Goings on in Grocery

Brussel Bytes are a mellower munch. And a Jersey chocolatier kicks truffles up a notch.

If you haven’t warmed to kale chips, head upstairs in Mt. Airy and give Wonderfully Raw Brussel Bytes a try. They’re organic, live, vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO. Even better, they’re missing that bitter aftertaste I’ve detected in every kale chip I’ve tried. Mt. Airy has the chili pumpkin seed crunch flavor, which carries only a hint of heat.

Now that you’ve had your greens, you deserve dessert. HB+M Chocolate of Morris County, NJ, makes truffles stuffed with blondies, brownies and doughnuts. Yes. June can be dicey for chocolate purchases, but these might be worth bringing a cooler to the store. The Hill has them in three varieties.

All Wellness and Good

A sale on Plant Fusion for your summer smoothies. And there’s a new natural deodorant in town.

There’s nothing like a frosty smoothie on a hot day to cool you down and get you energized, and Plant Fusion protein powders up the ante. They’re plant-based, raw, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free. And all this month, Next Door and Across the Way have the one-pound size in all four flavors on sale for 20 percent off. So fire up that blender!

Hot days also mean perspiration, and the, well, stink that follows. Enter Primal Pit Paste, an all-natural deodorant that contains no aluminum, parabens, pthalates, synthetic fragrances or GMOs. Next Door and Across the Way have the paste, stick and pump spray in an array of scents, as well as unscented. They’re made fresh weekly from essential, organic oils, organic butters and other natural ingredients. If you’ve been relying on drugstore fare, now may be the time to make a switch.

Finds for the Furry and Feathered

Finally, a dog chew without rawhide. 

Parents of pooches know that rawhide can keep them busy and away from your shoes. But the chemicals used to remove the hair from animal hides are often toxic, and your dog is exposed to traces of them when he licks and chews his toy. So it’s a comfort to find Earth Animal No Hide Chicken Chews Across the Way. They’re made from American farm-raised chicken, and have no added hormones, steroids or chemicals. And they’re long-lasting. Bring a pack home and let puppy have at it. And relax.

Picks in Produce

Celery, ignored and maligned, adds crunch to summer.

It’s hard to work a lot of passion for celery, the icon of dieting that’s an afterthought to an order of chicken wings. It doesn’t help that it’s always near the top of the Dirty Dozen list of produce with the highest traces of pesticides. But would you want to leave it out of your tuna or chicken salad? And it’s lovely as the standard-bearer for a Bloody Mary. The Co-op has it on sale for $1.29 a bunch for the first half of June. So wash it well and throw it some respect.