Red Eye to the Co-op

It was forty degrees colder than Hawaii when we stepped off the United Express in Medford and onto their new exit ramp, a big improvement from narrow steep steps. Why didn’t they think of that before?
We like to take the red eye back to the mainland. It gives us another full day in Hawaii, time to clean the place and take one last swim. The return flight is more than an hour shorter because of tailwinds and early in the morning in San Francisco International you can find a place to sleep a couple hours before catching a flight to Medford.
Our first stop on returning was the Ashland Community Foodstore (the Co-op) to see what we’d been missing. The North Shore is great but after living in Ashland, an organic vegetarian paradise, I begin to miss the easy accessibility of good produce. True, there are not enough papayas, pineapples, avocados and star fruit, etc. in Oregon but there is a great selection of fresh produce. Had to fight off a big grin as I wheeled my basket into the produce section. Lots of locally grown greens, Washington apples, strawberries already and huge organic tomatoes at $1.99lb. I kept tossing stuff in the basket and walked out with an $88 bill which I’m sure would have been $188 in Hawaii had I been able to find the same stuff.
Ashland suffers from an embarrassment of food riches. We have three stores that sell organic natural foods. In addition to the Co-op, Shop n Kart and Market of Choice have good natural food sections, organic produce and bulk food. Many people swear by Shop n Kart and I stop by occasionally to check their specials and buy their loss leaders—always tomatoes and avocados. But we buy a good 80% of our food at the Co-op. First of all, their prices (should I say “our” prices) are as good as Shop n Kart. Second, the organic produce isn’t mixed up next to non-organic which I find confusing. Thirdly, we get monthly $5 dollar discounts and 10% owner discount days. And, most important, the Co-op has a genuine commitment to natural foods. Market of Choice and Shop n Kart only have a financial commitment. We can actually walk and carry home enough food for lunch and dinner. Can see the Co-op from our front porch. It reminds me of one of the reasons we moved here. Food!