This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

Good crazy Wednesday morning in GOP debate-driven Boulder. The good news is that my outdoor plants have escaped last night's frost that came so close, so we've made it all the way to the end of October. In any case, there's a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current one continues at Whole Foods through November 3rd and at Vitamin Cottage through this Saturday, the 31st. Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through November 4th, pork baby back ribs are $2.79 a pound, all chicken sausage is $3.99 a pound, fresh ground chicken is $2.99 a pound, and Rosie organic whole chickens are also $2.99 a pound. In fish, previously frozen wild Alaskan cod fillets are $7.99 a pound, and I continue to be mystified by fresh wild Pacific salmon fillets, now $4.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, pints of grape tomatoes are $2.50 each, but that's all that's listed for the veggie side. Organic raspberries or blackberries are $2.88 for a six-ish ounce container, red green or black seedless grapes are $2.88 a pound, and Granny Smith or Lady in Red apples are both 98 cents a pound. In conventional produce, asparagus at $1.88 a pound and Hass avocados 48 cents each are of note. Elsewhere in the store, all frozen pizza is 50% off, some snacks are 25% off, some Voskos Greek yogurts are 99 cents each, two count packages of Justin's peanut butter cups are $1 each (nice choice if you want to be really good to your trick or treaters), and 10 types of fresh catering trays are 25% off.  Also of note, some of my fave Giovanni 2 Chic hair care products are 25% off, and lots of the packages are also sporting a $2 off coupon.

First Bite Boulder Coming Up

First Bite Boulder, that fun time where over 40 Boulder-area restaurants offer three course dinners for just $29 per person (and a few at just $18), will be coming up shortly, from November 13th through the 21st. It's a popular event, so it pays to make reservations at your favorite places early, before they're totally booked. You can read the details and peruse the restaurants' special menus for this event here.

Sprouts' Immune System Webinar

Sprouts will be hosting a Wellness Webinar this Thursday, the 29th, this time on Defend Your Health With A Strong Immune System, presented by Janet Little. You can read all the details from Sprouts and register here.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

And only five more left of them for the year! Enjoy the lovely, dried out weather to gather some fall produce, and note that it need not be all hard squash - things like arugula and even tomatoes are still available too. Here's what the Farmers' Market says to expect:

cauliflower, tomatoes (yes, tomatoes still!), pumpkin, delicata, butternut squash, acorn squash, carrots, onions, Brussels sprouts, apples, peppers, beets, eggplant, potatoes, kale, turnips, radishes, chard, arugula, celery, lettuce and sunflowers. 

Turkeys At Vitamin Cottage

Time to start thinking about Thanksgiving already. Vitamin Cottage is taking reservations for Mary's fine turkeys (non-GMO, no antibiotics or ionophores, free-range, and the list goes on and on). A $5.00 deposit is required to reserve your deep chilled turkey, and here's their pricing:

Mary's free range turkeys - $2.79 a pound,

Mary's organic turkeys - $4.29 a pound,

Mary's heritage turkeys - $6.99 a pound,

Mary's organic bone-in turkey breasts - $7.99 a pound.

They're also offering Mary's free range geese for $7.99 a pound.

My Last CSA Pickup For The Year

It had to come eventually. This week is my final CSA pickup from Red Wagon Organic Farm for the year. They did a spectacular job working their butts off to bring us beautiful organic produce choices in such a difficult growing year. Here are the offerings in the final pickup, and I'm looking forward to next year!

Early Morning Frosty Tuscan Kale

It’s the last CSA pick up and it’s an all veggie shares pick up:
Weekly, Biweekly A and Biweekly B

Regular Share
-Winter Squash
-Onions
-Choice: Lettuce OR Arugula
-Choice: Potatoes OR Tomatoes OR Mixed Peppers
-Choice: Carrots OR Beets OR Hakurei Turnips
-Choice: Red Russian Kale OR Bok Choi OR Chard OR Mustard Greens OR Collard Greens OR Leeks

Large Share Additions
-Cauliflower
-Choice: Sunchokes OR Parsnips

Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a quartet of special sales, one for tomorrow only, and the other three lasting through the weekend. For tomorrow only, shucked oysters will once again be $1 each. For tomorrow through Sunday, the 23rd through 25th, 31/40 count cooked shrimp will be $9.99 a pound (shrimp cocktail time!), Long Clawson Cotswold cheese (one of my faves) will be $12.99 a pound, and all hair color will be 30% off.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

Good soggy, rainy morning Boulder. Isn't the rain a nice, much needed change for a bit? Anyway, we have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current ones continue at Whole Foods through November 3rd and at Vitamin Cottage through October 31st (look several posts below for those). Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through October 28th (Halloween in a little more than a week!), value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are $1.88 a pound, boneless pork loin chops (roast also) are $2.99 a pound, whole or split fresh chickens are $1.69 a pound, their very good stuffed chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound, and Italian chicken sausage (pork also) are $3.99 a pound. In fish, fresh farmed Atlantic salmon fillets can be had for $5.99 a pound, and two pound bags of frozen farmed raw ez peel 16/20 count shrimp are $15.98 each (effectively $7.99 a pound in that two pound bag).

In organic produce at Sprouts, green curly, Lacinato or red Russian kale are all 98 cents a bunch, table carrots are $2.98 for a five pound bag, red Delicious apples are just 98 cents a pound, and red seedless grapes are $1.88 each. For fans of conventional asparagus, the good news is that it's $1.98 a pound this week, a little higher than last week's stunning price that should last through today, but still very good.

Elsewhere in the store, the Vitamin & Body Care Extravaganza has returned, with everything in stock in that department 25% off regular retail. Time to stock up on favorites that otherwise don't go on sale. I'm also liking some Noosa yoghurts $1.50 for eight ounces, and some Alexia potatoes BOGO. Last but definitely not least, through the 28th, when you check out at Sprouts, you can round up your purchase to the nearest dollar to support Vitamin Angels, an organization that provides vitamins to at-risk children.

Spooky Foods For Halloween

Halloween will be here before we know it, and with considerable rain and much cooler temperatures expected for tomorrow, it's time to get in the mood. If you are looking for culinary inspiration that goes beyond bags of candy, here are a few guides to help you out: How to Fearlessly Host Halloween from Epicurious, Scary-Good Halloween Recipes from Cooking Light, and "Devil" Foods for Halloween from Food and Wine magazine. Boo.

Oatmeal Steal At Whole Foods

First it was coffee, now Whole Foods has moved on to hot oatmeal. I saw a sandwich board outside the Pearl Street Whole Foods store proclaiming eight ounces of oatmeal for just 25 cents before 10 am. I think the special runs through October 27th, and might be at other stores as well.