If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I would argue that a good bar of chocolate is worth a thousand love letters. On the 14th of this month, many will substitute writing sweet notes with giving sweet treats. But which chocolate to choose? And why?

Here's the low down on chocolate, and how you can help save the world (or parts of it at least) by the chocolates you choose. 

Choose shade-grown and give your sweetheart a rainforest 

The great flavor of chocolate comes from the beans of cacao plants (click here for more background from our chocolate page). More than two thirds of the world's cacao beans are grown in western Africa, with the majority of the rest coming from Indonesia and the northern countries of South America. In these tropical regions, the cacao plants have historically grown in the shade of the rainforest canopy. But when chocolate production grew to global proportions, so did the cultivation of the cacao plants. In order to supply the demand, the rainforests, which have the greatest biological diversity of plants and wildlife, were replaced with monoculture landscapes solely planted with cacao plants.

Not all chocolate is sourced from these plantations, in fact many chocolates are certified "shade-grown" - which is the sweetest gift you could give your sweetheart (a safe and protected rainforest). Buy shade-grown chocolate and support the movement for sustainable chocolate production.

Please care about fair

Another important chocolate attribute is how it's beans were traded. Many workers in the cacao growing industry are not treated fairly and do not make livable wages. In an effort to improve the working conditions and wages of those in the cacao industry, we support and promote chocolate producers that are third-party certified as "fair trade" - your chocolate dollars will go to improving the conditions and wages of the great people who make great chocolate possible.

Here are a few of our favorite chocolate makers to look out for...

Dagoba Organic Chocolates

Endangered Species Chocolate

Scharffen Berger Chocolates

We'll Send 15 Kids To Camp This Summer

We just completed our partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), selling green shamrocks for the past month to raise money for this worthy organization.

MDA is focused on helping children with neuromuscular diseases.  These include a group of hereditary muscle-destroying disorders.  MDA, a voluntary national health agency aiming to conquer these devastating disorders, is familiar to many through the national chairman, Jerry Lewis, and the annual Labor Day fundraising telethon.

Our stores sold shamrocks in $1, $5 or $10 amounts to our friends, hoping to raise enough money to send  several children to MDA's summer camps. (The one closest to us is Camp Waskowitz in North Bend.)  The camps, which cost $800 per child(there is no cost to the child's family), provide a whole range of activities specially designed for young people who have limited mobility or use wheelchairs. 

Our great customers helped us  bring smiles to the faces of youngsters who have more challenges than most, and who have an opportunity to shine in a place where they can just be kids, instead of kids with disabilities.  For more information, check out MDA's website at www.mda.org  and thanks to all of you who made a donation:  it makes a difference.

For a week or so in mid-February, it seemed like spring was arriving early.  With thoughts of spring, my foodie mind turned to rhubarb, that rosy, so seasonal vegetable.  I started thinking rhubarb and strawberry pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb ginger sauce, rhubarb coulis:  but hold on a minute!  I remembered an exchange student I once hosted from Japan, and how we both struggled to understand what rhubarb was.  My explanation and her Japanese to English dictionary were no help at all.  That got me thinking:  is rhubarb one of those really old-fashioned foods that are slowly going away?  Do only grandmas and people like me, who grew up amidst lavish growths of big (but poisonous!) green leaves and cheery, extremely sour-tasting stalks, seek out fresh rhubarb each spring?  Does anyone care about rhubarb and its teasingly tasty additions to both sweet and savory baked goods and dishes like a pork roast?  Is rhubarb going the way of the humble parsnip?  And, if you're a rhubarb afficionado, how do you like to enjoy it?  By the way, rhubarb usually makes its appearance in our stores sometime in March, and no, spring isn't arriving early, but we can still hope!

 There's something about watching a sports event, like the Super Bowl or the World Series or even the Olympics, that makes me think about heading for the snack cupboard.  When I do succumb to the temptation to munch, it's usually something quick, like smoked almonds, crackers and hummus, a chili dog with everything on it, chips and dips...you get the idea.  So what whets your appetite when you're observing, either outdoors at a game, or inside on a cold February afternoon, watching the competition play out on television?  What is your go-to snack and does it vary, season by season, or by sporting event?  I'm not too anxious to tuck into a bowl of chili in the winter, but popcorn appears to be yearround in its allure.  What's your snack specialty?

Over $17,000 Raised This Holiday Season

The Markets have raised over $17,000 in this year's holiday food bank campaign, Food For All.

The following food-based charities received donations from The Markets this month:

• Senior Meals on Wheels
• Helping Hands Food Bank
• Oso Food Bank
• Arlington Food Bank
• Anacortes 100 Food Bank
• Nooksack Valley Food Bank
• Bellingham Food Bank
• Salt of the Earth Food Bank
• Lighthouse Mission
• Blue Skies for Children
• Ferndale Food Bank
• Southside Food Bank
• Blaine Food Bank
• Selah Civic Center Food Bank
• Wapato Food Bank
• Serve Wenatchee Valley
• Moses Lake Food Bank
• Children's Home Society
• Prosser Senior Center

The Markets also offer an ongoing donation bag program for local food banks and animal shelters.  The program, called Helpful Harvest and Helping Paws, features prepacked bags of nonperishable items purchased and then donated to the organizations listed below:

• Humane Society at Happy Paws Farm
• Whatcom Humane Society
• Skagit Humane Society
• Everett Humane Society
• Wenatchee Valley Humane Society
• Central Washington Humane Society
• Moses Lake-Grant County Humane Society
• Prosser Animal Shelter

Since this program began in October 2008, over 1,400 bags have been donated for food banks, 247 for cats in shelters and 287 for dogs in shelters.  Thanks to our generous customers and their concern for their fellow two- and four-legged friends and neighbors.