With chain supermarkets seemingly on every other corner, it's easy to forget how good the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op can be.

I dropped by the co-op last Friday. Stacie Traylor was my guide through a tasting of various honeys and a trendy condiment known as "bacon jam" or "bacon spread," this one by the Skillet company.

Afterward, produce manager Kerri Williams noted that up to 90 percent of the co-op's organic produce is from farms within 200 miles (or fewer) of Sacramento. Looking good were purple carrots ($1.69 a pound), doughnut-shaped white peaches ($3.29) and big, sweet blueberries ($8.99).

As for the honeys: Frank Lienert has run his honey business out of his east Sacramento home for, oh, 35 of the 48 years he's kept bees, he said on the phone Monday.

Flavors include mountain wildflower, orange blossom, buckwheat, eucalyptus, star thistle and sage (sold at the co-op), and manzanita and wild oak. Price: $5.49 to $11.69 in jars; $4.19 to $4.59 a pound in bulk (wildflower and orange blossom only). Incredible honeycomb is $10.49 for 8 ounces.

You can chat with Lienert and taste honey samples on Sundays at the farmers market at Eighth and W streets, under the freeway.

His honeys are pure and tasty, but a few other brands at the co-op are vividly unusual:

• White Gold, Canada ($12.59 for 23 ounces): Grainy, mild and creamy, with overtones of vanilla (www.savorypantry.com).

• Italian forest, Italy ($8.49 for 14 ounces): Dark and chewy, molasseslike (www. honeylocator.com).

• Zambezi forest, southern Africa ($12.29 for 12 ounces): Spicy and sharp, provocative, with a hint of orange zest (www.honeylocator.com).

• Apitherapy raw honey with honeycomb and pollen, Vermont ($9.45/16 ounces): Grainy, citrusy, sharp, great depth of flavor (www.honeygardens.com).

It's said that bacon has made a comeback in recent years, and one place it's found (in addition to "gourmet" chocolate bars) is in Skillet-brand bacon spread ($9.49 for 7 ounces).

This is curious stuff, more sweet-tasting than bacony. To make it: Niman Ranch bacon is rendered to its essence, then mixed with caramelized onion, vinegar, brown sugar and spices.

Traylor and her staff suggested some uses for it: warmed and blended in a vinaigrette for a spinach salad; cooked in a frittata; scrambled in eggs; added to mashed potatoes or pasta; and smeared on a burger (www.skilletstreetfood.com). Just keep it away from a BLT, please.

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is at 1900 Alhambra Blvd., (916) 455-2667, www.sacfoodcoop.com. Though they're not related, let's also mention the Davis Food Co-op across the causeway at 620 G St., (530) 758-2667.

Clamming up in Monterey

We were in Monterey a few weeks ago for a wine festival and chowder competition, and cruised Fisherman's Wharf. Amid the whale-watching boats and souvenir T-shirts, we found Cafe Fina and its outstanding steamed clams.

They're cherrystones from the East Coast, more flavorful and better-textured than the Manila clams most often used in the dish.

"We keep everything simple, with the philosophy that less is more," said Cafe Fina owner Dominic Mercurio. "The base of the broth is the natural salty clam juice that seeps out when the clams open (upon cooking). We cook the clams in butter, white wine, fresh garlic and fresh Italian flatleaf parsley."

Under attack from our cocktail forks, the meaty clams didn't get to swim for long in the buttery, garlicky broth. And we lost count of how many slices of Italian sesame twist bread we dipped into that fragrant broth (from the Palermo Baking Co. in neighboring Seaside).

Afterward, we sipped some Amaro Averna, the Sicilian herbal digestif concocted in 1868. You should, too. Cafe Fina: (831) 372-5200, www.cafefina.com.

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