“Green” can be a touchy subject, I admit. But, the green that I want to share with you this week is a symbol of our unique community here in Boise, Idaho. It is the green that feeds us.

The late season lettuce crop has begun in earnest, and Rice Family Farms and Peaceful Belly have filled our Produce Department with a number of things that you should not miss! Lee and Gilbert Rice will be supplying us with a number of beautiful local lettuces for the next few weeks. Take your pick of a standard green, a delicious romaine, or a deep, gorgeous red. Do enjoy these local, succulent treats before they are gone for the season! Not bad work for a couple of plumbers.

Peaceful Belly is offering several sturdy greens that would make a wonderful addition to any soup or wilted salad. (Kale + bacon + green onion + mushroom = magic). Do realize that these are as good as it gets— these “locals” are the freshest, most colorful, best greens we carry all year. Take a moment and spend a little time with “Green.” It’s a touchy subject, so get in and touch!

Have you tried a Shelly Berry yet? Really? THEY ARE SO GOOD!!! Mann Orchard, who provide us with Shelly Berries, are also bringing in a number of late-season grapes. We have several of their red and green varieties. I’ve been told that the Irish Sweet Grape is exquisite with wine and cheese. Is there any Shakespeare left? Three weeks? There you go!

By the way, do you understand the Produce signage? There’s a trick that I want to share. If a product is banded with a yellow twist-tie, it means that the product is local and organic. For instance, both Rice and Peacefully Belly are local, organic farms (which means they are certified and comply with all USDA organic regulations), and so they have yellow twist ties. The signs above all of the products are also color coded. Yellow signs, like the yellow bands, mean local and organic. Green signs mean organic.  We also use a blue sign, which indicates produce of a local, spray-free quality. These folks cannot use the “organic” claim on their produce because they are not certified, but their products are nonetheless of an exceedingly high quality. Good local, spray-free items include much fruit, some peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini. Most often you’ll find these with our commercial produce. Poke around. You might find some unexpected gems!

Finally, I want to highlight a few more items before we begin to slip into squash and potatoes. We have begun carrying wild crafted huckleberries. These are Idaho! Give yourself a treat. Linger at the berry table. Also, don’t miss our local, organic carrots, radishes, turnips, yellow squash and and zukes. Buy fresh! Buy local!

Bye Bye.