Sale ends Tuesday, May 22
Walk into Healthy Living and the first thing you will see is our Produce Department… a wild and wonderful world of the freshest, highest-quality organic produce you’ll find anywhere. This is a truly beautiful work of art, and we’ve been proud to be offering it for many years. We’ve been working with local farmers for over 20 years and love doing business with this amazing community of hard-working people. When local’s not available, we continue to stock the department with a huge array of freshness… delivered to us seven days a week.
What's New
Morel Monday
On Monday, Healthy Living received it’s first batch of fresh, wildly crafted mushrooms! First on the scene are the wonderful and coveted Morel Mushrooms. News like this spreads pretty fast in these parts and before we knew it we had special orders left and right, one specifically worth mentioning was the three pound order placed by Dr. Linda Ulrich. She was so excited we had them, on top of her three pound special order she (and her daughter Liesl) scooped up an extra pound on their way out. We had a moment to talk to these lovely ladies and see what exactly they had planned for the Morels. They say that the best and simplest way to prepare them is to first bathe them in a salt water to get them nice and clean. You then prepare an egg wash with a bit of fresh milk and dip them in a super finely ground breading made from your favorite crackers. Then they are ready to be lightly fried in butter and served crispy hot! These crunchy delights would pair well with any sauteed green (chard, kale, collards) and complete any spring meal.
As with any rare and wildly crafted mushroom, availability of these treats is quite special and often sell out same day! Feel free to call and ask one of our amazing produce staff members and see what we have for the day.Enjoy!
-Paul
Go Bananas for Equal Exchange Fair Trade Organic Bananas!
The produce department met with Nicole Vitello from Equal Exchange Fair Trade Organic Bananas. We learned all about the amazing process our bananas go through before they get to us at Healthy Living and to you our favorite customers.
We learned by Supporting Fair Trade Bananas we are all choosing to connect ourselves to courageous banana farmers who make history for themselves, and quite possibly, for the entire banana industry. These respected small scale organic farmers in Ecuador and Peru grow bananas, which are harvested after 12 months, they undergo an extensive inspection process, and are packaged, before being distributed to the US. The total process takes 4-5 weeks. By buying Fair Trade you are giving the farmer collective power and financial stability allowing farmers to make their own farming decisions and stay connected to their communities.
Equal Exchange has challenged traditional trade models for over 20 years, providing market access to small-scale producers and farmers internationally. Their most recent endeavor into the banana market is vital, because Americans are well…bananas about bananas. The banana industry is notorious for low wages and heavy chemical use, causing major health problems across banana producing regions. Together, Equal Exchange and our farmer partners are creating a trade model that respects small-scale farmers, builds communities, and supports the environment.
Go Bananas!
Customer Spotlight: Meet Liz and Clay!
Elizabeth and Clayton Squires are a married couple who live in Winooski, Vermont and have been loyal and beloved customers at Healthy Living going on about a year and half now. If you knew them as well as we do, you’d have a pretty good understanding about how much eating well means to them just as it does to us. An increasingly large number of staff at Healthy Living are well acquainted with Liz and Clay all over the store, but because of the Produce Department’s entrance location we tend to get the first scoop on what’s for dinner. Upon their last visit, we curiously asked them what keeps them coming back to Healthy Living and what sort of things set our produce department apart from the others. Here are just a few of the things they mentioned: - Organization and display! We love the way everything is beautifully laid out and seasonally highlighted.
- Both the quality and quantity of fresh local produce, which plays a huge roll in how organically and locally we shop.
- The greens case always has such an diverse selection of leafy greens, we eat a lot of salads and it’s nice to be able to make things from scratch without depending on too many pre-packed things.
- Friendly and knowledgeable staff who are always there to help. Even pros like us have questions!
Of course, Liz and Clay also really appreciate our ability to carry some of their favorite specialty items. Having both come from culinarily rich backgrounds living most of their lives in a predominately Cuban inspired Florida, they really appreciate the quality of our citrus fruits and items like plantains and coconuts.
Naturally, our favorite question to ask anyone is “what’s for dinner”? Last time we saw these two, they were on a mission for an Asian inspired salad, which included fresh Mizuna Greens from Pete’s Greens (Craftsubury, VT), Asian pears, and Asian marinated skirt steak from our meat department. There was also talk of a homemade sesame vinaigrette.. for the win!
Lets be friends! Like Liz and Clay we encourage anyone and everyone to come in, say hello, and tell us what’s for dinner. See you soon!
Sweet And Spicy Slaw
Ever wonder what to do with those bitter lettuces like Radicchio, Trevisio, or Frisee? You should try sweet and spicy Slaw, it’s easy and rewarding:
Sweet and Spicy Bitter Slaw
Shredded Radicchio
Chopped Frisee
Sliced Carrots
Sliced Radish
Sliced Apples
Mix all fresh ingredients, set aside.
Dressing, mixed in a separate bowl:
Apple Cider Vinegar
Mayonnaise
Cane Sugar
Salt and freshly ground Peppercorns
Turmeric
Lemon Juice
Don’t worry too much about exact proportions, you know how you like it. Mix the dressing well, then add to the chopped veggies. Mix, serve, enjoy!
Local Green Garlic, Ramps and Tomatoes!
Fresh Green Garlic and Ramps! The Green Garlic comes from our friends at Jericho Settler’s Farm while Mr. Patrick Tinkel provides us with the wildly harvested Ramps from Huntington, Vermont. If you’re not already familiar with these local and seasonal additions, you should definitely give them a shot. The immature Green Garlic is just one part of the many stages that the garlic plant provides us with while Ramps (also known as Wild Leek or Ramson) are a member of the onion/lilly family. Both plants provide a mild but distinct flavor with sweetness and bite.
On another note, we’ve received the first of locally grown Vermont tomatoes. First on the scene was the Long Wind Farm Organic Tomato, grown in Thetford Vermont. They’re just the right fix to get us by until we’re in full on Summer delight. Below we’ve included an amazing snack idea that combines these three early comers to the local food scene.Quick and Easy Local Organic Tomato Salad with Green Garlic and Ramps:
Sliced Long Wind Farm Organic Tomatoes
Diced Green Garlic and Ramps
Salt and Pepper to taste
It’s just that simple.. enjoy!
Green Up Day Compost Event May 5th!
Come Play in the Dirt with us on Green Up Day!
May 5th 11:00am – 2:00pm
Join us to celebrate Green Up Day and the new planting season with local company ‘Grow Compost of Vermont’. Come play in the dirt, learn what a ‘Grow Bag’ is and its many uses. There will be hands-on activities for kids and grown-ups! Learn how to make your own paper pots and soil blocks, and start your own seedlings to take home.
There will be yummy treats to sample in celebration of Green Up Day, samples of earth-friendly products to take home and raffles to enter! You can also shop our early plant selection from Red Wagon Plants of Hinesburg, VT. Hope to see you there!
Local Spinach Is Upon Us
W
e have a variety of offerings from all over the state right now – Hazendale Farm (Greensboro), Jericho Settlers Farm (Jericho), Dwight Miller & Son Orchards (East Dummerston), MR Harvest (Grand Isle) and Bread and Butter Farm (Shelburne). Each spinach has it’s own delicious characteristics. They vary in flavor profile, texture, and style. You can find both large and small leaf being produced – equally amazing. Coming fresh out of winter, it’s great to be able to finally get some local greens! Espeically this soon in the season, I like to eat my spinach fresh and raw. There’s no compromise in flavor or loss in nutritional value, which I think all of you other seasonally vitamin D defficent people out there can agree with me on.
e have a variety of offerings from all over the state right now – Hazendale Farm (Greensboro), Jericho Settlers Farm (Jericho), Dwight Miller & Son Orchards (East Dummerston), MR Harvest (Grand Isle) and Bread and Butter Farm (Shelburne). Each spinach has it’s own delicious characteristics. They vary in flavor profile, texture, and style. You can find both large and small leaf being produced – equally amazing. Coming fresh out of winter, it’s great to be able to finally get some local greens! Espeically this soon in the season, I like to eat my spinach fresh and raw. There’s no compromise in flavor or loss in nutritional value, which I think all of you other seasonally vitamin D defficent people out there can agree with me on.