STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Hermes

food co-ops

Suasoria · Chanel

You mean a store/market that has an annual fee for membership? Or a CSA?

sheisfabulous · Nine West

I'm a huge fan of both food co-ops or CSA's. The local food co-op I have bought from for years is really more of a source for things other than produce (IMHO) and the CSA organized and run by my children's school is where I rely on local mostly organic fruit and veggies.

It's a great way to dip your toes into trying new recipes with ingredients you want to sample but aren't sure you're ready to commit to. Things like different flours (graham, amaranth, spelt) oils, grains (steel cut oats, oat bran, flax, hemp), even liquid castile soap and laundry products come in big drums you can fill from and you can reuse your containers.

Then there's always the good old farmers market. As a sidebar - I befriended a couple of local certified organic farmers who would sell me loads of things at a discount at the end of the day so they wouldn't have to lug it back home. Or if there was a squash or melon that a woodchuck had sampled but healed over, they'd bring it and just give it to me. A great way to economize on fresh products you're learning how to create meals with.

My take is if you're here on this forum you like pretty things. Why not hand select your food and artfully arrange it in your kitchen. I'd love to see some pics of what you end up bringing home to serve up if this has provided some inspiration!

Vanessa · Kate Spade

I do a CSA and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. The produce tastes like no other - and not only is it healthy and organic, but also quite affordable. I can't believe all that I get every week! I like the community feeling of it. I like knowing that my money is staying local. I like trying new recipes and veggies, and knowing that every day I'm eating something that was freshly harvested. Also as you probably know, food transportation has huge ecological implications.
Doing this feels good on many levels.
I blog about it quite often on facebook so check out my "notes" there if you want intricate and somewhat irrelevant details :)

-- Edited by Vanessa at 17:14, 2008-09-24

Hermes

thanks for the info - I'll look into this!

Teresa · Kate Spade

ok, so i just found out there is one in my area and i am going to go thsi wknd, is there anything i should know before going?

sheisfabulous · Nine West

Well you have to decide if you want a membership, the prices are usually posted as the member price but if you want to just shop for the day the prices are just a bit higher. Make sure you check the bulletin boards while you're there. I've never been in a co-op that didn't have a wall three inches thick with fliers with everything from doulas to dog yoga to drumming circles. You might find some interesting info that you wouldn't otherwise have access to in a traditional store setting - raw food groups or cooking groups that would be a great introduction to using products from the co-op.

Keep us posted!