Wednesday, September 30, a new grocery store opened next to us: Sunflower Farmers Market. The doors opened at 7:00 a.m. I arrived at Sunflower at ten to six hoping to be one of the first 200 people to whom Sunflower promised a free full grocery bag. Unfortunately the 200th person arrived about 5:30 a.m. (The ‘:’ can be read as ‘#!@$’ if you like.) Although I did not get a free full bag of groceries, I did receive a free reusable grocery bag and free organic salad. Also, the store had several good deals on various groceries.
Now a little about the store: Sunflower Market is a little smaller than your typical grocery store but has a great produce section including one produce stand devoted to solely organic produce. Additionally, Sunflower only carries ‘all natural’ meat, meaning no growth hormones or antibiotics are given to the animals. While it is not as humane or healthy as grass-fed pastured beef, I feel better about feeding my family foods with fewer chemicals. Sunflower also carries several brands of organic and high-quality yoghurt and dairy products, free range eggs, and several good frozen fruits and vegetables. But the second best section after the produce is the bulk section. Sunflower has several rows of bulk items such as pasta, rice, beans, candy, coffee, dried fruit, granola, sugar, etc. One whole row is devoted to organic bulk grocery. One last thing: Sunflower takes off 10¢ of your purchase for every reusable bag they use.

