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10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
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10387 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
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1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
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Home / Archives for Blog

Organic Cilantro

May 12, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Season: Cilantro is grown year-round in Northern California.

History: It’s not an exaggeration to say that cilantro is an oldie but goodie. The wispy green-leafed herb known to much of the English-speaking world as coriander is thought to be among the first group of domesticated plants, dating to the 6th millennium. Beloved worldwide, both cilantro and its dried coriander seed are seasoning staples of countless cuisines and historically revered for their medicinal properties.

Flavor: As anyone who’s ever tasted cilantro will tell you, the flavor (and often the aroma) of fresh cilantro is unforgettable and unlike anything else — where musky meets citrus — a flavor profile that you either love or hate. When shopping, look for leaves that are dry and free of dark green goop, which tends to accumulate around the stems when cilantro is ready for the compost bin. No yellowing or wilted leaves, which are signs of decay. Fresh bunches should smell bright and citrusy, not moldy or dusty.

Storage: Keep fresh cilantro refrigerated, standing upright in a tall glass, like a bouquet of flowers, and loosely cover with a plastic bag. Cilantro is perishable and will quickly break down. Storing it in the crisper in a plastic bag will show just how fast it can turn to mush.

How to use: You can stir cilantro into a pot of black beans, garnish a veggie stir-fry, or to give a Thai edge to cut-up pineapple, mango or even cucumber. For even more kicks, throw in a handful of chopped peanuts, a splash of soy sauce and some fresh minced chile pepper.

You can use a food processor to grind cilantro leaves, after they’ve been washed and squeezed dry, to add to soups or as a garnish. If you prep a large bunch of cilantro this way, you can then freeze it in an ice cube tray and save for later use.

Nutrition: Cilantro covers the bases for several nutrients, including calcium, potassium, iron, Vitamins A, E and K and folate.

Filed Under: Blog

May 2022 Sales Flyer

May 2, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

2022 05 May Sales Flyer

Filed Under: Blog

Live Music at The Annex – Rebecca Kleinmann May 4, 2022

April 29, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022 we will be welcoming the Rebecca Kleinman Trio to The Annex from 5-7:30pm
The Rebecca Kleinmann Brazilian Trio consists of:
Rebecca Kleinmann , flutes and vocals
Brian Moran , guitar
Will Martins , percussion
Weaving between Brazilian Jazz, Choro, Baião and Originals, Rebecca’s Brazilian trio delights audiences with their playful virtuosity and creativity.
https://rebeccakleinmann.com
Presented in partnership with
Modupue Productions ( Javier Navarrette)
Music at Sunjams ( Amer Budayr)
#Nieghborhoodworldmusicsesdions #bayarea #brazil #bayarea #samba #choro #ELCERRITO #theannex

Filed Under: Blog

Organic Sugar Snap Peas

April 21, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Season: Snow peas are cooler climate vegetables and are often planted in early spring. Snow peas can be found most easily throughout the spring, summer and even into fall in California.

Flavor: Snap peas are also known as sugar snap peas and are a cross between snow peas and garden peas. The whole pod is eaten and has a crunchy texture and very sweet flavor.

Storage: Sugar snaps should be plump and crisp (they should “snap” when you break one in half); floppy sugar snaps are a no-go. Store peas in cold refrigeration in a bag in the crisper drawer with other vegetables. Snow peas should be kept at 32-36 degrees Fahrenheit, and usually last for 1 week.

How to use: Snow peas can be eaten raw or enjoyed cooked atop rice, salads, or just as a side. Natural partners with garden peas and sugar snaps include mint, butter, cream, bacon and prosciutto, lettuce, onions (especially spring onions) and mushrooms. Snow peas and sugar snaps are at home in stir-fries, pairing beautifully with garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce; sugar snaps are also pretty excellent raw.

Nutrition: Every variety of pea is really good for you. They sort of combine the nutritional benefits of veggies with the good stuff in legumes. Garden peas are higher in calories than most other veggies and are rich in fiber and protein. They also have huge amounts of Vitamins C, A, K and folate, and are high in manganese, iron, zinc and magnesium. They even contain a little bit of calcium. Snow peas and sugar snaps have a crazy amount of Vitamin C — just one cup provides you with 128 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs. They’re also super high in Vitamins A and K and are good sources of iron and Vitamin B6.

Filed Under: Blog, Eating Well, Organic foods, Produce Notes, Stores_both

Baby Spinach

April 18, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Season: Although available year-round in California, it is naturally a cool-weather crop, which means that fall and spring are its peak seasons. It cannot tolerate extreme cold or heat.

Flavor: Raw spinach has a slightly sweet, mild, herb-like, grassy flavor that blends well into any salad or sandwich. Cooked spinach becomes tangy and slightly acidic in flavor, which most people try to mask with garlic.

Storage: Those tender leaves are vulnerable to decay. Unlike chard, kale and other green leafy friends, baby spinach will keep, at the most, for a few days in the refrigerator crisper. Moisture is a villain, so dump accumulating water from produce bags and keep it unwashed until ready to use. Pre-washed spinach in bags and containers will keep for up to a week, but that’s no reason to get complacent, check often for moisture build-up.

How to use: For salads and other raw preparations, flat-leaf spinach, or young “baby” spinach, is the perfect base.

When cooking, do you boil, or not? There are varying schools of thought on the matter.  Many cookbook authors recommend transferring just-washed spinach to a saucepan, using just the residual water that clings to the spinach leaves for a quick wilt. The argument is that fewer soluble vitamins are lost compared to spinach cooked in rapidly boiling water. But others argue that boiling helps reduce the amount of oxalic acid, which can interfere with calcium and iron absorption. After you’ve cooked it, drain the spinach, then place in a skillet with a smidge of your favorite fat — anchovies, bacon, coconut oil, chopped walnuts — for an instant layer of flavor.

But remember, spinach is more than 90 percent water and shrinks like crazy when you cook it!

Nutrition: In the nutrient department, spinach has got it all. One cup of cooked spinach contains four grams of fiber and more than five grams of protein, all clocking in at 41 calories. It is exceptionally rich in Vitamins A and K, and delivers big time in calcium, potassium, Vitamins B-2 and B-6, Vitamin C and iron. It even has those heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, plus a respectable serving of choline, a B vitamin that supports the nervous system and snuffs out inflammation. It’s also loaded with disease-fighting phytonutrients called carotenoids that are being studied for their links to cancer prevention.

The caveats: Oxalates, which may be an issue for people with kidney or gall bladder conditions; and purines, which can contribute to excess buildup of uric acid, a potential issue with anyone suffering from gout. In addition, the amount of oxalic acid in spinach is enough to interfere with the calcium benefits from spinach. Consult your medical provider for further details.

Filed Under: Blog, Eating Well, Organic foods, Produce Notes, Stores_both

Neighborhood World Music Sessions at The Annex 4/20/2022

April 15, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

This Is Not to be Missed!
‘Neighborhood World Music Sessions at The Annex’ Presents

Afro Peruvian Jazz with The David Pinto Trio!


David Pinto – bass
Juan Medrano Cotito  – cajon, vocal
Jonathan Alford – keys
5-7:30pm

Filed Under: Blog

Organic Pineapple

April 11, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Season: Although available year-round, pineapples from the Western Hemisphere are at their peak from March through June. Our pineapples are coming from Costa Rica

Flavor: Pineapple is one of those fruits that just reminds you of all things tropical. Really ripe pineapple is incredibly sweet and fruity, tasting something like a marriage of citrus and apple. There’s a tang to pineapple that may be relatively absent from the ripest fruit and bolder in less ripe pineapples. It’s like the tang of an orange, zesty and bright.

Storage: Many pineapple lovers prefer to keep it at room temperature until ready to carve, but there’s no harm in keeping it chilled, either. On the one hand, a pineapple on the kitchen counter will perfume the room; on the other hand, it will decompose much more quickly than if stored in the refrigerator.

Once peeled and trimmed, fresh pineapple must be stored in the refrigerator where it will keep for three to five days in an airtight container.

How to use: Raw pineapple isn’t just for brunch buffet fruit salad anymore; it loves to play with savory ingredients, including herbs, chiles, garlic, fish sauce and lime.

Cooked pineapple delivers a very different flavor profile. Its acidity mellows significantly, and the natural sugars really get a chance to shine.

Don’t throw out the skins: Underneath the scratchy surface, there’s enough pineapple-y goodness to make juice, vinegar or a fermented beer-like brew. In Mexico, that brew is called tepache.

Nutrition: One cup of raw pineapple offers more than the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C (105 percent). It’s also rich in manganese and Vitamin B1, all of which offer antioxidant protection and immune support. A good source of fiber and folate, pineapple is also a unique source of bromelain, a protein-digesting (and tenderizing) enzyme with potential anti-inflammatory benefits.

Filed Under: Antioxidants, Blog, Eating Well, Organic foods, Produce Notes, Stores_both

Organic Ataulfo Mango

April 8, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Season: Peak season in Mexico is March to July.

History: The Ataulfo is a cultivar originally from Mexico. That’s where ours are coming from. Mangoes came to Mexico from Brazil via Portuguese travelers who brought the tropical fruit to South America in the 1700s. Though the Spanish may have also brought mangoes with them to Mexico a century earlier. The Ataulfo mango was the result of cross-pollination by several varieties (including an Indian variety) in the southern Soconusco region of Mexico in the state of Chiapas, on the border of Guatemala. They were named for grower Ataulfo Morales Gordillo. The sweet mangos are grown primarily in Southern and Central Mexico, with Chiapas being the top producer.

Flavor: It’s one of the smoothest-eating varieties of mango and doesn’t have the fibrous texture found in other types. When ripe, it will be soft to the touch (and possibly even wrinkled). The fruit will have a velvety texture and a sweet mango taste.

Storage: Do not refrigerate mangoes! Keep them at room temperature. If you only want to eat half, cut and score the remaining half, remove from the skin and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a few days.

How to use: Ataulfo mangos make excellent sorbet, jams, tarts and chutneys. Try adding mango cubes to pancakes, muffins and waffles. Sauteed mango is a great accompaniment to poultry and roasted meats. Pureed mango makes a great addition to smoothies, juices, ice cream and curries.

Mango salsa is another great way to use it; chop it up and mix with classic salsa ingredients like cilantro, red onion, lime juice and garlic.

Nutrition: If you’re looking for a source of Vitamin A and its antioxidant companion beta-carotene, you’re in the right place. The mango is also rich in Vitamin C and a respectable source of fiber as well as potassium – in fact, it actually beats the banana in the potassium contest.

Filed Under: Antioxidants, Blog, Eating Well, Organic foods, Produce Notes, Stores_both

April 2022 Sales Flyer

April 1, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

2022 04 April Sales Flyer

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Stores_both

Organic Asparagus (Green)

March 26, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Organic Asparagus (green)

Season: Grown in California! February to June

Flavor: Its flavor is mildly sulphuric, mostly sweet and slightly nutty, more-so when grilled.

Storage: Store asparagus in a bag in the refrigerator, preferably in the crisper between 32 and 36 degrees F. Properly stored asparagus can last between 1 and 2 weeks. Things can go downhill for asparagus pretty rapidly, especially the tips, so try to eat it as soon as possible. If you must wait, you can preserve your spring-y bounty by trimming the ends of the stalks and standing the bunch (still bound together — if you bought them loose, then tie them up for balance) in a cup of water in the refrigerator.

How to use: Some people peel asparagus, but unless you are dealing with exceptionally woody stalks, it is generally unnecessary. However, you absolutely should trim the end of each spear. The question is, how much should you trim before preparing? This tip takes the guesswork out of trimming: Grasp a stalk with one hand around the root end at its furthest point, and the other about mid-way down the stalk and gently bend. Wherever it breaks is where it should be trimmed to.

Don’t be afraid of Jumbo/XL/Large Asparagus! Fat asparagus is actually more tender than thin. Each stalk has the same amount of support fibers, so Large Asparagus stalk has more flesh in between those fibers.

The most important thing — by far — about preparing asparagus is not to overcook it. It is delicious raw, shaved or sliced quite thin, steamed or roasted or grilled (which enhances its nutty flavor).

Nutrition: Like most green vegetables, asparagus is good for you. Among its healthful properties are folate, Vitamin C, potassium, inulin (which is said to be “prebiotic” and is known to aid in digestion), anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and possibly anti-cancer effects. Asparagus has also been used medicinally as a laxative, and its cooking water has been used as a wash to treat acne.

Filed Under: Antioxidants, Blog, Organic foods, Produce Notes, Stores_both

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10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
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10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
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1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
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