Organic Food/Whole Foods? (Manchester, Nashua: 2014, prices, shop)

[rmcewan]

My understanding is that TJ's won't/can't open a store in NH because of the state liquor monopoly. Let's face it though. TJ's and Wholefoods are not exactly the New Hampshire way.

[sjwaste]

Originally Posted by rmcewan

My understanding is that TJ's won't/can't open a store in NH because of the state liquor monopoly. Let's face it though. TJ's and Wholefoods are not exactly the New Hampshire way.

I'm down in the DC area and there are enough TJ's that it's hard not to trip over one. You folks aren't missing too much. The groceries that they do carry are good quality at a reasonable price, but nothing that you wouldn't find elsewhere. It's a store where occasionally you "find" something awesome, but I've done much better at farmers markets and butchers. If we have those in our concrete and asphalt landscape, I will just assume they exist up your way too.

I will say that if you're anxious for a TJ's, the ability to sell alcohol won't keep them out - at least, they have locations in NJ where I'm from, and grocers can't sell alcohol there.

I stopped in Philbrick's when I was out in Portsmouth once. That's a pretty good grocery store there. It doesn't help the OP in Nashua though, sorry! For that, it looks like Chowhound has a thread:

Organic produce etc. near Nashua, NH? - General New England Archive - Chowhound

[GregW]

Try Henry Peterson on Peabody Row in Londonderry for the finest maple syrup anywhere. Sue Boudry's across the street for really fresh eggs and local honey. The BlackBerry Bakery in a strip mall near the Park & Ride off Rt 102 just west of I-93. There is Mack's Apples on 128 for apples after the harvest (some say that they may open early with fresh produce) or (?) on High Range Road for all sorts of fresh vegetables, apples and fruit as well as a very good bakery.

All this is available at one end of a very yuppified town. There is a place that also sells locally grown beef and bison. I think it is at the big farm stand on Rt 102 on the way to Chester.

[kshayne]

So much to say. Firstly, I moved from the organic capital of the US - Boulder, CO to New Hampshire. It's like from oasis to desert.

It's REALLY important to understand Whole Foods is a crock of crapola. Their entire food bar is commercial and they couldn't care a bit about health. It's really just a big machine.

Onto organics....yes, there are options at the grocery stores. Fortunately, in Manchester there's an awesome, mostly organic, grocery store called A Market. Also, you can get some organics from various places - such as the conventional grocery stores.

Yes, there's a Whole Foods coming to Nashua so those in that area will have another option.

It's really sad that people here are so incredibly ignorant of the terrible effects of GMOs and pesticides both to human health directly through consumption and then in addition to their impact on the greater environment (water, air, land, and animals). Through this ignorance we are destroying life and our health while creating new health care systems and regulations. All at the same time giving greater freedom to large corporations to destroy health. Hmmmmm - someone is making a bit of cash in exchange for the health of our society and world. Oh well, if no one cares...keep up the good work everyone (yes I'm being sarcastic).

Hopefully, people wake up and realize that Frankinfoods and pesticides do not just 'go away'.

By paying more for clean foods you keep your toxic load down reducing pressure on your organs and reduce diseases.

Every so often - there will be another "study" that says organics do not matter. That's basically bull crap. Follow the money. There are HUGE interests in suppressing organics. Think about how massive the GMO and chemical industries are. Even the Surpreme Court has been bought on this issue by favoring "patents" over food and allowing organic and natural growers to be sued out of business.

Now Monsanto and Dow are in bed. It's all about owning everything related to our food systems - oh yeah chemicals too. Dow are the folks who bring us both agent orange and pesticides. Nice.

Don't be fooled. Get back to nature by supporting organic foods of every kind. Help your long term health, help the planet, help the next generation, and stop corporate chemical interests from taking over our food supply.

Maybe at some point someone will even open up some organic food stores here in NH. Now that would be a turning point!!!

[in_newengland]

There's a small natural foods store in Hampton--it's bigger than it was and it just moved into a larger space. They have some food, mostly gluten free and frozen meals.

[JukieF]

Hey, kshayne. We moved from Fort Collins to Manchester in 2009. I shop at Hannaford and Market Basket, but now that the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are open in Nashua (plus there's a Costco there so I don't have to go to Sam's any longer), I just drive down to Nashua every couple of weeks to get the organic items I can't find in Manchester. A Market has very little variety, and I was pretty disappointed with it when we first got to NH.

We live in the heart of Manchester, but we have almost an acre and a half, so my hubby put in a huge garden, which is pesticide-free. I'm really excited about the garden this year. We're also going to get some chickens. Can't wait for that!

I joined the CSA one year, but I had to drive up to Concord every week to get my veggies, and I didn't feel right about that. Seems to defeat the purpose! I'm so glad we now have the option of growing our own. My sister is in the CSA in Boulder, and she gets her veggies delivered to her house every week. But that's Boulder for you. :-)

How are you liking NH otherwise? It's a BIG change from Boulder, isn't it? We love NH, although there are things I really miss about Colorado--the mountains and green chile, in particular. I go back every year to get my six bushels of green chile. My cousin in southern Colorado grows organic chile, so I always buy it from him. I peel, chop, and freeze it in ziploc bags, load them in a styrofoam cooler, put that in a box, and fly home with it as luggage. Well worth all the work. I've lived in Oregon, New York, and Switzerland, and in each place I had to go back to Colorado to get chile. Can't live without it. :-) But that's something only someone who has lived in Colorado or New Mexico can understand.

[FrugalYankee]

How does driving up to Concord from Manchester defeat the purpose but driving to Nashua doesn't?

Support local farmers and leave Whole Fools to the chi-chi crowd. Wild horses couldn't drag me into that chain store.

[Valerie C]

It sounds like Jukie is able to combine visits to several different stores into one visit to Nashua, but when going to Concord, it was a once-a-week trip, and only to pick up the CSA veggies. And that DOES sort of defeat the point of going CSA. We will be getting involved with a local CSA again this year, and pick up location will be at our office in Londonderry I'm excited about that! We have plenty of local orchards (not organic) and u-pick farms (also not organic) so this is an excellent option. We also have organic organic gardens at home (6 square-foot gardens, plus blueberry bushes) and I'm happy that we are able to pick our own veggies through the growing months

Originally Posted by FrugalYankee

How does driving up to Concord from Manchester defeat the purpose but driving to Nashua doesn't?

[C2ShiningC]

Jukie, in case you aren't able to make it to Colorado in the future, a friend of mine in California gets Hatch chiles, diced and frozen, mailed to her from this company: http://www.hatch-chile.com/ She has been very happy with the service and with the chiles which I think she uses in everything she eats. She posts the most yummy pictures of chile dishes on Facebook, it drives me nuts.

[KingBlunted]

Whole foods supposedly coming to Nashua right? I heard there and Portsmouth as well.

Also Try Fresh market in Bedford, few exits up Route 3