Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Costco, OH MY!

That's raspberries on the right, blackberries on the left and Mr. B in the middle!

August, 2011

On a gorgeous, but terribly hot, Sunday afternoon, Mr. B and I took off towards the mountains of western North Carolina.  It was a bit of a ramble further into this particular section of the mountains than we'd ever been.  Although we were never really lost, it often felt as if we were, but once we reached our end destination, what a sweet gem of a place we'd found!

In my journey towards healthy eating, arriving at, and maintaining an appropriate weight, I've set some higher standards for myself (and wishfully for Mr. B!) with respect to WHAT I eat and WHERE it comes from.  Earlier this summer, I stumbled upon the most wonderful book entitled, Farm Fresh North Carolina and I'm having such fun combining delicious food finds with really cool roadtrips!  Zimmerman's Berry Farm was one such discovery. 

It was the raspberries that drew me!!  I've picked blackberries all my life and have a wonderful source at our local farmer's market, but raspberries were new and I wasn't even sure our area was conducive to their growth.   These were plump, bright red and totally luscious.  It is such a joy to visit these local farms, meet the growers and experience some of their enthusiasm along with the obvious pride in what they've produced.  The grower happened to be in his little shed when we finished, but we had already discovered upon our arrival that the system was totally based on honor.  Inside the little shed was a scale for weighing what you'd picked and a place to leave your money.  In the spirit of total honesty, we left more money than what was weighed because it's my guess we ate half a pound as we picked!

I wished I had taken more pictures.  The only negative of the day was that it was incredibly hot, so we didn't linger long.  But you can bet we'll be back!

 Honor Shed for weighing your "gold."

An incredibly beautiful place in the mountains of western North Carolina!

I am a native East Tennessean and most of the time, am proud to call it home!  The one time I cringe is when any sort of health statistics, obesity/weight comparison or fitness oriented surveys are released.  I know we will always be near or on the bottom.  Not everyone in Tennessee is lazy or obese as we are often portrayed in movies, but many are and the news doesn't often seem encouraging!  

For me, the way this plays out is in our lack of convenient access to many things most of you take for granted.  It has only been in the last few years that we've gained access to a good farmer's market.  Most of our chain grocery stores are sadly lacking in locally grown produce, health foods or anything out of the ordinary.  Memphis and Nashville, the two largest metropolitan areas are bright spots with better options and both have a Trader Joes and a Whole Foods.  Without appearing to be totally negative, I am happy to say that here in Knoxville, we do have Fresh Market and Earth Fare, both of which provide better alternatives than our major grocery store chains.  We also have Three Rivers Market, a co-op where I have not shopped, but has just moved into much larger facilities and I plan to check it out.

So imagine my surprise and utter delight, when within a span of three months, Costco, Whole Foods AND Trader Joes ALL announced definitive plans to locate in Knoxville.  Rumors had been running rampant for years about Costco and more recently, Whole Foods, but Trader Joes came out of the blue and all three are a done deal.  I am so excited.  All three are to be completed and open for business sometime in 2012. 

Mr. B and I do not live on the newer side of town and this is quite by choice.  The Costco and Whole Foods will be a good distance away, but the Trader Joe's will be fairly close by and conveniently located next door to my favorite Barnes and Noble, a place I visit frequently!  I've patiently read your reviews, gazed longingly at product pictures and silently hoped the day would come I, too could shop at these places.  I know it's still a year away, but can you tell I'm pretty pleased.

Maybe there's hope for my beloved Tennessee to get with the program and catch up................

P.S.  I am so excited to tell you that when this posts Thursday morning, I will already be on my way to hike here.  With the record rainfall we had from Tropical Storm Lee, these falls will be gushing.  Me and my hiking boots are simply giddy with anticipation.  It's been far too long - can't wait!

Do you shop at either of these stores?  Are they close by?  Do you shop exclusively at this type of grocery or do you also use other sources for groceries?