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 31st. Here's what's looking good to me now.

In Sprouts' new sale through May 7th, 30-40 count Peruvian sea scallops (good for chowders) are back at $6.99 a pound, boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders are okay at $2.99 a pound (at least it doesn't specify value pack, so presumably smaller quantities are available at this price), three types of chicken sausage are $2.99 a pound, stuffed chicken breasts are $3.99 a pound (although the sale price used to be $1 lower), fresh ground chicken, pork or chicken breast are all good at $2.99 a pound, and fresh farmed salmon fillets are $9.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, I'm pleased to see on-the-vine cluster tomatoes for $1.98 a pound, Italian squash (think zucchini) at $1.48 a pound, D'Anjou or Packham pears both $1.48 a pound, cantaloupes or honeydew melons both 88 cents a pound, and one pound clamshells of strawberries just $2.98 each. I rarely buy conventional produce, but corn fiend that I am, I'm taking note of sweet white corn at five for $1 (have to get my fix, since we won't see local corn from Munson's until July). Also, Sprouts typically does a fire sale on conventional avocados during the week including Cinco de Mayo, so avocado fans will be disappointed to find no conventional avocados being advertised this week (organic ones are 98 cents each). Elsewhere in the store, Cinco de Mayo does crop up with selected Fiesta Favorites 25% off (the picture includes items like Hatch enchilada sauce and Green Mountain Gringo salsa), and my favorite Ezekiel 4:9 bread is very good at $3.49 a loaf.

In Whole Foods' new sale through May 13th, fresh Icelandic cod fillets (yup, fresh) look very tempting at $12.99 a pound, baby back pork ribs are $3 off at $5.99 a pound, and top round steaks are $3.50 off at $4.49 a pound, but their very good lobster tails have been lower than the current sale price of $7.50 each, although that's still in the running. Conventional Hass avocados are $1.50 each, and my guess is they're considerably larger than the 98 cent organic ones at Sprouts (avocados are one of the few produce items I'll buy in conventional). Also "rough cut," whatever that is, artichokes are $2.50 each, and again, Whole Foods' artichokes tend to be quite large. I'm also liking Stonyfield Farm Greek yogurts at $1.25 each, although last week's unadvertised sale on Brown Cow Greeks was even better, Cascadian Farm cereals $3 a box, Uniekaas Parrano $4 off at $12.99 a pound, and for a celebration, Whole Foods' own excellent large fresh fruit tarts are $6 off at $19.99 each.

Looks Like No Wednesday Sale Today

Whole Foods typically does a one-day sale on Wednesdays, but it looks like there won't be one today, at least in what they've posted online. You never know what you might find when you walk in the store, though.

Kentucky Derby Galloping Up On Us

The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, May 3rd already. If you like to celebrate with a party (at least it's an excuse to drink mint juleps), Epicurious has you covered with its Kentucky Derby guide. You can also check out the Plan Your Party section of the Derby's official website; in addition to recipes, it provides advice regarding party supplies and the ever important fashion component. I've never thrown a Derby party myself, but so miss the ones our Louisville ( in Kentucky - not the Louisville five miles from Boulder) friends Kathy and Dennis used to dazzle us with during their several-year stay in Colorado.

Going With A CSA

As previously mentioned, I've been angsting about whether to take the plunge and sign up for a CSA this year, knowing full well not having control over the veggies coming into my house will wreak havoc on my control-freak psyche (tendency to plan well might put it more gently). But Red Wagon Organic Farm, one of my favorite local farms in any case, has a CSA option that's simply irresistible. Of their several pickup options, one of them is at a location and time that simply could not be more convenient for me. Moreover, they even offer an every other week option, so I can take a half plunge this year to test it out. We'll see how this plays out. Intensive planning and reliance on recipes mark me as a totally ineffectual cook, so maybe improvising with whatever arrives will turn me into the next Julia Child. Yeah, right.

A New Book For The Literary Foodie

When reading a book, do the scenes with food remain as memories to haunt you? Gruel in Dickens? The cheese sandwich in Catcher in the Rye? Then a new book just out by Dinah Fried might be just the thing for you. Fictitious Dishes: An Album of Literature's Most Memorable Meals pairs beautifully staged photos of memorable literary meals with text to put them into their written and historical contexts. See how many speak to you.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Just a quick reminder that we have the Boulder Farmers' Market downtown today from 8 am to 2 pm. Spring greens, prepared foods, probably plant starters, and who knows what else to brighten your day. But if driving, beware the parking situation. The municipal lots one block east of the market have always been challenging anyway, and last week I found it has gotten all that much worse as the middle lot has been ripped out for some sort of construction. Best to head to the city's garages, or even better, just bike up the creek path.

Earth Day Celebration In Superior

A little after the official day, although every day should be Earth Day, the Whole Foods store in Superior will host an Earth Day celebration tomorrow. Here's what they say, with apologies about its cutting off on the right:

-

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

• print

SATURDAY, APRIL 26TH

12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
SUPERIOR WHOLE FOODS MARKET, FREE

Saturday, April 26

12:00pm-3:00pm

Earth Day Celebration

Free [lunch $5.00 per plate]

Parents, kids and friends join us at the Superior Whole Foods Market and celebrate Earth Day. We will have live music, outdoor grilling featuring Sustainable Fish Tacos, grilled local hot dogs, a climbing wall, bee box building, plant seeds in compost to replant at home, compost give a way and more.

The Complexity Of Planning A Week Of Dinners

I've been thinking about my habit of planning out a week of dinners at a time, and there are just so many variables that influence the process. So many in fact, that I decided to liberate myself from it this week! But really, think about all the factors that go into a well-formed week of dinner plans.

1) Variety in the proteins - a mix of fish, poultry, and protein-rich vegetarian dishes, with some pork or beef making an occasional appearance.

2) Variety in the starches - should it be rice? pasta? potatoes? quinoa? some new au courant grain? Or skip it entirely in favor of protein and veggies?

3) What's seasonal - a particularly driving factor in the produce choices.

4) What are the healthy options - always looking for choices maximizing veggies, fish and poultry, and minimizing most pre-processed foods.

5) What do we just plain feel like? - that visceral reaction that sometimes overrules item 4.

6) What's a good deal at the moment - given how complicated the above variables are, this can be the driving factor to simplify it all, and in produce, the good prices usually coincide with item 3 for seasonality. It's why I started looking to Boulder's natural sales to begin with for my planning process, as they inherently help to channel my thinking to make the other choices above a little easier. Still, it's a complicated and under-appreciated process!

Still Searching For The Perfect Pepper Grinder

If anybody has a suggestion for a brand of pepper (salt too) mill that they really like, I would just love to know. I used to have one, surprisingly a cheap acrylic thing of unknown brand given to me long ago. It might have been cheap, but that grinder could navigate any size grind from the finest bits to big coarse cracks of pepper. Sadly, after many years of faithful service, it cracked its last pepper when the grinder itself cracked in half.

Not being particularly attractive, that grinder was confined to kitchen use, while a succession of Peugeot mills has adorned the dining table. I've always heard that Peugeot is the best, and while mine have always done well for fine to medium grinds, I've never been able to get a good coarse grind out of one. Seeking advice, I actually asked some time ago at the legendary Paris cooking supply store frequented by Julia Child, E. Dehillerin, and was told again that Peugeot is the only way to go.

So when I needed a new grinder set for the kitchen recently, I decided to experiment with going cheaper again, given the success of that original acrylic one of unknown brand. I picked up salt and pepper grinders by Cole & Mason, a British brand, that were quite inexpensive at Bed, Bath and Beyond (of course using their ubiquitous coupon with the expiration date they never care about). My new grinders can crack up a storm of coarse grinds, but I haven't been able to get them to deliver a fine one. At least now, between the Peugeot and the Cole & Mason, I can get the full spectrum from coarse to fine, but I'd so love to find that in just one grinder, like my faithful old acrylic one used to do.

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

I'm not familiar with these supplements, but here's the news from Whole Foods: