Spring at The Market

What once was white, let’s now turn green! After the harsh and long winters, we inevitably get excited for the season change. Spring brings warmer air, budding trees, longer days, and of course, a new harvest! So, what fruit and vegetables can we see coming into spring harvest? Below, we list 5 of our favorite foods that are more plentiful in spring and their nutritional factors:

Arugula

Arugula is rich in nutrients and low in sugar, calories, carbohydrates, and fat. It’s high in several vital nutrients including: Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant that supports immune function, cell growth, overall eye health, and night vision. It also helps maintain heart, lung and kidney function.

Like most tender greens, arugula is perishable and needs to be used within a few days of purchase. Our tip is to look for crips leaves with no moisture

Mushrooms

Feeling sick? Eat a mushroom. Throughout history, civilizations have treasured mushrooms as a source of strength and healing. The average American eats nearly three pounds of mushrooms a year, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. Mushrooms contain health-boosting vitamins and minerals, along with protein and fiber. For example, one cup of cremini mushrooms has only 15 calories, but 2 grams of protein and nearly 1 gram of fiber.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb has more benefits than being in a pie (though we can all agree it might be the best way to have it). Rhubarb is rich in antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins (which give it its red color) and proanthocyanidins. These antioxidants have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, which help protect you from many health-related issues such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes

Sprouts

These tiny morsels provide BIG nutrition. Sprouts are rich in a number of important nutrients. While the specific ratio of nutrients varies depending on the type of sprout, they generally contain high levels of folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin K. In fact, they have higher amounts of these nutrients than fully-grown versions of the same plants.

Turnips

Ahh, the turnip, the potatoes’ cousin. Turnips are a fantastic alternative for potatoes and are a good source of vitamin B6, folate, calcium, potassium, and copper. A very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and manganese. The turnip greens are a super food and packed with nutrients.

WHY The Market?

At The Market we know that, from big box stores to organic-specialty stores and more, there are options on options when it comes to places you can bring your business and take home your groceries. 

BUT, we also believe in the value of a personal relationship with our customers, and that’s where we’re a little different from those other stores. To us, you’ll never be just a number. We want to know you, and we want to give you the chance to get to know us. 

With that in mind, we compiled a little Q&A to introduce ourselves…

WHY DID WE START THE MARKET?

Founder and owner Darin started his grocery career at the age of 16 in Casper, Wyoming. He found the variety of duties, the ever-changing pace, and the people very rewarding, and stayed on after graduating.

After 15 more years working his way up in the grocery industry, Darin decided he wanted to venture out on his own and get closer to family, so he, his wife Valerie, and their three daughters purchased their first store in Ridgway, Colorado. This endeavor truly became a family business, as Valerie and the girls all became integral in operating this store. From this first start-up, the family business has grown from one small store to a sizable small corporation with many locations in multiple states with some of those stores offering a full-line of hardware and liquor stores.

“The Market” brand was created out of a desire to brand our stores together as a family of locations that served, primarily, smaller communities. Initially, we created names for each specific area and branded those stores to the area. However, as we have grown, we saw a need for people to be able to find us and to recognize us as one big family. Thus, The Market was born.

The Hill Family passion for the business continues. The Hill family works hard to make sure their associates feel valued and appreciated; each individual is truly part of the family. And the commitment to a great shopping experience by offering clean, well-stocked stores with a friendly atmosphere is what sets us apart from other stores. We are also able to cater to most in our small towns and offer conventional, natural, organic and gourmet products not typically found in rural or small areas.

WHAT SETS US APART IN THE GROCERY INDUSTRY?

We operate in smaller towns, often rural areas, that tend to be underserved. We offer conventional products as well as natural and gourmet products in many of our stores, and are proactive in making sure our customers have access to hard-to-find items. We have incorporated other aspects into the stores in some areas, like hardware and liquor, to better serve our communities.

WHAT’S OUR CULTURE LIKE AS A COMPANY?

We pride ourselves on offering a great shopping experience, with very clean, organized and well-stocked stores. Our people are the best: striving to make sure each customer feels welcome and offering great customer service. We are very active in all our communities and give generously.

WHAT ARE SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MARKET?

We operate in 5 different states with over 15 different retail operations. We started as a very small family owned company in 2000, after purchasing our first store in Ridgway, to move our family closer to family. Our girls were able to work the store as they grew up, and all our customers were acquainted with our children. We actively source products from many vendors, including local vendors, to offer the most comprehensive product line possible in our smaller stores.

WHAT IS THE MARKET PASSIONATE ABOUT?

We are passionate about being good stewards in our communities in which we operate. We strive to be a great place to work, offering our employees great pay and benefits and great work environment. We also strive to support our local communities financially and in other ways…being supportive, actively promoting events, and giving cash and/or goods as donations. We really love each of our individual communities we operate in. We are passionate about offering the best possible shopping experience by offering clean and well-stocked stores, great customer service, and a fun and friendly environment.

So there you have it. It’s nice to meet you! We hope you enjoyed getting to know us a bit, and we hope we get the chance to get to know you. To get to know our team, our stores, and to really get to know more about who we are, find The Market nearest you today.