have you noticed anything different?

in the trader joe's produce section?

the main qualm that i have with buying trader joe's produce (besides the fact that it very rarely local) is the insane amount of packaging when it comes to their fruits and veggies. does everything have to be sitting in a plastic container and wrapped in plastic? apparently so. most everything, that is, except the bananas. i find it completely mind-boggling that a company as forward thinking as trader joe's (with their biodegradable balloons) hasn't yet figured a way to make their buy-in-a-pack produce a little more earth-friendly.

well, it seems they just might be starting to wise up. over my last few trips to tj's, i've purchased multiple produce items in compostable packaging. i even spoke to my store manager about my findings, and he confirmed that trader joe's is beginning to make an eco-conscious shift. of course, compostable does no good if people don't know what to do with it--educating customers will hopefully be on their to-do list when it comes to this new stuff. i was very surprised today when examining the bottom of a tj's container holding tomatoes--i was looking for a recycling # and didn't see one. further inspection led me to make out the barely visible word "compostable" molded into the container. the container looked very much like plastic, and not at all like the papery/cardboardy stuff that "looks" compostable. i'll have to keep my eye out for more.

now, i know what you're thinking. what the heck is valley girl doing buying her produce at the grocery store? i thought she only buys local produce! yeah, well. general laziness and lots of playdates have made it tough to schedule in trips to my local market. but guess what? i went today and it was wonderful--tossed into my bag were the following--arugula, salad mix, spinach, garlic, carrots, a huge bunch of cilantro, tomatoes (i'm thinking these were hothouse grown), and 2 big jars of honey (one for cooking, one for facewash). all local, some certified organic and the rest uncertified organic. $25 (the honey was $14). not a bad deal. and it felt really, really good. and there was no excessive packaging, compostable or otherwise.

we have decided to join a csa beginning in april. we'll get a weekly box filled will all organic, all local produce from a nearby famr. more on that in a later post--i'm headed to bed. but i am interested in your trader joe's--has compostable packaging been spotted there too?