Come try our delicious Challah and Hot Cross Buns! Our deli will be baking up these specialty breads and selling them through the month of April. Challah is available plain, or with poppy or sesame seeds.

Look for these yummy breads in the deli area at Valley Natural Foods.

Did you know our latest hit here at Valley Natural Foods is Slider Night? Stop by the deli area anytime between 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays for a real treat and a great deal! Our deli chefs cook up the best beef and turkey sliders in town using our own Down in the Valley meats raised responsibly on local farms.

For only $4.99, you get 2 sliders of your choice on deli-baked homemade buns (gluten-free available), two side items and condiments served up to you by our chefs. Kid-size portions are available for $2.99.

If you are looking for something easy, affordable and irresistible  for dinner, come to Valley Natural Foods on Tuesday nights! Get in early, we serve while supplies last!

Green Spotlight:  Notes from Nancy Grant

Cooking and serving lots of tasty foods from the deli kitchen takes great recipes and attention to the tiniest details. That includes thinking about energy use, water consumption, and ways to prevent waste.

Deli manager Jill Webster says the job’s easier because she’s surrounded by helpful “green thinking” team members.

Valley Natural Foods co-op general manager Susan McGaughey believes in purchasing the most energy-efficient kitchen appliances available that save money in operating expenses in the long run. Today’s co-op kitchen features large stand mixers, slicers, a high-tech convection oven, plus a ten-rack “combi” oven that can steam and bake different kinds of foods at the same time. Such multi-tasking is simple with programmable controls that help prevent energy waste.

Webster also counts on her keen-eyed deli staff members to turn off equipment when it’s not needed. Webster says her team members are also especially good at noticing dripping faucets and leaks, then fixing problems promptly to conserve water.

Ordinary day-to-day maintenance plays a big role in being energy wise, too. Webster follows a regular schedule to keep vents and all equipment parts clean and operating at peak efficiency.

Webster is especially pleased that deli shoppers can get involved in making “green” choices, too. The self-service area includes responsibly produced paper items for take-out orders. For shoppers who want to enjoy food and drinks on-site, Webster offers real glassware and serving dishes that can be washed and re-used again and again. That reduces trash going to the landfill, another planet-friendly strategy.

Energy journalist and blogger Nancy S. Grant is a member of the Cooperative Communicators Association.

Click here to read the Valley Natural Foods Green Report 2010.