Saturday, May 30, 2015

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Thank a farmer for hauling quality, fresh, clean (!) produce out of the mud by supporting them at the Boulder Farmers' Market today. Here's what the Market says to expect, plus they'll be holding a radish festival at the Market out in Longmont. From the Market:

In Season This Week 

radishes, turnips, kale, rainbow chard, arugula, green garlic, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, spicy greens, pea shoots, allium stems, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, herbs, and the first strawberries of the season. 
All season long, you will find honey, bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

It's not too late to plant! Don't let the recent rain halt plans on your home garden; now is the perfect time to plant, with cool nights and mild days ahead. Pick up your garden starts at the farmers market -  countless varieties of flowers, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, summer squash, onions, peppers, and greens - and start planning out your plot! Farmers at the market are great resources for gardening tips and tricks. 

One More Plant Sale

With this soggy, cool weather, it looks like waiting to plant has been the wisest strategy this year. So KGNU public radio's plant sale tomorrow might be the place to stock up. It will be 9 am to 3 pm at 4700 Walnut on the 31st. Plus there should continue to be lots of plant starters at today's Boulder Farmers' Market.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Vitamin Cottage Sale

Just a heads up that the current sale at Vitamin Cottage runs only through tomorrow, the 30th, all though who knows what a new sale might bring. Details of my likes in the current sale are here, but be aware that stock on the sale items tends to run low at the end of it.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special sales for tomorrow through Sunday. Honey Stinger bars and chews will be 40% off, and there's a package deal of 20% off Belgioiosa mozzarella logs, Ciolo basil pesto, and Divina roasted tomatoes when you buy all three. A lovely summery combo to help you forget the rain tomorrow and Saturday.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Detox In Louisville

The Alfalfa's store in Louisville is keeping busy. They'll be hosting a Spring Clean and Lean 7-Day Detox event this Saturday, the 30th, from 1 to 3 pm. It's a free event taught by Todd Nelson, D.Sc., Naturopath. Contacting the store is always a good idea.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage just through the 30th, this coming Saturday. Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through June 3rd, heads up, Copper River fans! Fresh Copper River sockeye salmon fillets are $17.99 a pound. They were $29.99 a pound at Whole Foods when I was there yesterday, but this marks the start of the price wars. In other meat and fish news, value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (thighs also) are $1.99 a pound, their very good stuffed chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound, bone-in ribeyes are $8.99 a pound, chicken Italian sausage (pork also) is $3.99 a pound, 21/25 count ez peel raw shrimp are $6.99 a pound, and 30/40 count Peruvian sea scallops are $8.99 a pound, previously frozen on those last two.

In organic produce at Sprouts, red or green seedless grapes are great at $1.98 a pound, some Earthbound Farm salads are $2.50 each, on-the-vine cluster tomatoes are $2 a pound, 4.4 ounce blueberries, 6 ounce raspberries, and one pound clamshells of strawberries are all $2.88 a container, and Gala apples are $1.50 a pound. Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking 15 ounce Westbrae organic beans just 99 cents a can, local Noosa yoghurts $1.50 for eight ounces, and big 21 ounce bags of Que Pasa tortilla chips $2.50 each.

At Whole Foods through June 16th, the pdf of the flyer again is for the sale that ended yesterday, so I'll do what I can looking through the boxes of prices instead. Classic brined boneless skinless chicken breasts and pork loin chops are both $5.99 a pound, and those are great on the grill. I haven't tried it, but wild fresh Pacific rockfish looks good at $7.99 a pound, $3 off (probably makes a mean fish taco), and jalapeno cheddar salmon burgers are $3.99 each. Sprouts appears to be winning on the organic produce, as a pound of organic strawberries is $3.50, compared to $2.88 at Sprouts. Am not quite sure about the blueberries, as organic ones at Whole Foods are $3.98 a pint, and I don't have time to look up how a pint compares to Sprouts' 4.4 ounce price. Back to Nature cookies are $3 a box, four types of half pound Rumiano cheeses are $3.99 each, Whole Creamery fresh ciliegine mozzarella is $3 a container, and 12-packs of Seventh Generation toilet paper are $8.99 each.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Gluten- And Dairy-Free In Louisville

The Alfalfa's store in Louisville will host a gluten-free and dairy-free dessert cooking demo this Friday, the 29th, from 6 to 7:30 pm. Cost is $5 for the class taught by Genevieve Doll of Bauman College. Looks like you can sign up at alfalfas.com or at Guest Services.

Last Day Of Halibut Sale

A reminder that today is the last day of Whole Foods' six day sale on lovely halibut steaks, $14.99 a pound. My first purchase went into a smoky shrimp and halibut stew, and today I'm hoping to get some out on the grill. Let's hope there isn't another hail storm like yesterday's, which of course moved in right after I'd finished potting my herb plants.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Farmers Battle Mud

This epicly wet spring we're having is wreaking havoc on our valiant local farmers, as detailed in an article in today's Daily Camera. I can attest to the mud that Red Wagon Organic Farm was dealing with as early as several weeks ago, when they held their open house for CSA members. My wellies had to overnight in the bathtub and go through multiple washes before eventually coming clean, and that was before things really got wet! It amazes me how these farmers still manage to bring us the most beautiful, clean organic produce under these conditions.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Rib And Store Reminder

What is this strange bright light we see outside this morning? Is that actually the sun? But with more thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon, if your grilling plans for today get washed out, remember Sprouts will be grilling baby back ribs until 6 pm today, $12.99 for a full rack. Also, if you didn't manage to make it to the Boulder Farmers' Market yesterday because of the insane confluence of the Market, the Boulder Creek Festival, and Boulder High's graduation all happening within a couple of blocks (took me at least half an hour to snag a parking space, and I had to beat out another car for it, definitely should have ridden my bike), remember that the wonderful Cure Organic Farm store at 75th and Valmont will be open today from 10 to 4. It has practically everything you would find at the Farmers' Market, just scaled down, with lots of seasonal spring greens, herbs, local meats, coffee, honey, and even pottery.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Take advantage of a few hours without rain to enjoy the Boulder Farmers' Market today, but note that its space will be shortened due to the Boulder Creek Festival happening all weekend. And give a big thanks to your farmer for slugging through those mud pits to bring you this glorious food. Here's what the Market says:

Boulder Farmers Market Notice for Saturday, May 23:  
Boulder Creek Fest will take place alongside the Boulder Farmers Market this Saturday. Their event hours are 10am - 10pm. The market will be located between the Tea House and Arapahoe Ave only, with our normal hours of 8am - 2pm. Expect to see vendors in different placements. If you'd like to avoid the crowds, plan to come early or head up to our Longmont market at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 8am - 1pm


In Season This Week 

rhubarb, spring turnips, radishes, kale, asparagus, rainbow chard, arugula, green garlic, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, spicy greens, pea shoots
, allium stems, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, and herbs. More than 20 varieties of hanging flower baskets and even more locally-raised garden starts are available. All season long, you will find honey, bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

Friday, May 22, 2015

BBQ Ribs At Sprouts

If the weather is putting a damper on your Memorial weekend grilling plans, Sprouts has a possible solution. They'll be grilling baby back ribs on mesquite both tomorrow and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm (or while supplies last), $12.99 for a full rack. I picked up the flyer at the Baseline store, but I imagine the one on Arapahoe would be doing the same. My cashier on Baseline pointed out that they have a great overhang to grill under, so any weather wouldn't faze them. Assuming Arapahoe will be grilling also, they have a huge covered porch there.

To Grill Or Not To Grill

Is that truly the question, as we embark on a Memorial Day weekend with such soggy days preceding it. Last I looked, isolated afternoon storms were still possible across the weekend, so I'm not hinging all hopes on grilling outside. I'll use Whole Foods' quite impressive special sales (check the post just below) to guide things around here. The halibut steaks and New York strip steaks are particularly calling, and either could wind up on a grill pan or under the broiler that I always find a scarier alternative if the weather doesn't cooperate. With Whole Foods' fine halibut so low at $14.99 a pound this weekend, I'm also planning an old classic, smoky shrimp and halibut stew, and hope I won't be doing that on a day that we should have been grilling instead. If you are looking for inspiration for the weekend, check out Memorial Day recipes, cocktails, and sides from Epicurious, or use the search box on this blog for grilling, as I've previously posted several guides. Somehow the weather has me not so motivated to do a bunch of grilling guides this time, but heck, it will be a long weekend, which is always good.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Four Day Sale At Whole Foods

To get us through the Memorial weekend, Whole Foods is doing so many special sales for tomorrow through Monday, I'm going to create a humongously long post by just pasting them in. Here they are:

May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

NEW YORK STRIP STEAK

$14.99/LB
$2.99
OFF
May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

CIOLO BASIL PESTO

2 FOR $6
49¢
OFF
May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

WHOLE FOODS MARKET KAISER ROLLS (6-PACK)

2 FOR $4
99¢
OFF
May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

WHOLE FOODS MARKET BRAT ROLLS (6-PACK)

2 FOR $4
$1.99
OFF
May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

BEARITOS CORN CHIPS

2 FOR $4
May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

KISS MY FACE SUNCARE

40% OFF
UP TO$3.29
OFF
May 22-25th
:: FOUR DAY SALE ::

SO DELICIOUS AND PURELY DECADENT ALTERNATIVE MILK ICE CREAM PINTS

2 FOR $7

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Copper River Salmon Is Here!

The Whole Foods on Pearl Street has Copper River salmon fillets, with a first day offering price of $29.99 a pound. While they look beautiful, I'll wait until the price wars begin on that, and content myself with the current sale on fresh halibut steaks, mentioned in the post just below.

Halibut Sale At Whole Foods

Whole Foods is doing a six day sale on halibut steaks, $14.99 a pound from today through the 26th. The notice doesn't specify fresh or frozen, but I'd certainly hope they'd be fresh. Now if the weather would just cooperate so they could go out on the grill.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

Good soggy Wednesday morning, Boulder. Hard to get myself into a grilling frame of mind for Memorial Day with the weather we've been having. But we have a new sale starting at Sprouts today, while the current one continues at Whole Foods through the 26th and at Vitamin Cottage through the 30th. Here's what's looking good to me now.

Sprouts will hold a special 48 hour sale for tomorrow and Friday, where I'm liking sweet corn at five for $1 (at least that's something that can be enjoyed indoors), pineapples just 98 cents each, Boulder Canyon kettle cooked potato chips 99 cents for a five ounce bag, bulk mild cheddar $2.99 a pound, huge 13/15 count raw ez peel shrimp $8.99 a pound, and Maranatha almond butter amazingly low at $3.99 a 12 ounce jar. There's also a three day sausage sale, with all fresh chicken (pork also) sausage just $2.99 a pound for Friday through Sunday. That means on Friday, you get the intersection of the 48 hour sale and the sausage sale.

In Sprouts' regular sale starting today through the 27th, I'm liking pork country style or spare ribs $2.99 a pound, fresh ground chicken also $2.99 a pound, Rosie organic chicken grill packs $3.49 a pound (if the grill gets to be in use this weekend), fresh farmed salmon fillets $5.99 a pound, 21/25 count shrimp $6.99 a pound, and I'm very curious to check out how their fresh wild Alaskan halibut steaks look at $17.99 a pound UPDATE - forget that halibut comment and check out the next post about a sale at Whole Foods.

In organic produce at Sprouts, 4.4 ounce containers of blueberries are spectacular at $1.98 each, ditto re on-the-vine cluster tomatoes $1.98 a pound, some Earthbound Farm salads are $2.50 each, and red or green seedless grapes are $2.98 a pound. Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking Voskos Greek yogurts at 99 cents each, Santa Cruz lemonades just $1.25 a 32 ounce bottle, and some Annie's crackers or fruit snacks BOGO. If it were sunny and 90 degrees, all Arrowhead water at 40% off would also appeal.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

My CSA Starts This Week!

So excited that this week is the start of Red Wagon Organic Farm's CSA for the year. Here's what they're planning to have this week, always a good indicator of what you can expect to find at the Boulder Farmers' Market as well. Oh, the charming challenges of a CSA - choose a safe herb like tarragon, or go wild and figure out what to do with nettles? From Red Wagon:

We are excited to start our first week of CSA pickups!

This week we hope to bring you:

Regular Share
Egyptian Walking Onions
Hakueri Turnips
Choice: Lettuce OR Spinach OR Braising Mix
Choice: RR Kale OR Broccoli Raab OR Bok Choi
Easter Egg Radishes
Choice: Oregano OR Chives OR Sage OR Tarragon OR Mint OR Nettles

Large Share Additions
Rhubarb
Choose 2: Lettuce OR Spinach OR Braising Mix
Choose 2: RR Kale OR Broccoli Raab OR Bok Choi


Radishes and Turnips

Monday, May 18, 2015

Foolish Craig's Supports Greenwood

If you eat at Foolish Craig's tomorrow, a portion will go to support the wonderful Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I'd like to quote Greenwood on it, but my computer is acting wacky since installing updates, and pasting isn't working right now.
Dine Out at Foolish Craig's and Help Wildlife
On Tuesday, May 19 Foolish Craig's (1611 Pearl in  Boulder) will donate a percentage of their sales to Greenwood. They are open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner out (or all three!) and support wildlife at the same time.  
Dine Out at Foolish Craig's and Help Wildlife
On Tuesday, May 19 Foolish Craig's (1611 Pearl in  Boulder) will donate a percentage of their sales to Greenwood. They are open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner out (or all three!) and support wildlife at the same time.  
Dine Out at Foolish Craig's and Help Wildlife
On Tuesday, May 19 Foolish Craig's (1611 Pearl in  Boulder) will donate a percentage of their sales to Greenwood. They are open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner out (or all three!) and support wildlife at the same time.  Dine Out at Foolish Craig's and Help Wildlife
On Tuesday, May 19 Foolish Craig's (1611 Pearl in  Boulder) will donate a percentage of their sales to Greenwood. They are open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner out (or all three!) and support wildlife at the same time.  

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

It might be sort of a dreary weekend, but you can cheer yourself up with spring produce at the Boulder Farmers' Market today. Here's what they say you can expect to find:

In Season This Week: 

spring turnips, radishes, rhubarb, asparagus, kale, arugula, green garlic, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, spicy greens, pea shoots
, irises, allium stems, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, and herbs. More than 20 varieties of hanging flower baskets and even more locally-raised garden starts are available. All season long, you will find bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Plant Sales This Weekend

Some really good options for getting your starter plants this weekend, as the mid-May temperatures get more favorable for the kinds of things I like to plant. Growing Gardens will hold its third and last of the season weekend plant sale tomorrow and Sunday, 8 am to 4 pm at 1630 Hawthorn Avenue, including lots of organic, pollinator-friendly, and water-wise plants. The Boulder Culinary Gardener's Guild will hold a plant sale tomorrow from 8 am to 3 pm at Bickell's sheep farm, 988 75th Street, between Arapaho and Baseline on 75th. Plus don't forget all the plant starts that will be available at tomorrow's Boulder Farmers' Market.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

Just one item advertised this week for a weekend sale, tomorrow through Sunday, at Whole Foods; ICU (love that name) sunglasses and readers will be a whopping 50% off.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage through May 30th (use the post index to the left to move down to that one). Here's what's looking good to me now.

Sprouts will hold another 72 hour sale this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, during which their boneless pork loin chops (roast also) will be phenomenally low at $1.99 a pound. Previously frozen ez peel 21/25 count farmed shrimp will be $6.99 a pound, bulk pepper jack cheese will be $2.99 a pound, and 12 ounce bags of Spectrum chia seeds will be $6.99 each, among other deals. In Sprouts' regular sale lasting through May 20th, I'm liking value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (thighs also) for $1.99 a pound, fresh ground pork $2.99 a pound, their very good stuffed chicken breasts $2.99 a pound ($1 less than their usual sale price), boneless ribeye steaks $10.99 a pound, previously frozen 30/40 count farmed Peruvian sea scallops $8.99 a pound, and fresh farmed Atlantic salmon fillets $6.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, on-the-vine tomatoes are great at $1.50 a pound, green curly kale is 98 cents a bunch, and four pound bags of Valencia oranges are $2.50 each. Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking some Fage Greek yogurts $1 each, Annie's mac & cheese just $1 a box, Late July organic tortilla chips $2 a 6-ish ounce bag, some Barbara's cereals $3 a box, Terra chips $2 a 6-ish ounce bag, and there's a sale on frozen treats, with some Dreyers, Outshine, Skinny Cow and Haagen-Dazs products 35% off.

In Whole Foods' new sale through May 26th (taking us through Memorial Day), I'm liking fresh Icelandic cod at $12.99 a pound and yummy turkey cowboy burgers (beef also) $5.99 a pound. Sometimes I find they don't have the turkey ones ready in the meat case, but the meat dudes are always quick to offer to make them. Also, American Homestead Pork St. Louis-style spare ribs are $2 off at $3.99, and all yummy made in house salmon burgers are $3.99 each. I've never tried putting those salmon burgers outside on the grill, and it strikes me as a rather dicey proposition. To complete that Memorial Day bbq, Rudi's organic hot dog or hamburger buns are $3.49 a package, or to be more dainty, WFM brioche mini-sliders are $2.99 a package, and Bearitos corn chips are $2.50 a bag. Also, Crave Brothers fresh mozzarella is quite good at $6.99 for a pound, $3 off, and Unikaas Parrano cheese is $4 off at $12.99 a pound.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Cure Farm Has Tomato Baskets!

I'm so happy to see the return of the hanging cherry tomato baskets at Cure Organic Farm's farm store, newly opened for the season (closed today, but back open tomorrow). At $35, they initially struck me as kind of pricey, until I realized that would be the norm for a hanging flower basket of similar size (and these tomato baskets are big). We were without a basket last year, when their crop did not flourish to their satisfaction. But the baskets they have this year are covered with blossoms, and the one we got already has several cherry tomatoes well in the works. Why do something like this in a hanging basket? For one thing, it makes for a very different hanging basket. More importantly to us, it can be hung just out of reach of the mouths of hungry deer. We got ours at the farm store, but maybe they'll be bringing them to the Farmers' Market as well.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Basil Update

It's still a little early for putting out basil plants, since they're not good with chillier nighttime temperatures (I was reading today that those should be over 50 degrees, and this coming week is warming, but only to the mid- to upper 40s at night). But with the signage at the Pearl Street store on the giant basil plants indicating the sale would end May 13th, I planned to pick some up on my trip today, keeping them indoors until the weekend, then planting in pots that could also shelter inside if need be. But when I got to the store, I found the plants were much smaller than the ones I'd seen earlier, and also looked like something was eating them all. I opted to pass, thinking the lovely smaller organic ones from the Fresh Herb Company could be purchased later and potted at a more appropriate time, with just a little more patience applied for them to grow.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Cure Farm Store Is Open!

Good cold and snowy Mother's Day morning, Boulder. At least it looks like the sun is already trying to peek out. I'm so psyched that Cure Organic Farm's store by the farm at 75th and Valmont opened this week. All the details, including hours and what's expected to be available this week, are available at Cure's farm store page. Since they're open today, I'm planning to stop by and supplement the veggies I harvested myself at Red Wagon Organic Farm's CSA open house on Thursday. The Cure farm store is a fabulous option if you can't get to the Boulder Farmers' Market (as happened to me yesterday), or you just want to avoid the crowds there.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Don't let a slightly soggy weekend discourage you from getting your farm-fresh produce today. Here's what the Farmers' Market says to expect. Pea shoots!

In Season This Week: 

radishes, asparagus, kale, arugula, green garlic, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, spicy greens, spring turnips, pea shoots
, irises, allium stems, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, and herbs. More than 20 varieties of hanging flower baskets and even more locally-raised garden starts are available.  All season long, you will find bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

Friday, May 8, 2015

Let The Fresh Wild Salmon Season Begin!

Yahoo, the Whole Foods store on Pearl has fresh, wild salmon, and indeed, today is its first arrival. It's fresh wild Alaskan king salmon fillets, and at a kingly first day price, $34.99 a pound. Once the season starts progressing, we'll see far more reasonable options.

May 11th update - When I was there today, there was no wild fresh salmon in the fish case. It's quite early in the just-started season, so I guess availability might be spotty.

Boulder Farmers' Market One Of Best

We in Boulder already knew this, but Cooking Light has just named the Boulder Farmers' Market one of the 50 best in the country. Article from Cooking Light here. Congrats, Boulder Farmers' Market! Opening of Seeds Library Cafe and national recognition in the space of about a week, wow.

Brunch At Alfalfa's Too

The Alfalfa's stores in both Boulder and Louisville will hold a Mother's Day brunch Sunday from 7 am to noon, in which Mom eats for free from their special Housemade Mother's Day menu, with the purchase of another meal, of course. In both stores, you can also take 20% off all body care products from the Wellness Department. The Boulder store will also offer Mom complimentary Hanuman Chai from 11 am to 12:30 pm, plus entry to win two gift baskets, and a sharing of stories about Mom.

With Mother's Day and graduation on the same rainy weekend, if you didn't make a restaurant reservation a good month ago, brunch in a grocery store (see the Whole Foods options just below, too) is starting to sound pretty good.

Whole Foods' Mother's Day Brunch

The Whole Foods market on Pearl Street will offer a special brunch from 9 to 2 this Sunday the 10th for Mother's Day. Here's what they say:

Enjoy Mother's Day at your favorite grocery store with a gourmet brunch including cooked-to-order omelets, freshly squeezed OJ, and lots of other treats.

Brunch is $19.99 for adults and $12.99 for kids 12 and under. The ticket price includes: A full brunch, a rose for mom, fresh squeezed OJ and Allegro coffee, and a photo with mom in our photo booth!

This event will take place in our cafe and on the east patio, weather permitting.


Plus, now I see on FB that the Superior Whole Foods is planning a brunch at 11.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Postal Service Food Drive Saturday

Long time readers (thank you!) know that I am a big fan of efforts to collect food for those less fortunate, and one that I suspect gets somewhat overlooked is coming up this Saturday. Once a year, our letter carriers (Postal Service term, not mine) are on the lookout for a bag of non-perishable food items placed by your mailbox, and this year's collection is this Saturday, the 9th. They ask for no glass containers and no expired items. The challenge will probably be the expectation of rain, meaning items would probably be best put in those plastic bags that nobody uses anymore. Boulderites are creative and will figure out a solution.

Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

In addition to the one-week rose sale mentioned below, Whole Foods will offer us several other special sales for this Mother's Day weekend, for tomorrow through Sunday. Quiche will be $9.99 each, $3 off, all crab legs will be $3 off, Saint Nuage cheese will be $9.99 each, $4 off, in stock cosmetics and nail care will be 25% off, and there will also be a Fair Trade sale, with details at the store.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Roses On Sale For A Week

Starting today and running through the 12th,Whole Foods' beautiful Whole Trade roses will be two dozen for $20. That's a lot of fine roses.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current one continues at Whole Foods through May 12th, and at Vitamin Cottage through May 30th. Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through the 13th, you can do a surf and turf for Mom, with bone-in New York steaks $6.99 a pound and previously frozen five ounce lobster tails $5.99 each. (Just don't count on being able to grill over the weekend, with so much rain expected.) Whole or split chickens are $1.69 a pound, all chicken sausage is $3.99 a pound, previously frozen stuffed clams, scallops or crab are $1.50 each, previously frozen wild Alaska cod fillets are $7.99 a pound, and fresh farmed salmon is also $7.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, honeydew melons are just 98 cents each, grape tomatoes are $2 a pint, and Valencia oranges are $2.50 for a four pound bag, kind of a short list on the things I like. Elsewhere in the store, I'm really liking their bulk coffee at $6.99 a pound, there's a sale on baby items (not that I need those), and gluten free "favorites" are on sale, including all Pamela's products 35% off, Blue Diamond Artisan Nut Thins $2 a box (very good for the artisan ones), and some Brown Cow yogurts 69 cents each, although that usually means the cream tops, which I don't buy. Also, they have orchids in five inch pots for $12.99 each.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Wednesday Farmers' Market Tomorrow!

The Boulder Farmers' Market cranks it up with the opening of the downtown evening market tomorrow. It's a kind of soggy week for it, but Boulderites have their rain gear, so that shouldn't bother you. Here's what the Market says:

Wednesday Night Boulder Market 
Opens Next Week 
Wednesdays 4-8pm through Oct. 7

We're thrilled to re-open the Wednesday night Boulder Farmers Market this coming week on May 6, on 13th Street between Canyon and Arapahoe. The market season will run weekly through October 7. The Wednesday night market, although in the same location, is a very different market than its Saturday sister; it is more intimate and less crowded, with a local beer garden and variations in the vendors who attend. 

This year's lineup will include 21 farms and ranches and 29 locally packaged and prepared food vendors, including baked goods, cheeses, kombucha, salsa, nut butter, granola, and specialty sauces. The market will highlight a rotating cast of local breweries in its beer garden, which will be over twice the size this year. The market will be partnering with Sanitas Brewing, FATE Brewing, Boulder Beer, and Left Hand Brewing. The Wednesday night Boulder market will host several special events this year, including the Kale Festival on June 24, a Boulder Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event on July 15, and children's programs. 

The Wednesday night Longmont Farmers Market, heading into its second season, will reopen on June 3, on 5th Avenue between Main Street and Kimbark.  

Monday, May 4, 2015

Time To Get Planting!

At least judiciously, since there's still the possibility of frost despite our recent warm temperatures. Many thanks to reader Gina for cluing me in to the Growing Gardens plant sale, which will be happening next weekend and the following one (in addition to one just past) at the Growing Gardens Greenhouse, 1630 Hawthorn Avenue, 8 am to 4 pm. You can get all the details here, including that the organic tomatoes will be in biodegradable pots!

What's In Your Shrimp?

Read at your peril, if you in fact don't want to know. The new (June already) issue of Consumer Reports features a major study of shrimp, researching all the key issues: purity (bacteria, antibiotics, chemicals etc., and the news is largely not good), wild vs. farmed, fresh vs. frozen, environmental impacts, and the like. In a quick read, my takeaway was that to the extent I can afford it, I'll start spending extra to get that Whole Foods Market Responsibly Farmed label. Other labels to look for are Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and Naturland. You can read the Consumer Reports article here (note you have to go page by page at the bottom - it doesn't scroll the whole way), or jump to the label summary of what you can and can't trust, at least in terms of farmed shrimp. For an in-depth treatment, you can read Consumer Reports' full report of research on which the article was based, as well as their recommendations to the FDA from their findings. As always, the dilemma of quality vs. cost, but my eyes will be open wider now.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

It should be a lovely morning for today's Boulder Farmers' Market, 8 to 2 for the one in downtown, with just a small chance of showers later this afternoon, a nice change after yesterday's hail. Hope it's right, as we're trying to fit in some grilling this evening. Spring continues to flow from the fields, with wonderful greens, pea shoots, green garlic and the like. Here's what the Farmers' Market says to expect today:

In Season This Week: 

arugula, green garlic, spring onions, radishes, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, spicy greens, turnips, pea shoots
, irises, tulips, allium stems, asparagus, greenhouse tomatoes, and greenhouse cucumbers. Herbs available will include freshly cut basil, chives, sorrel, mint, and cilantro. Hanging flower baskets and a wide variety of locally-raised garden starts are available. All season long, you will find eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, and mushrooms. 

Friday, May 1, 2015

Taco Throwdown In Progress

At the Whole Foods on Pearl Street until 6 pm today. I stumbled upon it while shopping, a huge four-sided exhibit with two or three choices on each side to sample, they you get to vote for your favorite. They used to put this stuff on their calendar on the web, but that hasn't happened in quite a while (calendar currently says no events scheduled this month). Events do sometimes make it to Facebook, but I'm not such a regular there.

Return Of The Giant Basil Plants

They're baaack. Yesterday the Whole Foods on Pearl Street had huge organic basil plants, plus they're on sale for $6.99 a pot through May 13th. We're having really mild weather, but I think I'll wait till a little closer to the end of the sale to pick mine up. Although a pot can be dragged back inside if a cold night threatens (and it doesn't have to be a frost - basil is sensitive to cool temperatures), the memory is still fresh for me of the year I had a giant basil sheltering inside, and a stack of newspapers waiting to be recycled slid out and crushed the poor thing. But anyway, pesto is already on my mind, and these plants are so big, you can essentially start harvesting from them right away if you can't resist.