Nature Sweet 2006 Tomato Challenge in Sacramento
First prize is $5,000 and three $250 store vouchers will be awarded to runners up. On September 9, contestants must bring three medium or large tomatoes OR 10 small tomatoes (entries must all be of the same variety) to the Raley’s at 25025 Blue Ravine Road in Folsom between 9 and 11 a.m. for judging. ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD.
What have you got to lose but that empty feeling in your wallet and that unsung glory for your oh, so deserving tomatoes? If you don’t win, you can always go grocery shopping… or to the lake… or the Folsom Outlets or something. Any nurseries over there? Folsom Lake Nursery closed, right? Bushnell’s isn’t too, too far from Folsom. That’s always worth a stop.
The Tomato Challenge Hotline toll-free number is 1-800-315-8209.
Good luck, Sacratomatans!
As much as I appreciate the post, I can’t help but grimace a bit by giving this big-box store any more exposure than it already steals from other smaller, independent grocers. After all, it is just a marketing ploy and a way to get home gardeners in the store to seduce them into purchasing their cookie-cutter produce.
Love your site!
Funny, I sort of think of Raley’s as a local grocer, compared to, say, Safeway. As for their produce, yes, it could be better. I much prefer home grown or Whole Foods for a nice organically-grown selection of produce. I do like the “little Raley’s” by my house, though. The checkers are friendly, the store is clean, the natural foods section just keeps getting better and better, and they have some good sale prices and quality products. The produce tends to be high quality, but the organic options are pretty lacking.
As long as we’re discussing favorite local grocery stores, here are mine: Whole Foods, Raley’s, Corti Bros. and Nugget Market (though I only go there when I’m in Davis). I wish we had something like Larry’s Market in Seattle or Andronico’s in the Bay Area. I can’t really think of any small grocers in our area. Taylor’s? That’s too far from me.
What?! No mention of Trader Joe’s? I love TJ’s!! Prices are great, meat and produce suit me just fine, great greeting cards, free samples…what’s not to like?
Oops, my bad. In addition to forgetting TJ’s, I also forgot the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, of which I’m a lifetime member but no longer live close to. Whole Foods, also known as “Whole Paycheck” to some, is much closer. We do have to consider proximity to home when buying perishables.