Did you know the asparagus on your plate might be locally grown in the desert?

Mark Ruben, director of the Gilcrease Orchard in the northwest part of the valley, has been harvesting asparagus since February, and "that's our main attraction right now." Ruben said he expects to have asparagus -- $2 for a bunch, roughly three-quarters of a pound -- until early May.

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Two new grocery stores opened in Las Vegas with crowds of people looking for deals.

The shoppers who flanked the building and the swarms of cars trying to park made it look like Black Friday at a big box. Except that it wasn't. In this case, the big-box retailer is a new grocery store, and the hot items weren't TVs and iThings; they were potato chips and soda — all at discounted prices to celebrate WinCo Foods' grand opening in Southern Nevada. 

Read more in the Las Vegas Sun.... Read More

A number of Clark County School District high schools now offer healthier vending machine options for their students.

Fresh Healthy Vending is moving into the southern Nevada market and has installed its machines in nine local high schools. All food and drink options stocked in the machines exceed nutritional guidelines for schools, according to company officials.

According to a report in Bloomberg Businessweek, the San Diego-based company "charges franchisees about $11,000 per machine, which they then manage by ordering from Fresh Healthy online and restocking once or twice a week.”