Crab Apples

Organic Crab Apples Have Arrived

Though the Fall season officially begins on Monday, September 22, we’re already feeling a bit of crispness in the air. Hand-picked from the Campbell Orchards in Tieton Washington, our fresh crop of Organic Crab Apples are a perfect introduction to Autumn.

These little red beauties are particularly sweet-tart; they’re not your typical back yard crab apple. Great for garnishes, smoothies, jellies and such, or as a nice little gift for someone’s desk.

It's a Potato Recipe!

Each week Chefs in the Co-op Deli cook up approximately 150 pounds of organic potatoes. That’s a lot of spuds folks, so we know you must like (love!) them. One of the all time potato-winning recipes that the Deli prepares is People's Breakfast Potatoes. Can’t make it in to People’s because you’re a late riser? No problem, we love to share. Now you can make these tasty golden nuggets, with their hidden fluffy middles, at home. Enjoy.

People’s Breakfast Potatoes

Serves 6 – 8

3 pounds red potatoes, diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onions, diced

4 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped fine

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Preheat oven to 450°. Place diced potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then drain. Place potatoes on a baking sheet, add the oil and mix thoroughly. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bake for 5 minutes more.

A favorite food for many, potatoes contain a number of important vitamins and minerals. A medium sized potato, with the skin on, provides about 45% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C, 18% DV of potassium, 10% DV of vitamin B6 and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Potatoes also contain an assortment of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. And while the skin of the potato does contain approximately half of the total dietary fiber, more than 50% of the nutrients are found within the potato itself. The cooking method used can significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.

Heirloom Tomatoes

An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated (non-hybrid) cultivar of tomato. And when it comes to taste, these flavorful, textured toms take the winning prize when compared to other “more hardy” varieties of tomato.

Summer won’t last forever—darn it—so now’s the time to enjoy a delicious, most extraordinary fruit of the vine. No need for bread to cover them in a sandwich, we suggest washing your heirloom tomato, closing your eyes, and taking a slow bite of rich, slightly sweet, goodness. We promise, you’re in for a treat.

Oh, and because we know you care about things like this, the Co-op’s heirloom tomatoes are locally grown!

Original Store Front

This is a photo of the original building (house!) that People's opened in. At the time, 1971, we were a worker-owned collective and our name was People's Food Store. This property was located one block west of our current location, on Voltaire Street; it has since been demolished. If you shopped with us in our early days, you'll probably remember us affectionately known as simply "the food store".

An Apple a Day

As summer winds down local apple orchards are brimming with crunchy-sweet appley goodness. New crop apples at People’s include:

Gala – Crisp, striped red color and a snappy sweet flavor.

Red Delicious – Medium crisp, juicy, mildly sweet.

Gold Delicious - Medium crisp, juicy, sweet.

McIntosh - Crisp, juicy, tart, highly aromatic.

While there are many foods that aid in a healthy diet, apples are certainly a fruit that you’ll want to add to your shopping list. Apples are portable making them great for snacking on the go, low in calories, and a natural mouth freshener! As a source of soluble fiber, apples may help to prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Additionally, the insoluble fiber in apples provides bulk in the intestinal tract—holding water to cleanse and move food efficiently through the digestive system.
Forget the peeler; it’s best to apples with the skin on as nearly half of the vitamin C in an apple is just beneath the skin. Eating your apple unpeeled also increases your intake of insoluble fiber.