Daughter Liz with son, Nolan Thomas, at Garden Cove
One of my older daughter’s favorite places to shop in Huntsville, Ala., is Garden Cove Produce, 628 Meridian St., and I love going along with her. Liz is a vegetarian and cooks organic for her family when possible, and Garden Cove is a mecca for that kind of diet. Just walking into the produce section is an education — there are fresh fruits and vegetables from all over the world. But don’t be intimidated! The helpful staff has all sorts of cooking tips and suggestions if you need help. The grocery part of Garden Cove also has a great selection of non-perishable foods along the lines of a Fresh Market or Whole Foods, much of it organic and natural and most of it hard to find anywhere else in Huntsville. On the other side of the store is a holistic-type drugstore, with cosmetics, health/beauty products and supplements along with some food items such as teas, breakfast cereals and bulk grains. We go there for lunch — it’s self-serve to-go freshly made sandwiches and soup. Visit http://www.gardencoveproduce.com/index.html for details — Garden Cove is closed Saturdays and open various hours on the other days, so check before you go. The other thing — besides the selection — I love about Garden Cove is the people who shop there: Folks with different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities and incomes all come here to get good food at good prices. It’s invigorating to be a part of that.
Coffee with Cathy 
Cathy, Good to hear from other Garden Cove lovers. Except for the price, this is my favorite place to shop. When I want to make a good soup I go to Garden Cove
Yum … Garden Cove soup. That sounds like a great idea! If good quality produce is a priority for you, visit Jack O’Lantern Farms, run by my friends Steve and Connie Carpenter — hydroponic producers who lease former TVA greenhouses on the Muscle Shoals reservation. Their lettuce literally melts in your mouth. It’s open 4-7 p.m. Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Check it out at http://www.jackolanternfarm.com/. Also in Tuscumbia is Spring Park Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m. Thursdays through October, I think.