My New Favorite Grocery Store

What a frustrating week this has been. I’ve been trying to deal with two problems in the larger casita: heating and cooling replacement and getting the gas water heater turned on. We want a mini split for the heating and cooling. I now have three bids on that job and will get a fourth next Monday. Inexperienced with gas appliances, I spent all day today trying to reach someone at Southwest Gas. Finally I got through to a person, only to learn that I need to call a plumber about the water heater.

But enough about problems – I’d rather write about my new favorite grocery store, Sprouts Farmers Market. To begin with, it is three minutes by car from our house, which is a big plus.

The bulk foods section has more than 300 items to choose from.

The produce section is, as my granddaughter would say, “Awesome!” Not only is the array of vegetables and fruit vast, the prices are extremely low. For example, the bags of gourmet peppers in the foreground are priced at 2 for $2.98. At home these peppers cost $3.95 each! The heirloom tomatoes are $4.00 a pound, but they are vine-ripened and actually taste like homegrown. Perhaps the low prices result from being very close to the growers.

I bought two gorgeous heads of cauliflower for $3.00! At home I consider a single head priced at $3.00 a bargain.

There’s a meat section, just like the one in my coop at home. Here I bought store-made, nitrate-free Andouille sausages for red beans and rice. The store also has an extensive supplements section and a bakery, as well as a complete range of organic dairy and grocery products.

Most surprising to me is that Sprouts offers a nice selection of beer and wine. That’s something unheard of in Kansas. As Annie sang in the movie, “I think I’m gonna like this place!”

Sorry these photos aren’t up to snuff. I took them a little after 5:00 p.m. when the store was crowded with shoppers.

Copyright 2015 by Shirley Domer