Last week we had a little visit from WRIC TV8 where they asked us a simple question, “How do you save money on organics?” Here’s what we had to say:

1. Buy foods that are local and in season: When you purchase local and in season foods, you’re getting these items at their peak freshness and seasonal availability. Prices on foods that are in season tend to be much cheaper than buying foods out of season. When you add in the local factor, you end up not having to pay extra for transportation costs and you’re keeping money in your local economy.

2. Buy in bulk: Buying in bulk saves you money because you have the ability to get the exact amount you need. You’re also not paying the extra costs of packaging which saves much more than money. Buying in bulk creates far less waste than packaged foods, keeping plastics and materials out of the landfill. We also give a 10-cent container credit when you bring in your own empty container for bulk purchases.

3. Shop sale prices and use coupons: Our buyers work hard to provide you with competitive prices throughout our store. Look for the big yellow sale tags that indicate specials on delicious, organic items. We also offer money-saving coupons available at our registers. Most companies also offer printable coupons online on their websites.

Until then, come by the store for some of Virginia’s finest apples from Crown Orchard, Fred Glaize Farm and more. We have some beautiful local Red and Golden Delicious apples on sale $4.99 for a 5lb bag.

Why not line streets with almond and avocado trees, he asks, or replace shrubbery with cabbage and currants? Golf courses could plant their roughs with kale and corn. Lawns—where they must exist—could be edged with chives and herbs.

Read the rest of this article here.

Our friends over at Plantation Woods just brought over a large shipment of locally-grown tomatoes including these big, yellow Brandywines!

The Greenhorns is a documentary about the courage and struggle of the current wave of young farmers in America. It’s about young people growing plants and raising animals for a living and breaking the mold of a corporate society. They’re taking risks and investing their own money into land, soil and safe, organic food production. The film was completed after almost 3 years in production. For more information on the film, visit The Greenhorn’s Website.

Local, fresh Victory Farms Basil is in season right now. Stop by the store to get your fix – at just $2.99 a bunch, you definitely don’t want to miss out! If you would like to buy in bulk, we will also be taking special orders at customer service with a 10% discount, so don’t hesitate to ask.

“Basil, originally from India, is best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in the Northeast Asian cuisine of Taiwan and the Southeast Asian cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.” We recommend making a big batch of pesto, freezing it in an ice cube tray and saving it for later! Click here for a fresh, quick recipe.

Rick Hood (owner) & wife, Molly Hood in NY.

This past weekend, our owner, Rick Hood and his wife, Molly, took a trip to Pocantico Hills, New York to visit the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. From the owner:

“It was an inspiring experience to spend the weekend at Stone’s Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and  dine at their award winning Blue Hill restaurant.  Blue Hill, owned by Dan and David Barber, is built around a local, seasonal food reputation (a shared philosophy with their original restaurant, located in Manhattan).  All courses were grown and/or raised on the farm.   A large portion of the experience was educating the diner about the farm to fork food concept.  The unique presentation of individual, seasonal vegetables (such as asparagus spears, young carrots and radishes)  served to increase our appetite for the upcoming dishes.”

Saturday morning we were given an insider’s tour by the livestock manager that was very educational. The chickens, sheep, pigs and beef cattle were all raised sustainably, often moved from field to maintain the health of the pastures and happiness of the animals. The 5 acres of vegetables was grown without chemicals and pesticides, to “beyond organic” standard. A 20,000 square foot greenhouse had been constructed using soil (often created from their on site composting operation) as the nutrient base and with automatic roof panels that adjust to allow the correct amount of rain.

The highlight of the weekend was a presentation, with question and answer session, by Michael Pollan, author of several books including “Omnivores Dilemma”.  The interviewer was Dan Barber, owner of Blue Hill restaurants. Some of the takeaways for me included the following:

• Food information and labeling will become more important to educated customers, in order to feed their demand for transparency.

• The “powerful influence” that has the most potential to drive acceptance of the sustainable food movement, will be health care companies  that recognize  the need for their subscribers to be pro-active and prevent diabetes and heart disease by changing their diets.  These changes could reflect a potential savings of $400,000 per person (over a lifetime) for these health care organizations.

• Industrial food companies who claim the world must buy their subsidized, GMO products to “feed the world” and “avoid starvation” are wrong in the following ways:

1)    By subsidizing food in the United States, these companies’ lower prices end up making other countries unable to produce or sell food because they can’t compete. Countries end up buying our low cost grains and food.  Then, often due to distribution problems, people who need the food the most don’t get it.

2)    One half of food grown today goes to feed animals. This dynamic is increasingly diverting food away from those who need it.

3)    Subsidies for ethanol divert more crops in the production of ethanol.

4)    A huge amount of food goes to waste in developed countries.

5)    There is not any conclusive proof of increased yield of GMO products.  It’s all hype.

If you’re interested in sustainable food and agriculture, I highly recommend visiting Stone Barns in Tarrytown, NY  - or check out their website at www.stonebarnscenter.org

We just wanted to show you al some photos of the Ellwood Thompson’s plot at the Humphrey Calder Community Garden. The community garden was founded in 2009 by a partnership with Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market, Tricycle Gardens and the City of Richmond.  Right now we’re growing organic red chard, tomatoes, basil, marigolds, potatoes, onions, eggplant, radish, peas, cucumbers, beets, spinach, mizuna greens, lettuce and more.

Yes! They’re finally here! Locally grown, organic seedlings from Richmond’s own Tricycle Gardens! Now is the time to get your spring and summer veggies going! We’ve got mixed lettuces, Swiss Chard, Mizuna Greens, Mustard Greens and Kale! They’re already going fast so come get yours while you can!

And if you have children, bring them in on Wednesday a 4pm for a produce tour and book reading with Kate Lainhart from Manakintowne Specialty Growers. The first 15 children get a free copy of the book, “Read, Set, Grow! A Tour of Virginia’s Farms & Agriculture!”