Posts tagged ‘local food’
My Five Favorites
… from this past weekend’s Eat Local food expo. Thanks to the Kansas City Food Circle for putting this on!
1. All of the people!
Mike and I both were amazed at how many people, and different types of people, were at the food expo. It was awesome to feel like we were part of a larger community who valued the same thing – local, quality food. It was awesome!
2. Cranberry bushes!
We had no idea that you can grow cranberry bushes in the area. As we walked around, we learned all kinds of new things about what can be grown locally. While we don’t have our backyard ready to go for it yet, it gave us great ideas for the future! (and opened our eyes to how much fun this can be…)
3. Familiar faces … sort of.
We learned about the expo thanks to our pals at Fresh Connect. Not only did we see them there, but we also saw some of the people who work at Wells Family Farm and Schenker Family Farm, the two places where most of our meat comes from these days. So fun to put faces to the name, or package of hamburger in our case.
4. Breakfast… yummmmmmm.
We arrived hungry, and I was praying that there would be something we could eat for breakfast. Thanks to the Bread of Life’s table, we were in luck. We shared some awesome vegan zucchini bread and then drooled over all of their other selections. So good.
5. New Date Night Ideas!
If you know Mike & I very well, you know we try to have a weekly date night. Walking through the expo gave us some great new ideas, with our favorite being the New Earth Gardens in Bates City, MO. When you visit, they have a “U-Pick it” program where you go through the farm and pick what you want. They are growing so much stuff right now, it’s crazy cool. We can’t wait to try it out!
Fresh Connect
I’ve had a few requests to start blogging some additional info about the organic/local food movement and steps to take if you’re new to the whole idea but want to slowly break into it.
One of the first, and easiest, steps I took after deciding that I wanted to eat “safer” foods was to sign up with Fresh Connect.
This is mainly for Kansas City-area residents so if you’re an out of town reader, I apologize. I’d encourage you to look around in your area for a food co-op, as many metropolitan cities have these. Also, a great way to get plugged into this movement is to become a Farmer’s Market shopper in a few months.
But for my KC readers, Fresh Connect has helped me effortlessly start eating healthier, safer foods. A “to-your-door” delivery service, they deliver fresh produce and meat to your home as often as you choose. You select the quantity and frequency and leave the rest up to them. It not only saves you time if you have a busy schedule like ours, but it makes you eat healthier because you’re stocking up on fresh fruits and veggies instead of prepacked junk found at the store. We’ve also enjoyed the variety of foods we’ve branched out to eat. Foods like cabbage, beets, squash, buffalo meat, among others have made their way onto our menu and we’re enjoying this nice change!
For our two-person family, we’re set up on a rotation to get a fruit & vegetable combo delivery two times/month. We also receive a delivery of meat the first week of each month. They have many options for food and deliveries that will fit any budget. We’ve chosen to devote around $100/month toward this food delivery. It’s cut down on our grocery spending too, as we now just pick up a few of the additional items every few weeks that help us prepare meals and lunches.
I know this isn’t for everyone, but if you’re serious about eating more local, safe food this is a great first step.
Check it out at www.freshconnectkc.com.
** Mention that I referred you, and we’ll both receive $5 off of a delivery!