Summer seems like it’s starting to become a distant memory, but you’re still missing those vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes and succulent peaches. Well when you live in the Triangle, that’s not a problem. As the “green” movement has picked up speed, the trend to be environmentally sound has seeped into the grocery market as well. The Triangle offers an abundance of venues to buy organic or locally grown foods, organic supermarkets being the most common and easily accessible of these by far.
Raleigh and Chapel Hill boast two different locations of the most renowned organic chains, Whole Foods, with another on the way. North Raleigh foodies can rejoice in 2010, because instead of having to drive to the Wade Avenue location, they can hop on over to Northern Six Forks at its intersection with Strickland to the brand new Whole Foods. The current Raleigh location frequently offers in-house classes for a small fee, and includes topics ranging from the cheeses of Spain to edible landscape design.
Another chain worth mentioning is Earth Fare, a company which got its start in Asheville as the city's first and only natural foods store in 1975. Located in the Brierdale Shopping Center off the new Interstate 540, Earth Fare not only carries locally grown fruits and veggies, but often has farmers set up produce stands outside their store like a streamlined version of a farmer’s market.
If you’re looking to support a more grass-roots local store rather than a chain though, the Triangle has just what you need. Harmony Farms off Creedmore prides themselves on having the only 100 percent organic produce store in Raleigh, as well as a huge selection of wheat and gluten-free products. Weaver Street Market serving Chapel Hill and Carrboro is another homegrown (no pun intended) grocer. Weaver Street Market strives to bring the community together, and sponsors over 250 free events a year which provides a great outlet to enjoy good food and visit with neighbors.
So the next time you get a craving for something exotic or organic, the Triangle’s got you covered. Whether it’s fresh herbs, chemical and pesticide free fruit, or simply your average chicken without growth hormones, head on over to an organic grocery to find everything you need and more.
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