Independently owned, organic grocery store. Our Annex serves prepared foods and offers a selection of wine and beer. Our florists are here to help you with fresh local cuts and dried bouquets.
Pancakes make me feel like it’s a special occasion…but perhaps that’s silly. When I make the batter ahead of time, it’s super easy to cook up some pancakes any day of the week for breakfast or an afternoon snack. To make it a healthier treat, I top it with plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey, nuts and fruit (fresh, dried or preserved).
Here’s my go-to recipe:
The smell of basil is a sure sign of summer.
It’s that time of year when “cooking” gets easier because you don’t really have to cook!
The veggies, herbs and fruits are so stellar in their raw form that minimal preparation is necessary.
Ingredients list (enough for four adults)
Basil – one bunch
Tomatoes – 4 medium to large tomatoes (Romas or Heirlooms)
Cherry tomatoes – one basket
Avocado – 4 medium sized avocados. Select the ones that have just a little give when pressed gently.
Shallot – one
Garlic – one head (although you only need one tiny bit of one clove)
Acme baguette – one (sweet or sourdough depending on your preference)
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt
Preparation:
Dressing first (that way the flavors meld while you cut the produce):
Dice the shallot and throw it into a jar (with a lid).
Throw in a pinch of salt (don’t be too shy with your pinch)
Add 2/3 of a cup of olive oil and 1/3 of a cup red wine vinegar. You may have some left over dressing with this quantity. Just store it in the fridge and temper it next time you are making a salad!
Shake the mixture and let it sit.
Salad:
Cut the large tomatoes into bit size pieces
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half
Cut the avocados in bite size pieces (same as tomatoes)
Put all ingredients in a bowl. Mix together with fingers (try not to crush the avocados)
Break the basil leaves off one at a time (leaving the stem behind). You should use about five plentiful stems of basil*. Then break each leaf into pieces. Be gentle so as not to bruise the basil.
Re shake the dressed, and then mix it in…use as much as you think is necessary for great flavor.
Cut the baguette into pieces, toast lightly in the oven or toaster. While it’s still hot, take one pealed clove of garlic cut in half and rub the crumb side of the bread with the garlic. Then take olive oil and drizzle over the top. Finish with salt (to taste).
If you eat cheese and cold cuts of meat, have some on the side. If not, enjoy this salad as a great vegan salad. It’s one of our favorite summer dishes.
*If the basil bunch was more than five stems, store the rest (unwashed) wrapped in a damp paper towel or cloth in the produce drawer of your fridge.
We wait patiently every year for the Frog Hollow flat bed truck to pull into our driveway with stacks of perfectly ripe, organic apricots, peaches, plums, pluots and nectarines.
Frog Hollow is a family run farm in Brentwood, California. Not only to they grow impeccable, tree-ripened produce, they also make amazing conserves (with low added sugar), tasty (and pure) olive oil and dried fruits.
Swing by either market to buy their most seasonal fruits!
We choose our business relationships carefully. The folks at Hummingbird Wholesale live and breath values that align with our own. Headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, they serve their immediate area on down to us folks in Northern California. We are lucky to be within their distribution territory because they bring delicious, organic bulk products at competitive prices. Look for a list of products we carry from them below! Their philosophy about business is to be like a hummingbird. This beautiful and poetic entry from their website describes the metaphor in more detail.
Sustainability at Hummingbird Wholesale
by Julie and Charlie Tilt
What if, like the hummingbird, all people would sip the nectar of the earth without harming the flower? Is it possible? At Hummingbird we know it is possible, and we will never give up until this vision comes to fruition.
We can enjoy the sweetness of the harvest and the delicious nourishment of the earth while remembering to be grateful, and taking only our share. We honor the earth’s abundance through doing good work with the energy we receive from its sustenance. We are focused: with adroit maneuvering we extract the flower’s nectar in a manner that ensures the flower remains for others to be nourished. We share in the delight of its beauty, now and into the future.
We grow ourselves in collaboration with others, in service to the community. Our work at Hummingbird is essentially love in action. We use our willpower, along with positive thought and actions, to move the world into a sustaining momentum. We humbly learn from our mistakes, laugh at ourselves, and respect the different opinions of others. We do this with an attitude of joy and reverence; aware of the mystery and grandeur of the planet we all steward.
The hummingbird is a tiny little creature, and we recognize that the fragility and workings of the complex interaction of humans in nature is dependent on the smallest of things: the birds and the bees and the earthworms. We strive in every action to enhance the existence of all creatures with our caring attention.
We never give up, and remain positive despite any obstacles. We take 100% responsibility for our lives and our future. We feel complete and whole in relationship to our world. Our hearts are filled with love from our good and courageous deeds every day.
At Hummingbird, we model a business continually striving to deepen our understanding of sustainability by improving our systems to reflect these values. We represent positive change for a hopeful future for all beings.
Hummingbird Wholesale
Find these products in our bulk section:
Michigan Tart cherries dry organic
Regional Snack Blend organic
Granola- Bucky’s Raw Hazelnut organic
Granola- Higher Power GRAWnola organic unswtned
Nutritional Yeast organic
NUTS Tamari Almonds organic
NUTS Hazelnuts organic
NUTS Sprouted Mixed Nuts and Seeds organic
Pumpkin Seeds Oregon grown organic
TRAIL MIX – Northwest Blend w/cinnamon organic
Persimmons dry organic
Blueberries dry organic
Pear slices dry organic
Peaches slices dry organic
Bing cherries dry organic seasonal
Cocktail Grapefruits are not just for cocktails even tho’ they are virtuous in that regard! Their deep, super-saturated yellow tender flesh is amazingly buttery for a grapefruit—who would have thought a grapefruit could be so likable. Let Jimmy Cagney (film actor of the mid 20th Century) smash it in my face: I’m just gonna eat it. For the month of January these gems are on sale for $1.99/lb—IF supplies last! That brings up a sad anticipation: all these cold rains and frosts have “done a job” on satsuma mandarins in particular—it’ll be a short reason for them. Their rinds got waterlogged, swelled those tissues, and rot followed. Large swathes of carrot plantings got swept away in torrential floods; supply went to near nil, and prices shot up.
Meanwhile, it’s still a good idea to cook (tender and ready for a puree) Gold Beets–then blend them seamlessly in with mashed Russet or Gold Potatoes. Yum. This also applies to Parsnips (you’d be surprised), Rutabagas (maybe even more surprised), or Turnips, especially the tender mild white “Tokyo” varietals. Or you can roast some Honeygold potatoes, along with any and all the roots aforementioned, in the pan under the rack which has the turkey and duck parts basting and savor-izing/umami-izing the roots & potatoes below. Don’t be afraid of that fat! For most people in those amounts with those vegetables, it’ll metabolize grandly, actually helping “burn” those potato carbs. Next day, you’ll wake up refreshed and energized, with the joyful ennui of a tasty meal’s memories curling the corners of your mouth.
Health professionals loathe to tell you to take-up drinking wine, if you don’t already, but are happy to say that one-to-two glasses with such a meal, (studies continue to say), would be just swell for you and your moderate drinking guests. This author found Sierra Nevada Brewing Co’s “Celebration Ale”, to cut through the roast-pan gravied aspect of the above roots-meal suggestion, clearing the pallet for a fresh sensation of the next bite, its effervescence and vegetal hops dancing around the Parsnips, and oh, the Brussels Sprouts (forgot to mention those above). That beer will disappear soon, so experience it ASAP if you at all tolerate IPAs.
ook “Silent Spring,” written in 1962 by Rachel Carson (1907-1964) may be one of the most important warnings against the use of agricultural pesticides and herbicides written in the 20th century. She was one of the first to question man’s inclination to control nature and decide who and what dies and when. Through story telling and scientific research, Carson showed that all biological systems are dynamic and that interfering with synthetic chemicals would cause problems elsewhere. The stories told in Carson’s book catalog the complicated consequences of what has become known as conventional farming. Those stories are why we (The Natural Grocery Company) have been committed to buying organic products for decades. We support agricultural practices that foster the brief picture of life painted in her stories before the advent of chemical additions. That life is bucolic, serene, abundant, healthy, green and ever-changing. In the pages leading up to her story, Carson includes the following quote. It is an important one to remember.
Carson’s passionate concern in Silent Spring is with the future of the planet and all life on Earth. She calls for humans to act responsibly, carefully, and as stewards of the living earth.
Additionally Silent Spring suggested a needed change in how democracies and liberal societies operated so that individuals and groups could question what their governments allowed others to put into the environment. Far from calling for sweeping changes in government policy, Carson believed the federal government was part of the problem. She admonished her readers and audiences to ask “Who Speaks, And Why?” and therein to set the seeds of social revolution. She identified human hubris and financial self-interest as the crux of the problem and asked if we could master ourselves and our appetites to live as though we humans are an equal part of the earth’s systems and not the master of them.
Winter Vegetables. Dark greens, brilliant whites and yellow flowers…nature offers up all the flavors and vitamins necessary to get you through the cold months of November through February. Brassicas are widely available at this time of year.
Members of brassica commonly used for food include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
Brassica vegetables are highly regarded for their nutritional value. They provide high amounts of vitamin C and soluble fiber. They also contain multiple nutrients with potent anticancer properties. Researchers at UC Berkeley discovered that some of the properties in Brassica vegetables have a potent modulator of the innate immune response systems with potent antiviral, antibacterial and anticancer activity. In addition to amazing restorative powers, Brassicas are tasty. Check out the links for some great recipes below.
Broccoli Recipes: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/popular-ingredients/broccoli-recipes
Happy Winter Eating!
