Our Natural Food Store

Natural Foods in Manzanita

Until I moved to the coast with my mate, I never realized how spoiled I was with easy access to a plentiful variety of vegan and organic food ingredients. Our little town is fortunate to have Mother Nature's Natural Foods.
I need to explain a bit. To get to another natural food store or a store that carries enough organic and natural food I have to drive anywhere from 22 to 40 miles north up a winding coast highway that occasionally closes due to floods and slides. I haven't found anything to the south closer than that. It is 22 miles to Seaside which has a tiny health food store with some bulk items and no produce. There is a Safeway that carries some organic produce and a very limited selection of so called natural convenience foods. To get to a place with a greater selection of the foods I need, I drive the 40 miles to Astoria and shop at the Astoria Food Coop. There I get my organic bulk supplies, including tofu in bulk, spices, etc.. I usually pick up some produce too but fresh produce needs to be replenished frequently. I don't make the trip to Astoria more than once a month. During the off seasons of the Farmer's Market, I rely on Mother Nature's for my produce and a few additional items. 
To be fair, there are two other little grocery stores in town. The one across the street from Mother Nature's is the only other one we have shopped at. My mate is the one who shops there for the odd item for himself as much of the merchandise is for the seasonal visitors, but they do have a few bits of organic produce too. I have only been in the other one (the third store) once and do not shop there for several reasons which I will not go into here.
There is a Costco up the coast but we choose not to have a membership there as they do not carry much of anything we need and we like to shop local as much as possible.
Finally, we also use online shopping for items that are harder to find such as cacao nibs and vegan vitamin supplements.
As I have mentioned in other, these limitations actually have been a blessing. They have forced us to simplify and streamline our eating habits which have resulted in even healthier eating. Vegan convenience and junk food is plentiful in more populated areas. I have found we could do just fine without all that.
To be honest, sometimes when time is tight and I am tired, I wouldn't mind being able to pop in someplace for something fast and convenient! Thankfully, with a little bit of organization, I can be prepared for those times.

So, if you ever find yourself in our little town looking for natural foods and a few vegan and gluten-free supplies, Mother Nature's Natural Food Store is the way to go. 

One of the wonderful things about living in a small town is that you get to know your people. Here are a few from Mother Nature's:

Left to right: Jan (owner), Thomas, and Syd.

Not the best picture as the batteries were going out in my camera. Here is a view down our main street with the store in the shingled building on the left:

Main street in Manzanita The ocean waves look like a white bar at the very end

Ultimately I would like to be able to grow the bulk of our food needs myself. Given that our area is at the mercy of Mother Nature (the entity, not the food store!) being self sufficient is really the best solution.

That is a whole 'nother post.
Well, the rain has moved in and is pounding the windows. The ocean is roaring above the sound of the rain and dark has fallen. Time to wrap up this post and get a good night's sleep. 
-Renee