I am now the proud member of the Madison Market co-op. While reading Nina Planck’s Real Food (which is a whole other discussion), I started looking for a store that sells organic, local, and grass-fed meat, seafood and dairy (well, obviously the seafood won’t be grass-fed, but you get the point.) I like knowing where my food comes from, and I think our food shopping choices can make a difference not only health-wise but also politically.

So what exactly is a co-op? The Madison Market web site says:

A cooperative is an enterprise owned and operated by its members.Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.

When I was at their store on Capitol Hill yesterday there was certainly a lot of honesty going on. A couple of guys in the back room were arguing loudly about the employee parking situation for the whole store to hear. Hope they sorted it out. At least it’s good to know the democratic values listed on the web site is not just marketing…

The store is absolutely amazing: local in-season fruit and vegetables, huge organic bulk food section, organic coffee and tea, fresh wild seafood, fair-trade chocolate, a small coffee shop, baked goods, yoga mats, and on and on it goes. What’s not to like?

I already have a fascination with good grocery stores, as my local Trader Joe’s can attest, and if I go to heaven there will definitely be a Madison Market around the corner. If you live in Seattle and fall in the foodie-camp, eat-local camp, or granola-cruncher camp, I highly recommend checking it out!