Results tagged “groceries”

During World War II they were called "Victory Gardens"--home-tended sections of land yielding money-saving produce for folks without much money to spare. While "Victory Gardens" might call to mind PBS programming an older relative might enjoy, the impulse to plant and grown has taken root once again nationwide. Now we call them "Recession Gardens" but by any other name the rose--or tomato plant--will still smell as sweet:

Industry surveys show double-digit growth in the number of home gardeners this year, and mail-order companies report such a tremendous demand that some have run out of seeds for basic vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and peppers. (Daily News)

Gardening at home, or in a community plot, has a very clear bottom line: "The National Gardening Association estimates that a well-maintained vegetable garden yields a $500 average return per year. A study by Burpee Seeds claims that $50 spent on gardening supplies can multiply into $1,250 worth of produce annually."

Not everyone has a yard, so for many, joining a community garden can be a solution; local ones are experiencing a surge in popularity. Many Angelenos believe now is the time to set up more such resources, like in West Hollywood, where vacant lots seem to cry out with potential. Although for many would-be gardeners, cultivating a green thumb might require a little extra learning (especially if it's an old dog/new tricks scenario), many school-aged kids in LA are fortunate enough to be able to participate in educational gardening programs; with the state of our economy we could all benefit from their savvy so long as our economy lets us fund the programs.

An article in today's Telegraph.co.uk touts the recent adoption of Twitter by British-based Tesco's Fresh & Easy grocery stores. Although the article focuses on the rarity of a Brit business using what's more popular with American businesses, F&E's web-watchers Fresh & Easy Buzz point out that the Tweets are coming from California, not England:

Fresh & Easy's presence on Twitter.com isn't being maintained by a Tesco Fresh & Easy company employee based out of its Southern California headquarters or by a Tesco PLC employee in the UK. Rather, the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Twitter site is maintained on a regular basis by SallieB, who is a social marketing expert with Tesco Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's public relation's firm, ABCO International.

Regardless of where the Tweets originate, the fact is, businesses using Twitter to reach out to consumers is becoming a popular trend:

Though perhaps not gripping correspondence, Twitter does help to establish loyalty by giving customers an active way of communicating with the company's management. [...]

Continue reading "Does Your Favorite Grocery Store Use Twitter? Should They?"

Take a close look at the shelves next time you're in the aisles of your local grocery store. Notice anything different? Like maybe there's a bit more room on either side of the rows of items? Pick something up and feel the bottom--as the LA Times suggests, grab a jar of Skippy brand peanut butter--now do you notice the "dimple" at the bottom?

Yesterday Health Magazine (via iVillage/MSNBC) released their list of the nation's top ten healthiest grocery chains. The list was compiled based on the findings of six experts selected by the publication in comparing the top 35 grocery retailers, and revealed that your neighborhood big name big box can actually be good for you. Criteria for ranking included "the freshness of produce and taste of prepared foods to the healthiness of packaged goods and availability of supplemental nutritional information."

Fresh & Easy opened its 62nd US "neighborhood market" this morning in Manhattan Beach which began with a press conference and store tours and a ribbon cutting ceremony before the waiting crowds descended upon the grocery store to fill their carts. (More story after the jump!)

For Angelenos, bees are more often than not encountered as sugar-drunk spastics outside of a neighborhood recycling center, sippers of sweet nectar from your garden's flowers, or a stinging source of outdoor anguish. But there's actually a nationwide "bee crisis" that pertains specifically to honey bees and their unexpected decline, and now what's been a problem for farmers is getting passed on to the consumers in the form of higher food prices.

We were all abuzz a few months back when the first wave of UK import grocery stores called Fresh & Easy opened across the Southland, offering promise to under-served neighborhoods of accessible and affordable healthy food and low-cost groceries in a pleasant and somewhat upscale atmosphere.

Heal the Bay gives out free canvas bags for "A Day Without A Disposable Bag Day"

I've had a few thoughts in the past about buying groceries online. One was more nostalgic and comparative, when thinking about how in New York City you can shop for your groceries in the store and then have them brought to your apartment, and how it's almost ironic that there, in a city where everything is so easily accessible that you can have anything--even pancakes--delivered to your door, whereas here in Los Angeles things...

What were we thinking? Just a quick jaunt to our neighborhood Trader Joe's to grab some nibbly things and vino and appetizers (and, okay, some stuff to brown bag for work lunches this week) and we'd be in and out in plenty of time to catch the Red Carpet Arrival brouhaha on any of a handful of channels. Of course, everyone and their mother--like the gal and her mother we kept bumping into around every...

Anne Smith is the owner of the New School of Cooking in Culver City (which just happens to be a favorite of this LAist), which offers classes for everyone, from beginning to advanced. An aficianado of all things culinary, Smith is also interested in promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting local farmers and reducing our carbon imprint. She recently launched a blog that companions the School's website, and she has also offered us her top ten thoughts...