Wood that warms me twice

One of the questions I am sometimes asked when I start chatting with people is "Thrifty or CG?" Translation, do you shop at the on-island owned Country Grocer supermarket or the off-Island owned Thrifty supermarket. "The Natch" I say, eliciting a "Huh?" from them --and probably you. "Natch" is slang for the Natural Food Store (thanks IM). So now you get it, but many of them don't.


Why would I knowingly pay more for my food at the Natch when CG sells a bit of organic food and is also owned by nice island people. Easy, food from the Natch feeds me twice.


The owner of this Natch is a young woman named Carol, a transplant from California ironically, who is my Pizzaiolo of grocers. I walk into the place and don't have to ask about the ethics of this, or the growing habitat of that; it's all good. And during the weeks and months when the farmers have no Saturday market and few self-generated customers, Carol buys everything they have. Everything. She is the money in their pockets that helps ensure they are here each spring.

Today was the first day of the Saturday market, a celebration of the food and art of Saltspring. All week I have suffered trying to decide where to buy my produce for the next few weeks. Would I abandon Carol to buy directly from the farmers, or would I stay loyal to Carol, knowing the produce she sells will be coming from them?

So today, with my market bag in my decidedly chilly hand, I charged onto the Park Plaza to cheat on Carol. Right off, boom, a rapid ping pong of emotion as it finally sank in that snow in March means no local vegetables in April. At least not here on Saltspring Island. For now at least, and likely til I leave, I will be shopping for all my grocery needs at Carol's including the veggies from other parts of BC where they grow under plastic and from California.

Please don't tell Carol. I do afterall, have to face her on Monday, empty bag in hand.


PS. Sadly I was not able to find a scratch and sniff applet. The skunk cabbage in the photo comes by its name honestly.