It's a confession. It's a love story. I love Trader Joe's and I don't care what anyone thinks. They're an intentionally small chain. They treat (and pay) their employees well. And their foods are freakin' delicious.

There's another reason I love Trader Joe's. They make it really stinkin' easy for vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, and other special dietary needs folks to shop their stores. How? They publish (and regularly update) product guides on their website for each of these various food persuasions.

Vegan? Vegetarian? Gluten-free? Something else (at the bottom)? 


They're also just plumb crazy enough to put that little V right on their products. Yup, right on the front. Go ahead, test me. Trek to your local Trader Joe's and see for yourself. You won't even have to read the ingredient list, unless you just like to do that for fun.

Plus, they sell $3 bottles of wine that don't suck. But you already knew that, didn't you? Yeah, Trader Joe's rocks.

You should 'like' The Verdant Life on .