If you like to buy organic items and are planning a trip to Ukiah, there are several places I recommend you check out.
Ukiah is the main city of Mendocino County and whether you are looking for something organic to bring home to the fridge, to bite-into now or to wear, Ukiah has it.
Below I’ll cover the Ukiah Natural Foods CO-OP, the Saturday Farmers Market, the organic cafe Tastebuds, and the clothing store Graces on Main. All of the above are unique places that can only be found in Ukiah. Here you can buy special organic products from the county and feel good about helping local green businesses that are not owned by big chain stores.
Ukiah Natural Foods CO-OP
Ukiah Natural Foods CO-OP is a favorite of mine because it has so many organic brands and vegan/raw products. And because it is a CO-OP, meaning that it is owned by its members, not corporate stockholders. Anyone can become a member (for a small annual fee), and thereby get special discounts.
What to find: The store has a big organic produce section and many ailes of organic food and non-food including cool kitchen gadgets, some organic clothing, supplements and much more. A big part of the produce and products are local to the county and gives you a sense of what makes Mendocino unique.
The store also has an organic Juice and Smoothie Bar (serves matcha latte) and a Salad & Soup Bar with some organic options.
Two things I like to highligth:
- The organic herbal tinctures in bulk, something I’ve never seen at any other CO-OP in California. Here you can get, in a fluid form, maca, milk thistle, goldenseal many more therapeutic tinctures and pay by the ounce.
- At the water dispensing station, you can fill your own bottle with three different options of filtered water, including fluoride-free, all reasonably priced. By doing this you can both save money (it’s cheaper than buying bottled water) and help reduce the negative impact of plastic waste by reusing your own bottles.
Address: Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, 721 South State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482. Opening hours: all days: 8am-8pm. Soup & Salad Bar: 10:00 am–7:30 pm. Espresso Bar: 8:00 am–7:30 pm
The Saturday Farmers Market
The Saturday Farmers Market is the largest in the County, but smaller than other markets I’ve visited in San Diego or LA. It has a friendly and cozy atmosphere, with live music every Saturday and some interesting booths.
What to find: enjoy a variety of local organic fresh produce, plants, and food products. When I was there in early summer 2016, one booth, Mendo Ferments, sold organic sauerkraut, pickles, kimchee and fermented drinks including kombucha (see below).
Address: Alex Thomas Plaza at School & Clay Street. Opening hours: Every Saturday from 9-noon. Year Round – Rain or shine!
Cafe Tastebuds
Cafe Tastebuds serves organic, local vegetarian, vegan and raw food – all 100% GMO free. It’s just across the street from the local Saturday Farmers Market that I mentioned above. The people are friendly and the cafe has a nice atmosphere, WIFI, and a menu that can make your taste buds hungry.
The menu: includes specialties, salads, sides (see pics of menu below) and hot/cold drinks. You can also get a plate of mixed hot foods from the buffet at the counter (the combo plate). When I was there it included: peanut stewed sweet potatoes, lentils, black-eye peas, broccoli & cabbage stir fry, pasta pasta, garlic kale, BBQ tofu and stewed soy fish.
Address: 405 S State St, Ukiah, California 95482. Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 11 am-9 pm. Note: Tastebuds has no website but a facebook page.
Graces on Main
Graces on Main is a friendly clothing store with a line of some beautiful organic clothing. The cloth is only sold here and both the design and material is high quality and very nice, so nice that it made me want to spend more money than I had. If you want to get an organic piece of cloth with a unique touch of Ukiah, this store is a good place to visit.
Address: 323 N. Main, Ukiah, CA. 95482 Phone: (707) 462-5911. Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am-5.30pm – Sat: 10am-5pm – Sun: Closed. More info.
This post is open to your comments: do you have any thoughts or questions about anything in this post, please share in the comment box below and I’ll do my best to answer.
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