...self proclaimed “Christian-conservative-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic”, Joel Salatin, then you can purchase Fresh by going to http://www.freshthemovie.com/. I paid $30 to purchase a license to hold a screening for 1-20 people and basically that got me the DVD. Or, I would love to hold a screening for you if you have a small group to share it with. The Fresh website is packed with information, links, books, education material, etc. Check it out!
I have mentioned another film called Food, Inc., which is out on DVD for purchase, renting, or download
. There is book to compliment the movie called Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It
. Both the video and the book are incredible. Food, Inc. is similar to Fresh; however, I think you will find Food, Inc. to be more shocking. And the book is not what you may expect either. It is comprised of essays written by various experts who cover topics that are not necessarily addressed in either movie. Topics, such as abuse of migrant farm workers, biofuels, global hunger, and so on. Joel and Michael Pollan both contributed essays to this book. Joel's is especially inspring.
. There is book to compliment the movie called Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It. Both the video and the book are incredible. Food, Inc. is similar to Fresh; however, I think you will find Food, Inc. to be more shocking. And the book is not what you may expect either. It is comprised of essays written by various experts who cover topics that are not necessarily addressed in either movie. Topics, such as abuse of migrant farm workers, biofuels, global hunger, and so on. Joel and Michael Pollan both contributed essays to this book. Joel's is especially inspring.Other books I recommend along these lines are written by my hero, Michael Pollan. Specifically, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
. In Defense of Food is my favorite. It addresses the obsession America has with nutritional science and how we're always looking for that magical "it" factor that will make us healthy, yet we still have the highest rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity that we have ever had. What is it about a carrot that is good for us? Is the beta-carotene? Is it the fiber? We want to know so we can enrich our candy bars with it. The book is thought provoking and a breath of fresh air from all of the marketing that leaves you utterly confused every time you walk within ten feet of a supermarket. Michael gives very simple advice: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. It really is that easy!With that said, I want to share some great places where you can get food. Real food.
Parker Farms - 12 month Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) for meat and eggs. The meat includes grass-fed beef, lambs, pastured chickens and eggs, and hogs. Parker Farms is located in Richmond, MO, and has a drop off location in North Kansas City (1 block south of CVS on Armour Road). They also go to Liberty and Overland Park. The prices for full or half shares can be found on their website or within the information I had on the back table last Thursday. Tom was nice enough to donate free eggs for everyone to try. How did you like them? Post your comments below!
Northland Naturals Coop Basics - This is a buying club that orders natural, organic bulk food at a cheaper rate from several different sources and has it delivered in a church parking lot at Green Hills and Hwy 152. They order every four weeks from United Naturals Buying Clubs. There are frozen, refrigerated, grocery, supplements, and personal items (like shampoo) available for purchase. Many items are comparable to what you would purchase at a Whole Foods Market. Currently the co-op receives a 10% discount, which goes up when our order amounts increase. Ordering is done online and everything must be ordered in cases. You are able to split cases, though, with other members of the club so you aren't stuck with more then you really need. The splitting process is managed online, as well.
In addition to United Naturals, they order from Frontier every other month. You may have seen this brand of spices at Whole Foods or Hy-vee. The items from here are not ordered by the case, so that is a benefit. According to the club coordinator, personal items, such as shampoo and sunscreen, are much cheaper from this company.
Lastly, they order meat from Parker Farms and arrange a delivery at the church parking lot. The timing of those order vary based on the demand from the club members.
There are many benefits to joining a club such as this. You are buying the same items you would buy at the store (if you can find them) at the best price. The more your group orders, or the more the group grows, means a larger discount. You do not have to drive all over the city trying to find all of this stuff, because, trust me, there is not just one place you can go to get it all. That's very frustrating!
If you are interested in this club, please let me know and I will send you more information, including the name and number of the coordinator.
Door to Door Organics - This company is new to the Kansas City area and operates in other markets around the country (Denver, Michigan, and the east coast). They offer four sizes of boxes (itty, small, medium, and large) comprised of just fruits, just vegetables, or a combo of fruits and vegetables. I signed up for a medium box of fruits and vegetables and will get my first delivery on Monday. The cost is $38 per week for that particular box. To give you an idea of what that buys you, here is what will be delivered to me this week:
- 2 ea. Avocado
- 6 ea. Braeburn Apples
- 6 ea. Danjou Pears
- 5 lb Yams (I substituted this for tangerines)
- 6 ea. Kiwi (I substituted this for grapefruit)
- 1 ea. Broccoli
- 1 ea. Butternut Squash
- 1 ea. Carrots
- 2 ea. Cucumbers
- 1 ea. Kale
- 2 ea. Red Bell Peppers
- 1 ea. Red Leaf Lettuce
- 1 lb Roma Tomatoes
- 2 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes.
Several days before your delivery you will get a preview of the next week's basket. You can then go online and substitute things up until a certain cut off point before your delivery if the basket contains items that you do not care for. They do offer other grocery items, too, which you can add to your order, such as, dried pastas, spices, and even bread from Bread of Life bakery in KC. The selections are limited, but I was still impressed. They also offer a co-op discount, which is AWESOME! If you have four or more deliveries at the same location then everyone receives a discount! The boxes can still be customized per individual and each person pays individually online. I think I heard several people interested in forming a co-op at IMX, so I will get more information from Door to Door this week about that. They deliver to the north Kansas City area on Mondays.
Fresh Connect - Another KC based organic delivery company who works with local farmers, as well as, organic farmers in other states who may have produce not grown here. I had a really good phone conversation with the owner, Kevin, who is based out of Lee's Summit, MO. They have a very similar set up as Door to Door Organics with the different sized boxes, but they also offer meat and dairy. Grass-fed beef, lamb, pork, and buffalo, as well as, milk and cheese from a certified organic local dairy farm. They deliver to this area on Tuesdays.
Whew! I think this week's post is more like a book! I am continuing to make improvements to the layout of this blog so that information, such as what I wrote about this week, is more static and my posts are not quite so long. It will also make it easier to locate this information if you need to refer back to it. There will be links for recipes, FAQ's, etc. This Thursday is going to be fun as we will talk about building a natural pantry and I will be demonstrating how to make chicken stock and bolognese sauce. These two things started me on my "kick" of making food myself instead of buying it at the store. Easy, delicious and so convenient to have around. Last, but certainly not least, here are the recipes for the treats Tonya and I brought last Thursday...
Sweet and Spicy Nuts and Kettle Corn
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
5 tablespoons agave nectar, divided
1/2 cup popcorn kernals
2 cups raw nuts (I used macadamia nuts and slivered almonds)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
To make the nuts:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 2 tablespoons agave nectar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in medium bowl. Add nuts and toss to coat. Spread nuts into a single layer in a glass baking dish. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and cool.
To make popcorn:
Heat coconut oil and 3 tablespoons agave nectar in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add popcorn kernals and stir to coat well.. Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn down the heat just a bit. As the popcorn is popping shake the pot periodically to ensure the kernals are cooking evenly. When the popping stopes remove from heat and sprinkle with cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Add nuts and stir with a large rubber spatula to combine. Serve.
Crispy Rice Treats
2/3 cup nut butter (almond, peanut butter, cashew, etc.)
Healthy dash vanilla (optional) 
3 cups brown rice cereal
Cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, roasted almonds, peanuts, or cashews to taste, optional
Over a medium flame, heat up brown rice syrup, nut butter, vinegar, and, if desired, vanilla, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth, thinned out, and bubbling a little. Pour cereal into mixing bowl. Add rice syrup mixture to it and blend well with a wooden spoon. Pour into an oiled pan and flatten with a wet spatula. Let cool. Slice and serve.
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