Chesapeake Greenhouse

Sudlersville, Maryland 

             Chesapeake Greenhouse has half an acre of land, where they grow about 10 different types of lettuces, but their main lettuce is the Bibb lettuce also known as Boston lettuce. They use a method of greenhouse growing called Hydroponic, in which they grow the lettuce indoors with fresh water, fresh air and a computer that controls everything from the nutrients that are added to the water, to the air temperature.

            They also grow all of their own seedlings.  After about two weeks the seedlings are placed into channels to grow.  The channels are easy to move, which also allows them to be transported to different bays throughout the greenhouse.  This rotation ensures that there is fresh lettuce available every day. 

            Chesapeake Greenhouse is now growing herbs, such as basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley, chives, mint and sprouts which they are able to sell to local restaurants and farmers markets.

Beautiful greens in the greenhouseFresh herbs are a new edition to Chesapeake Greenhouse

Godfrey’s Farm

Sudlersville, Maryland

            At Godfrey’s Farm they grow about 250 acres of fresh market fruits and vegetables, sold mostly on site to other farm markets and grocery stores including Whole Foods Market. They deliver their fresh produce to our Maryland and D.C. stores beginning in May, with asparagus.  As the seasons progresses they deliver peaches, plums, cherries, berries, and they finish their seasons with green beans and winter squash.

            The farm is also open to visitors to stop by and pick their own strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and peaches.                                                

Squash

First strawberries of the season

Arnold Farms

Chestertown, Maryland 

            Arnold Farms is a major grower of produce for our  Whole Foods Market Mid Atlantic Region stores. They are the largest producer of corn for our stores and are most known for their bi-color corn, which is conventionally grown, using plastic encasement to prevent weeds from growing on the corn to prevent extra labor on removing the weeds from the corn. So by the weeds being trapped under the plastic they act as a fertilizer for the corn.

            They have recently started a new, more earth-friendly method of growing corn, using recycled plastic that biodegrades up to 45 days after they harvest the corn, which saves on costs of taking the plastic to the landfill as well as saving the planet. 

Fresh corn--from farm to store daily

Because of our unique location at the crossroads of Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington, D.C., we are committed to serving the surrounding communities where our customers and Team Members live, work and play!

In our first year here in the Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase community, we partnered with 2 non-profits doing great work for our community.  Audubon Naturalist Society and Live It Learn It.  Due to the generosity of customer donations, Whole Foods Market Friendship Heights raised over $800 for each organization.

Last week, we kicked off our new Nickels for Non-Profits partnerships with two more deserving organizations: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and Friendship House!

Both of these organizations represent a strong commitment to our community, so please consider donating your 5¢ bag refund to one or both of them the next time you shop with us!

If you have any questions about this program or would like to suggest a future Nickels for Non-Profits recipient, please email us!

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 I can see for miles and miles, all I see is mushrooms. No, I wasn’t on a psychedelic trip, I was on a Whole Foods Market field trip to Landenburg, Pennsylvania where 50 percent of the mushrooms in the US are grown. The teams at Mother Earth Organic Mushroom farm were gracious enough to give our group a tour of their operations.

After today, I will never take for granted the variety and year round selection of mushrooms. I just didn’t know that raising mushrooms was such a delicate process. The actual growth takes place in covered barns on top of compost beds. The compost is carefully selected, mixed, watered, aerated and kept at constant temperatures for several weeks before the mushroom spores are introduced. When the compost is just right, spores are introduced and the twelve-week growth cycle begins. Being an organic operation, all the stages of production are carefully recorded to keep the organic certification. Even the air circulating in the barns goes through filters to keep out stray fungus and mushroom-eating bacteria. Cleaning of the equipment and barns is done with environmentally friendly cleaner.

The entire farm smelled of potting soil with a little manure thrown in. We saw crimini varieties and white buttons growing. I learned that mushrooms produce heat as they grow and continue to produce heat and grow after they are picked. (Wow…maybe a possible alternative energy source, but let me focus on eating them for now.) It is important to chill them down to stop the growth and keep them fresh. So right to the refrigerator after purchasing, everyone! I never knew that mushrooms are a low calorie source of minerals and B vitamins. We got to taste the white buttons straight from the barn. Definitely the freshest crispest mushroom I ever munched. And, best of all we got to take home lots of free samples.

But what to do with all those white button mushrooms? I really like to oven roast them to concentrate the flavor and give them a beautiful golden color. They keep for at least five days after roasting and can be used in a variety of ways such as in salads, tossed with pasta or added to steamed vegetables.  

To roast: Wipe the mushrooms clean with a paper towel. Toss with enough olive oil to coat, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of pepper. Spread onto a baking dish. Roast in a 475 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once during cooking. You can tell they are done when they are dry to the touch and golden brown.

A few months ago, we reached out to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue through Twitter and proposed a challenge—find a local fire station and we’ll help them get plant strong.  This is how 5 guys from Station 6 Shift A came to know the Whole Foods Market Friendship Heights Engine 2 Diet Challenge.  In a nutshell, this plant-based diet focuses on whole foods, including vegetables, whole grains, fruit, legumes, seeds and nuts for the purposes of losing weight, lowing cholesterol, significantly reduce the risk of disease, and become physically fit.

To get them ready, the crew from Station 6 stopped by for a store tour and overview of the program.  We talked buying bulk (a great way to save money on Engine 2 approved foods), choosing your fruits and vegetables (anything goes) and foods to avoid.  We discussed challenges of the diet and successful testimonials of Engine 2 graduates.

Shift A will kick off their challenge in January.  We’ll be updating you on their journey here.  MCFRS will also be blogging about adventures in the Engine 2 Diet via Station 6!  

Posted by: Jill Ward

Meet Sabrina Snyder, Personal Chef of Dinner, then Dessert.  She will be guest blogging and sharing delicious recipes for Whole Foods Market throughout the year.  Her first blog is inspired by our fresh Severino Pasta, locally made from a family-owned company in New Jersey.  You can find Severino Pasta in our Specialty Department.

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If you are looking for a fabulous seafood dish to serve this holiday season, Shrimp and Scallop Saffron Cream Pasta works great for dinner parties, as well as for your weekend meals at home as it takes just over an hour from beginning to end. Serve with crusty garlic bread using a loaf of Italian bread from the Whole Foods fresh bakery and you’ve got a great meal! Add a caprese salad and you’re on your way to a fabulous dinner party!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups clam juice

1 cup heavy cream*

1 cup whole milk*

1 cup white wine

6 tablespoons tomato sauce*

¾ teaspoon saffron

1 ½ pounds shrimp [the larger the better!]

1 pound scallops [10/20 Scallops work best]

8 tablespoons butter, unsalted*, divided

2 tablespoons flour*

3 medium leeks, white part only, sliced

½ cup Panko crumbs

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese + Additional cheese to top the pasta

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1 lb fresh Severino linguine

Salt and pepper*

Cast Iron Skillet or any oven safe 10” or greater fry pan

Ingredients with an asterisk (*) are available as Whole Foods Market Brands.

Delicious 365 Brand Ingredients

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Sauce: Combine the stock, cream, wine, tomato puree, and saffron in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and continue to cook the sauce until reduced by half, about 18 minutes. Mash 1 tablespoon of the butter together with 1 tablespoons flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the sauce along with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Leeks: Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium sauté pan. Add leeks and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender. Set aside.

Topping: Combine the panko, 1/3 cup parmesan, tarragon, and garlic. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and mix it into the crumbs until they’re moistened and stir in small fry pan to toast for 2 – 3 minutes over medium heat.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter into the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Place the scallops and shrimp in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Spoon the leeks over the seafood and add half of the sauce to the seafood.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is browned.

Assembly: While Seafood is cooking, prepare the fresh pasta and combine with the second half of the sauce and equally divide the pasta onto 4 plates. When the seafood comes out of the oven, evenly distribute the shrimp and scallops to each plate and top with crispy panko topping. Sprinkle fresh parsley and grate fresh parmesan over the top of each plate.

Simply decadent!

Enjoy!

Post By: Sabrina Snyder, Dinner, then Dessert

Since the opening of the new store, we’ve partner with two amazing non-profits doing great work in the DC-metro community:  Audubon Naturalist Society, based in Chevy Chase, Maryland and Live It Learn It, based in Washington, DC.

Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) is the largest and oldest independent environmental organization in the Washington, DC region. They’ve served as pioneers in linking conservation activities with environmental education. ANS’ mission is to inspire residents of the greater Washington, DC, region to appreciate, understand, and protect their natural environment through outdoor experiences, education, and advocacy.

Live It Learn It provides DC public school students with rigorous hands-on learning opportunities, tailored to academic learning standards, to boost student achievement and motivation.  The organization does this through supplementing conventional classroom instruction with rigorous, academically focused trips to DC’s world-class resources.

While unique in their missions and approaches, both of these local organizations are worthy of your donation.  We hope the next time you shop with us you’ll consider donating your bag refund to one or both of them.  

If you would like to suggest a future Nickels for Non-Profits recipient, please email Jill Ward, Marketing Team Leader.

Posted by: Jill L. Ward

Since the opening, we’ve gotten to know so many of our customers both in-store and on-line.  In fact, our pre-opening launch was a blogger’s event, where local bloggers were invited to tour the store before the doors were opened to the public.  The results were amazing—from highlights to photos, the blog community provided a wonderful sneak peek behind the scenes look at our store.  So, it only seemed natural that in time we would launch our own blog. 

So much of our success here in Friendship Heights is due to the feedback and support of our customers.  We expect the same for this blog.  We’ll use this forum as a way to feature guest bloggers, highlight in-store programs, share receipes and cooking tips and talk about our work in the community!  If there are topics of interest that you’d like to see us blog about—just let us know!

Please stop back often for blog updates.  In the meantime, visit us here:

Store Webpage: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/friendshipheights/

Store Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WFMFriendshipHeights

Store Twitter: http://twitter.com/WFM_MoCo

Store FourSquare: http://foursquare.com/venue/2087768

Posted by: Jill L. Ward