Shopping in Reedley is always my first choice, especially when I am putting money in a mom and pop store instead of a chain, but sometimes it’s hard to find exactly what you want. Before actually putting a lot of effort into looking for organic items in stores I only noticed a few items scattered here and there.
Since we have launched our slightly more than half-hearted attempt to go organic on a regular basis, we have been surprised to find that some local stores have more than we realized, and some far less than expected.
Keep in mind that we are new at this and have made some mistakes. I still get distracted by certain things and forget to check for something specific after scrutinizing boxes for what felt like hours.
Buying NON GMO is not the same as buying organic. Non GMO may or may not have been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, while organic means it has not been sprayed with chemicals AND it is non GMO. Always go for USDA organic if possible but if you only have a choice between non GMO and something that 
is not labeled anything, the non GMO label is a better choice. Even your vitamins could be GMO or could contain chemicals. Look for this label——————–>
I have included my store receipts below so that you can see what we purchased and compare costs.
REEDLEY
To Better Health offers a nice selection of organic/gluten-free items. It is a well stocked store and you will find spices, baking supplies, coffee, tea, prepackaged seasoned pasta, as well as pasta sauce, dairy products and other items used in preparing a homemade dinner such as olive oil, nuts and dry beans. She also carries dietary supplements that are organic.
Town & Country Market carries an organic brand called Natural Directions, They have a lot more organic items available than I originally thought. We have found that most of the products from this brand are really good quality and taste good too. We have only found one type of the popcorn they offer to be to our liking so far, but a great company overall. They have canned goods, like beans, fruit, fresh milk, pasta etc.
Fresh and Easy We did see some organic meat and they carry some organic vegetables and fruit. If you are new to the concept and think there’s not a great difference, a great taste test is to compare regular bananas to organic bananas. They carry a brand called Wild Oats that I found They have snack stuff like Yo Kids Yogurt, Kid Z bars, tortilla chips and salsa, Annie’s brand fruit snacks, pasta, bunny grahams, Honest Kids lemonade and more.
Save Mart I was pleasantly surprised when finding so many organic items at Save Mart. I had never really noticed them before. Save Mart carries a brand called Full Circle. I found pasta, pasta sauce, ranch dressing, canned foods and more. Save Mart also has a few separately kept, small sections of organic fruits and vegetables throughout the produce section. They have whole gallons of organic milk!
DINUBA
Walmart For such a large store, I felt that Walmart had a small amount to choose from. This is of course only my opinion and welcome you to share your info on what you have found. I do love theCascadian Farms Brand that they carry.
Grocery Outlet When they first opened they had one side of an entire row dedicated to organic foods.
KINGSBURG
KMK Farms This is a roadside fruit stand, but yet oh so much more! They have fruits and veggies and farm fresh eggs, snacks and even juice. They have lots of different kinds of veggies, heirloom tomoatoes, greens, etc. It is located on the corner of Mendocino and Mountain View.
FRESNO
Kristina’s Fresh Ranch Market. We mostly got fruit and veggies there. They offer sales and offercoupons. They have a nice selection. On Saturday mornings they have a Farmers Market with organic locally grown/raised foods.
Whole Foods This store was overwhelming to me, it was packed full of people trying to move you along, not much chance for reading labels or comparing products. I would call ahead and ask what day and time they aren’t so busy if you want to peruse the aisles leisurely.
Costco I found Costco to have a much larger organic selection than I expected. I purchased olive oil, sugar, juice boxes for the kids, Annie’s fruit snacks, frozen foods, and way more than I should have bought! You can get a pass to go in and look around to see if it is worthwhile to you before having to buy a membership.
Photo credit: Pixabay.com
The one thing I really wish that these stores would do is have a section of the store that has ALL the organic items by themselves, so that it isn’t so hard to shop. I guess they do this on purpose as a marketing ploy but it sure makes me want to open my own ALL organic store to take the worry out of shopping. I hope this article has helped guide you to shop our local stores! You don’t have to go out of town for healthy foods!
