Whole Foods: what do you buy there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. It is much more expensive than the alternatives and they don't very much local produce, organic produce. It is disappointing that 98% of their produce is trucked in from california.

The Kentlands WF has a wide selection of local produce. Mostly from PA, GA, DE, NJ, MD, & VA. I'll take that over CA any day. They also have local days where very local famers sell their items outside.

I shop at Kentlands WF and have never seen any farmers outside (but would like to). Do they do this on a particular day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. It is much more expensive than the alternatives and they don't very much local produce, organic produce. It is disappointing that 98% of their produce is trucked in from california.

The Kentlands WF has a wide selection of local produce. Mostly from PA, GA, DE, NJ, MD, & VA. I'll take that over CA any day. They also have local days where very local famers sell their items outside.

I shop at Kentlands WF and have never seen any farmers outside (but would like to). Do they do this on a particular day?

It's done over the summer during the week, maybe once a week. By local farmers I mean regular people from the farms selling the produce on designated days. I learned about it through the Kentlands store weekly email.

Go to the wf website, go specifically to your store, sign up for the newsletter. They send lots of info on store specific events, classes, freebies, deals, and recipes.

[Anonymous]

I just read this entire thread from start to finish - wow!

We have a ridiculous food budget. I'm talking $900-1200 / month for two adults, one toddler. I buy lunch almost every day, we eat out at least twice a week as a family (sunday brunch every weekend, etc).

We still cook 4-5 nights a week. From WF, we buy: produce, meat (unless we go to the farmer's market), milk (two 1/2 gallons), cheeses (YUM), sparkling water by the case, hardwood charcoal, etc... We buy a LOT there. I do stay away from the baked goods as they suck, but their english muffins are to die for. I also love the Nieman Ranch canadian bacon and petit ham that they sell.

From TJ's, I buy a lot of indian stuff (frozen naan, I could live off that), frozen seafood, some frozen meats, olive oils (for cooking, it's much cheaper than WF), but never produce. THeir produce is underwhelming.

Occasionally I go to Wegmans (we are addicted to their sparkling water), Giant (if we run out of milk on the way home or for tortillas because WF tortillas suck and my son almost choked to death on them). But, we pretty much live at WF and I'm okay with that.

[Anonymous]

I buy slices of the the fresh cooked roast beef and turkey from the deli - so much better tasting and better for you than the packaged stuff or regular deli meat.

The cheese selection is some of the best in the region, and always fresh - no comparison to Trader Joe's cheeses.

They have really great wine. My tastes mesh pretty well with their wine buyers, so I'm always finding some great buy that they've gotten, and then I get the case discount on top of that.

Ditto on the Cava products - we buy the humus almost every week.

[Anonymous]

buffalo wings
curry chicken wrap
manchego cheese
baklava
organic baby shampoo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read this entire thread from start to finish - wow!

We have a ridiculous food budget. I'm talking $900-1200 / month for two adults, one toddler. I buy lunch almost every day, we eat out at least twice a week as a family (sunday brunch every weekend, etc).

We still cook 4-5 nights a week. From WF, we buy: produce, meat (unless we go to the farmer's market), milk (two 1/2 gallons), cheeses (YUM), sparkling water by the case, hardwood charcoal, etc... We buy a LOT there. I do stay away from the baked goods as they suck, but their english muffins are to die for. I also love the Nieman Ranch canadian bacon and petit ham that they sell.

From TJ's, I buy a lot of indian stuff (frozen naan, I could live off that), frozen seafood, some frozen meats, olive oils (for cooking, it's much cheaper than WF), but never produce. THeir produce is underwhelming.

Occasionally I go to Wegmans (we are addicted to their sparkling water), Giant (if we run out of milk on the way home or for tortillas because WF tortillas suck and my son almost choked to death on them). But, we pretty much live at WF and I'm okay with that.

In contrast the government's most liberal food budget for your family would be $830 for all meals combined. The thrifty budget would be about half of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Local doesn't really fix the issue. I try to visit the farms from where I buy my meat at least once. I get it from the farms themselves, farmer's markets, washingtons green grocer, or Bon Vivant. Although I haven't been to all the farms from which I have purchased - through these venders - I have been to enough to feel comfortable.

As for the milk, I am looking for any milk in individual packages that I can send with my child to school. She likes milk, I want her to have milk, and I haven't found a better solution (she is a bit too young to be able to manage a thermos properly; we have enough problems with her water bottle). Is this available elsewhere?

My parents retired on a farm so we get all our eggs from them, and a lot of produce in season. I also have two farmer's markets in season near me, as well as one near work. So I love those. But otherwise, the reason I like Whole Foods is because I don't mind paying more to a company I trust. I know they are a big corporation but they have a pretty good reputation and I tend to think they won't jeopardize it by lying. They label their products, you know what is organic, what is vegetarian fed, where it comes from etc. I'm willing to pay for that luxury, along with the balance of eating a lot of local foods from my family's farm and farmer's markets.

I think people who don't have time to shop locally a lot also are willing to pay for Whole Foods as a brand they trust.

[Anonymous]

NP here- PP with a high food budget- if you are including meals out, I don't think its that ridiculous - are you?