How to Cook Everything Fast (does no one believe in using adverbs anymore?). I hope this link will take you to more information about it on Amazon. Cooking quickly is an admirable goal in my estimation.

      This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

      We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current ones continue at Whole Foods through October 14th, and at Vitamin Cottage (see the post just below for that one) through November 1st. Here's what's looking good to me now, IMHO as always.

      First off, Sprouts will offer us a special 72 hour sale for this Friday through Sunday, the 10th through 12th. All chicken sausage (pork also) will be $2.99 a pound, better than the $3.99 they've been using as a sale price recently. Spectrum chia seeds (very good on salads) will be $6.99 a bag, previously frozen wild large king crab legs will be $9.99 a pound, and 24 packs of Arrowhead water will be two for $5.

      In Sprouts' regular sale starting today and running through October 15th, I'm intrigued by fresh wild Alaskan coho salmon fillets for only $6.99 a pound, fresh wild albacore tuna steaks $9.99 a pound, previously frozen wild Alaskan cod fillets for $7.99 a pound, and previously frozen Peruvian sea scallops $8.99 a pound. Looks like a good week for fish. In meat, chicken breast tenders are $2.99 a pound, and ground chicken breast, chicken thigh, ground pork, and boneless pork loin chops are all $3.99 a pound.

      I don't buy much conventional produce, but Sprouts' big news there this week is Hass avocados at 49 cents each. In organic produce, celery is $1.49 a bunch, Bosc or D'Anjou pears or gala or Granny Smith Apples are all $1.49 a pound, carrots are $2.99 for a five pound bag, grape tomatoes are $2.50 a pint, and red or Yukon gold potatoes are $3.99 for a five pound bag. Elsewhere in the store, they are doing a Gluten Free Favorites sale, with a variety of products 30% off.

      Tuesday, October 7, 2014

      New Vitamin Cottage Sale

      Finally got to Vitamin Cottage, and the current sale runs through November 1st. Looking particularly good to me are Mary's non-GMO (free range, air-chilled, all the good stuff) whole chickens for $2.25 a pound, organic spaghetti, butternut or acorn squash all 99 cents a pound (although that's a fairly common price this time of year), Lundberg short or long grain brown rice $1.99 for a two pound bag, the big 28 ounce size of Muir Glen organic tomatoes $1.99 each, Wallaby organic Greek yogurts $1.29 in the single serving size, three types of Barbara's cereals $2.99 a box, and for my gluten-free friends, Udi's gluten-free sandwich breads in the freezer look like a substantial savings at $3.59 a loaf, usually $4.79 to $5.19.

      Fresh From The Fields This Week

      So sad to think our final CSA pickup for the season from Red Wagon Organic Farm will be next week. I already can't wait until next year. Being on the wonderful biweekly pickup schedule, we won't be heading for this week's selections. If pie pumpkins are still in next week's list, looks like Red Wagon will throw down the challenge gauntlet one final time, since I don't bake desserts and haven't the slightest idea what else one would do with a pie pumpkin. Bet there's something good in a savory usage. Here's the news from Red Wagon:


      CSA Week 21
      You can use your pie pumpkin as a decoration until you're ready to use it.
      You can use your pie pumpkin as a decoration until you’re ready to use it.

      You can really see fall all around the farm, and we’re sharing the love with you.

      Regular Share
      -Pie Pumpkin
      -Spinach
      -Red Italian Onions
      -Watermelon Radish
      -Choice: Arugula OR Lettuce OR Braising mix
      -Choice: Romanesco OR Cauliflower OR Cabbage OR Brussel Sprouts  (will vary depending on availability)

      Large Additions
      -Extra Choice: Romanesco OR Cauliflower OR Cabbage OR Brussel sprouts
      -Extra Red Italian Onions
      Beets

      Last week was the 12th and final week of fruit share.  So sad.

      Monday, October 6, 2014

      Boulder Farmers' Market Meets Library

      Couldn't get much better than this from my perspective, the Boulder Public Library teaming up with the Boulder Farmers' Market for a new cafe in the library. The thinking is that the cafe will feature "local foods, farmers, and educational opportunities, at affordable prices." The library is currently conducting a naming contest for the cafe, which is expected to open in February. I'd link to the article the Daily Camera ran about it, but it doesn't seem to be on their website.

      Sunday, October 5, 2014

      American Cheese Month

      Meaning the good artisanal stuff, not that other kind of American cheese. The wonderful store Cured on Pearl Street a bit east of the mall will be celebrating American cheese month with daily tastings and specials through October. Here's what they say:

      cheese!American Cheese Month: Here in the cheese world, October is an exciting month as it is dedicated to celebrating American artisanal cheesemakers. With our focus is on American cheeses and all the delicious goodies coming out of the good ol US of A, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the things that we love all month long. In honor of this monthly celebration, we’ll be tasting a different American cheese daily, telling its story and offering 10% off that cheese for the day. Come in, try some new cheeses, and learn a bit more about the inspired world of American artisanal cheese!

      Saturday, October 4, 2014

      Good Deals At Lucky's Market

      Wish I had more time to mention all the good things happening at Lucky's Market in Boulder and Longmont. I rarely travel in the north Boulder area, but this week I happen to have flyers from both stores. It's all online too, but flipping through the screens takes so much more time than flipping through the paper to compare.

      As usual, the Boulder Lucky's deals are strong on organic produce and "never ever" standard meats, while the one in Longmont leans more towards deals on conventional produce and "natural" meats. In Boulder through Wednesday, standouts to me include organic red or green seedless grapes just $1.77 a pound, organic Fuji apples or Bartlett pears both $1.48 a pound, organic pomegranates $2 each (same in Longmont) if you have patience to deal with them, made in-house Greek flattened chicken $2.99 a pound with "never ever" standards (they are SO good on the grill, bet they're fine in the oven too), made in house kabobs $6.99 a pound for swordfish, $7.99 a pound for "never ever" beef, and their own oh so good salmon burgers $2.99 each (think they were $4.99 at the Longmont Lucky's yesterday, but can't swear to it).

      At the Longmont Lucky's through Wednesday, I'm liking natural half fryer chickens just $1.69 a pound and (farmed) Atlantic salmon fillet for $7.99 a pound, but buyer beware on both. The Longmont meat and fish department continues to have some pricing glitches, and yesterday they quickly corrected the fryers I picked up, which were marked at their regular $3.99 a pound instead of $1.69, big difference. And when I got home, I found my salmon was priced at $12.99 a pound instead of $7.99, so that label and receipt are saved for my next trip. Guess I need to put on my reading glasses more often. Anyway, Longmont also has marinated chicken wings for $2.99 a pound, tuna kabobs $7.99 a pound, and chicken (pork also) brats for $2.47 a pound.

      In other departments, specials are looking pretty much identical between the two stores except for bulk and bakery. My eye is on house-made chicken pot pies for $4.99 each (through Wednesday, while that's just the weekend price at Whole Foods), kale and almonds Brussels sprouts slaw for $5.99 a pound (got some to go with tonight's chicken brats bbq), parmesan parsley pasta just $2.99 a pound, Late July organic tortilla chips $1.99 a bag, and local organic Hope hummus just $2.99 each.

      Boulder Farmers' Market Today

      The midweek markets have ended for the season, but we still have a few weeks left to enjoy the Saturday Boulder Farmers' Markets. Here's what they say to expect today:

      This week at the markets: potatoes, plums, pears, apples, pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, tomatoes, spinach, arugula, wax beans, beets, carrots, onions, sweet peppers, turnips, garlic & mushrooms. 

      Boulder Farmers' Market Saturday 10/4
      • On stage: Isabella Musser 
      • Boulder Valley School District food truck breakfast 
      • Live Chef Demo: Escoffier Culinary School 
      • Art activity at BMoCA (all ages): Stop by the front steps of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (right next to the tea house) for a fun family art activity. 
      Longmont Farmers' Market Saturday 9/27
      • On stage: Steph Barrett  

      Friday, October 3, 2014

      Fresh From The Fields This Week

      Stupid computer seems to be in a better mood after running two full Norton scans, each taking over an hour, both finding basically nothing anyway. In any case, here's what was in my Red Wagon Organic Farm CSA pickup, a good indicator of what you'll find at tomorrow's Boulder Farmers' Market. As we move further into fall, this was my second to last biweekly pickup, and I'm really going to miss the fun and challenges it has given me. Looking forward to next year! Anyway, here's Red Wagon's list:

      Week 20! Time for cooler weather and acorn squash!

      Regular Share
      -Acorn Squash
      -Choice: Peppers OR Eggplant
      -Choice: Broccoli  OR Roasted Chilis
      -Potatoes
      -Choice: Lettuce OR Arugula OR Spinach
      -Choice: Kale OR Collards OR Bok Choi

      Large Share Additions
      -Broccoli AND Roasted Chilis
      -Choose 2: Lettuce OR Arugula OR Spinach
      -Shunkyo Radishes

      Fruit – FINAL WEEK
      -Apples
      This is our 12th and final week of our fruit share.

      Thursday, October 2, 2014

      Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

      The computer hassles at home continue, so I'd expect this blog to go dark at any moment, when I throw the laptop out the window. In any case, now that it's momentarily working, our local Whole Foods stores are offering us a trio of sales just for the weekend, tomorrow through Sunday. Pot pies will be comfort food at $3.99 each, $2 off, and two Amazing Grass products, with which I'm not familiar, will be sharply discounted, one half off at $19.99, so these are expensive things.

      And yes, Norton security says everything is fine, but still things are hardly working with this stupid computer. Maybe a break from this blog in my future is a good thing. 

      Wednesday, October 1, 2014

      Brief New Deals

      I usually post about the new natural grocery sales in Boulder every Wednesday, but this morning I'm experiencing major computer problems. Not knowing if this will even post, it will be by necessity very brief.

      We have a new sale at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores starting today. I have the Sprouts flyer in front of me but don't trust my laptop to get me to Whole Foods' website at this point. There also should be something new at Vitamin Cottage, since their long-running sale just ended, and I'll need to check that out.

      At Sprouts through October 8th, value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts aren't great at $2.99 a pound, but I do like their stuffed chicken breasts, now on sale at $3.99 a pound instead of the former $2.99 (they also have chicken kabobs I haven't tried for $3.99), and Rosie Organic whole chickens are $2.99 a pound. Fresh wild Northwest Pacific salmon fillets are surprising at $5.99 a pound, so low at this end of season, I'm not so sure about them. There's also a sale on grass-fed organic beef, with all sorts of cuts (picture shows steaks, roasts, and ground) 20% off.

      Sprouts is doing a big organic sale this week, and the produce they list includes vine ripe tomatoes for just 99 cents a pound, gala apples also 99 cents a pound, Sprouts' own salad blends $1.99 each, two pound bags of heirloom rainbow carrots 99 cents each, curly or Lacinato kale just 99 cents a bunch, Imagine soups or broth $2.99 each, and a "line drive" of 30% off all Simply Organic products. 

      Hmm, laptop is now willing to open Whole Foods' new flyer, so a very quick review. The sale lasts through October 14th, and organic kale is good at $1.50 a bunch if you're there (although it has a weird "savings vary by location") but you'll do better at Sprouts for 99 cents. Organic baby broccoli is tempting at $2 a bunch, and organic fingerling potatoes are half off at $1.48 a pound. Fresh Icelandic cod looks good at $12.99 a pound, but the domestic crab cakes on sale for $6.99 each don't appeal as I can get them at the Lucky's in Longmont for half that, and yes they're domestic. Other specials possibly look good, but since I'm not even sure this will post, I need to move on to other things.

      Happy first day of October, rocky start here!