Edgewater Whole Foods: This Organic Thing is Catching on

THE DIRTY DOZEN+ foods you should always buy organic List courtesy of Andrew Weil Apples Strawberries Grapes Celery Peaches  Spinach Sweet bell peppers Nectarines (imported) Cucumbers Cherry tomatoes Snap peas (imported) Potatoes Hot peppers Blueberries (domestic)

I buy most of the groceries in our house.  I've been doing it since before my son was born.  I am not a big shopper of clothes, and I could care less about outlet stores.  But put me at the front checkout of a grocery store, and I know what's what.

I typically go to 3 or 4 markets a week.  Most markets don't have everything that I want at the right price.  And I enjoy the hunt.

Since moving to Chicago, I have been shopping at Jewel, Mariano's, Whole Foods, and Target for my everyday needs, with occasional stops at Costco and Trader Joe's.  We also became owner/members of an organic food coop that has yet to open (Chicago Market .)

And we are super excited that the Edgewater Whole Foods two blocks from our house opens tomorrow!

For the last year or so, my wife has been on a kick for the last year or so to "go organic." She's been insisting that more and more of the food we buy be organic. She's been going to nutritionists, reading books, and emailing me articles about organic food for a while now.

In theory, I don't have a problem with that. I'd prefer that all of my food be grown by hand, handled lovingly, done exactly right. I realize that our food is primarily grown on a plantation system, and that big farm groups have every incentive to cut corners. I have no problem believing that food grown without pesticides is better for you (or at least the possibility that you would ingest poison goes way down.)

THE CLEAN 15 foods it's okay to purchase  non-organic list courtesy of Andrew Weil Avocados Sweet corn Pineapples Cabbage Sweet peas (frozen) Onions Asparagus Mangoes Papayas Kiwi Eggplant Grapefruit Cantaloupe (domestic) Cauliflower Sweet potatoes

My biggest problem with buying organic is price. Organic produce is typically a dollar or so more than conventional and sometimes much more than that. And also, many times you can't find fresh organic produce that looks as good as the conventional stuff.

So this past weekend, I had a bit of a shock at Mariano's. My wife asked me to pick her up some Organic Baby Spinach. I went to the organic section first and purchased the spinach, which was $3 for 5 oz.  They also had Baby Kale/greens for $3.  I then thought that I'd get some salad greens for me. I walk over to the conventional section, and the Baby Kale mix is 2.75 for the same 5 oz! Apparently the prices of organic greens are now competitive with non-organic.

When the price is nearly the same, I'll choose the organic.

Where To REALLY Get Kosher For Passover Desserts in Chicago

Our seder table from a few years ago.

We are hosting a Passover seder on Friday night.  For those of you not in the know.  It's a special dinner/service that Jewish people host in their homes, with a lot of rituals, to celebrate the start of Passover and to commemorate our liberation from Egypt a long long long long time ago.  (This is the Moses story, folks)

When we lived in New York, there were lots of bakeries that made amazing Kosher for Passover Desserts.  During Passover, you are not allowed to eat anything that rises (no dough, nothing with yeast in it) so it can be hard to do dessert.  People are clever, and there are some great non-rising cakes. You had to order early, they were very expensive, but when you bring an amazing dessert for 20 people that's Kosher for Passover, you are a literally a hero.

In Chicago, I have been struggling with where to find a Kosher For Passover bakery.

 I found (what I thought was) a great article by Cbs Local titled "Best Bakeries in Chicago for Passover Desserts"  It's dated March 18, 2015.  The article lists 5 places-- 3 in Chicago, 1 in Skokie, 1 in Northbrook to get Passover Desserts.

Plagues have never been more delicious.  Photo courtesy  of Zelda's.

I called all 3 in Chicago.  They all seem like fine places, except NONE of them make Kosher For Passover desserts. In fact, one of them isn't Kosher at all!  None of them knew they were in the article.

This is an example of non-researched journalism.  No offense to the author, but if you are writing about products that people carry, you should at least check that they carry them.

UPDATE:  Looks like this is endemic: There was an article in the Tribune saying that Magnolia bakery was selling Passover goods.  I called them.  They sell flourless stuff, but not KFP.  I would call this Passover-inspired!

I asked people where I could go. The woman from Tel Aviv Bakery (which is Kosher, but closes for Passover) suggested the Kosher Jewel.  She said that nobody in Chicago makes their own bakery stuff.  They fly it in from Israel or New York.

The Kosher Jewel on Howard & McCormick in Evanston

As it turns out, the article did have two places right:  Leonard's in North Brook and Zelda's in Skokie both do make Kosher for Passover desserts.  In fact (although they look sold out) Zelda's makes these really cool - Chocolate & Marshmallow Frogs and Locusts.


I haven't been to the Kosher Jewel yet (at Howard and McCormick in Evanston) but I understand that their Kosher For Passover section is enormous, and includes desserts. (my wife was there on Sunday)

In addition, the Hungarian Kosher Market in Skokie also has a Passover lineup, which may or may not include desserts (their website mentions they used to make cakes for Passover, but doesn't say they do it now)   More importantly, their website says they are at capacity and are not taking any more orders.

So, the moral of this story is:  Don't believe everything you read on CBS.  And do your own research.


Happy Passover, everyone!