Whole Foods vs. Shopper’s Corner

If you know me, then you know my love for grocery stores. For some reason grocery stores have always held a fascination for me, and one of the things I love about being back in Santa Cruz is being able to shop at Shopper’s Corner, the grocery store I grew up with. Now, I’m a fairly frugal shopper, but I like what I like – so I tend to spread my shopping excursions around – I shop for meat at Shopper’s Corner, where they have a traditional butcher counter. I buy the majority of my produce at Capitola Produce, and bread comes from the Oroweat store and Gayle’s Bakery. Trader Joe’s fills in most of the rest, dairy, pasta & rice, snacks, etc. Whole Foods just opened down the street from Shopper’s, and I went in there at lunch today to see what there was to see. My first exposure to Whole Foods was in L.A. – and it’s a very nice store – albeit a little expensive. I wandered around a little bit, and it’s quite nice.  I just couldn’t bring myself to spend any money there yet, though; I had to go over to Shopper’s Corner and make sure they weren’t feeling a big pinch since the opening of Whole Foods. The butcher who gave me my $2.22 worth of Honey Baked Ham assured me that they’ve stayed as busy as ever, so I guess I can consider spreading my shopping dollars a little thinner – I think Whole Foods will be my new source for bulk spices & other bulk goods. I don’t have a regular place for that, yet.

They say March Winds bring April Showers

But we’ve already had a hell of a lot of showers in February and into the beginning of March – I’m hoping March Showers are going to bring April Sunshine and a yard full of flowers and budding vegetables! I’m planning to plant some herbs [Read more...]

Winter gardening is slow gardening

Last October or so I decided it would be a brilliant idea to plant some “winter vegetables.” I read some seed packages, and decided on broccoli and carrots. 4 months later, the carrots need thinning if they’re ever going to become carrots – maybe I’ll think to do that this weekend!

Baby BroccoliThe brocolli has me all excited – this morning I noticed something new – actual broccoli! I think I’ll transplant them into the actual ground soon. Then maybe they’ll really grow!

Soon I’ll be planting herbs, I hope – planning on Thyme, Oregano, Basil, not sure what else. I love Spring! I love that it feels like Spring in February!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m enjoying a lovely morning with Aaron, we’re prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. On the menu:

  • Turkey
  • Stuffing
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Gravy
  • Green Beans with sauteed onions
  • Carrots with ginger

This is my first time really making turkey gravy from scratch, which is exciting! Living on the edge, making the stuffing from some delicious sourdough bread. Other than that, just having a relaxing day at home, watching a House marathon, just enjoying being together.

Planted my first vegetables!

I’ve always wanted to be able to garden, but until now I’ve never lived somewhere where I had the option. So, brilliant as always, in the middle of July I decided to plant vegetables. Good thing the growing season here is pretty long, I suppose!

Garlic & Onions, SpinachFirst, I stuck a couple of cloves of garlic in some dirt. I have no idea if they’re going to grow garlic or if they’re just sprouting. Then I added some green onion seeds to the same container. In the other container, I planted spinach seeds. After the fact, I found out that spinach does better in sandy soil, so these may not work as well as I’d like.

In this bucket, I planted patty pan squash seeds. Once they get a little bigger, I’m going to give away some of the seedlings to my sister & brother-in-law, and some to my next-door neighbor. I wish I had more ground space in which to plant these, but I’m kind of limited.

Green OnionsI planted more green onions in this one. You can never have too many green onions. Delightful in salads, tacos y burritos, scrambled eggs, and so much more.

A Sunset Cruise

I love my job. In April we had a team building day, in which we worked in the office for an hour, then went out to lunch, went hiking, took a wine tasting cruise aboard the Chardonnay II, and followed it up with a late dinner. Sailing on the Chardonnay II was very exciting – the weather was beautiful and the captain and his deckhands ere very friendly and obviously good sailors. They seemed very comfortable in the way they handled the boat. The winery that sponsored the cruise was Bonny Doon Vineyard – there were a couple representatives onboard to tell us about the wines. We had a great time talking with the other passengers, drinking wine and snacking on fresh fruit, bread and cheese.

Sunset over Monterey Bay

Past team building days have included day trips to Disneyland and Catalina Island. Have I mentioned, I love my job?