Organic food in Memphis? (Germantown, Midtown: co-op, neighborhoods, buying)

[div222]

We are thinking about moving to Memphis from Bay Area, CA. It is scary a little bit and we are not sure if this is the right thing to do.
We wondering about many things, of course, some of them were addressed on this great forum already. I have more questions though, this is one of them.


How about organic food in Memphis? What about Germantown? Is it easy to find? Is it expensive? I was trying to search for an information online, I saw some stores, but still have no idea about prices/selection.

[Pearlbob]

Not much in Memphis (we're a meat and grease area here) There is a Wild Oats on Poplar in east Memphis. There used to be something in Overton Sq but I think it closed down.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by div222

We are thinking about moving to Memphis from Bay Area, CA. It is scary a little bit and we are not sure if this is the right thing to do.
We wondering about many things, of course, some of them were addressed on this great forum already. I have more questions though, this is one of them.


How about organic food in Memphis? What about Germantown? Is it easy to find? Is it expensive? I was trying to search for an information online, I saw some stores, but still have no idea about prices/selection.

Organic foods will be harder to find in Memphis than in the Bay Area, but it is not impossible. There is a Wild Oats in East Memphis, not far from Germantown. It will soon be a Whole Foods since they just bought the company. There are a lot of smaller, independent health food stores in Midtown. There is a Fresh Market in Germantown that is an upscale grocer that offers a lot of organic food. I try to Prices are similar to the Bay Area, maybe a little cheaper. Housing even in the nicest parts of town will be much, much cheaper. Germantown and East Memphis are the most expensive areas of town, but they are cheap compared to the Bay Area. Germantown is very nice, has beautiful neighborhoods, a good greenbelt and park system, and has virtually no crime.

[div222]

Thank you guys.

What about regular groceries / other big stores? Do they have any organic food in them? Here most of the stores, even Walmart and Costco, sell some organic food.

To Pearlbob – I am not some kind of snob, I am a meat eater too, I eat tons of it. We switched to mostly organic food few years ago because my husband’s stomach became very sensitive, especially to regular meat/chicken/eggs. Organic food helps, strangely enough. + now we have 2 small kids (<1 and 2.5), so we want to feed them healthier food.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by div222

Thank you guys.

What about regular groceries / other big stores? Do they have any organic food in them? Here most of the stores, even Walmart and Costco, sell some organic food.

To Pearlbob – I am not some kind of snob, I am a meat eater too, I eat tons of it. We switched to mostly organic food few years ago because my husband’s stomach became very sensitive, especially to regular meat/chicken/eggs. Organic food helps, strangely enough. + now we have 2 small kids (<1 and 2.5), so we want to feed them healthier food.

Yes, the big chains also carry organic produce and other organic products: Wal-Mart, Kroger, Schnuck's (the Big Three in area grocers). Organic meat is harder to find, although you can usually find "all-natural" meat which means the animals weren't injected with hormones or other weird things, although it's not "organic" because the animals weren't necessarily fed organic feed.

I agree with you on organic meats and dairy products. Not only is it healthier, it just tastes better. If you can find raw dairy products, even better!

[Pearlbob]

I wasn't making fun, I'm just pointing out that around here the thoughts about organic food will be much different than what you are probably used to.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

I wasn't making fun, I'm just pointing out that around here the thoughts about organic food will be much different than what you are probably used to.

I don't think people have negative thoughts about organic food. I think the only reason that people don't purchase more organic foods is the increased cost. There is a good farmer's market downtown on Saturdays that usually has a nice selection of organic foods (and meat). I've noticed a lot of my patients are incorporating more organic foods in their diets, even the poor ones. Everyone can appreciate the better taste of organic foods, especially in a place where the entire culture revolves around food.

[emp6t]

The attitude towards organic food is different in Memphis, but it will change with time (and increased awareness) I am sure. Still, stores do have small organic sections, so it is not impossible to reproduce it to some extent. The downtown market will not impress a Californian, yet there are some local growers that went organic since the 70s, and you can rely on them. I believe that Whole Foods will be buying Wild Oats, so hopefully their prices will go down and organic will be more accessible to many more.

I heard that there will be another health store opening in Midtown sometime in November (does anyone know about that?). I would love to find a food co-op in Midtown. Is there one?

[ColliervilleMom]

This is a good thread, I am also relocating to the area, (probably collierville, germantown or around there), but my 11 year old daughter and I are vegetarian, I am not a save the whales type, I just have a problem with the texture of meat, hated it since I was a kid...and raised my daughter on no meat. (Hubby and son eat meat),

so my question is will there be options for us? I am very excited about the Wild Oats/Whole Foods that are there, but what about dining out? Are there restaurants with creative vegetarian options? Are there any good Indian restaurants around?

[Pearlbob]

India Palace on Poplar in midtown has been voted the best indian restaurant for many years. Also some good thai places in midtown/downtown.

I also don't eat a lot of meat, and I've found that the meat-less options at restaurants are hard to come by. Not impossible, but just not a lot of options. It seems meatless must equate to greasy and fattening or just a plain salad. However, it seems like the smaller restaurants, the newer ones, at least in downtown/midtown (where I am) have more options.