Greater Des Moines Buy Fresh Buy Local

New to the locavore scene? Looking to support local farms, but don’t know where to start? If so, the Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) program is the resource for you. The goal of this national program started by FoodRoutes is to connect consumers to local food. Chapters can be found across the nation and Des Moines is lucky to have an active chapter hosted by the Drake University Agricultural Law Center and Iowa Heartland Resource Conservation and Development.

One of the best local food resources is the biannual directory developed by Greater Des Moines BFBL which lists farms, farmers’ markets and businesses that sell locally grown food. The 2011-2012 directory included 81 farms and 22 businesses. The directory is available free of charge online and in stores such as Gateway, Campbell’s, and Tallgrass.

Another great resource from Greater Des Moines BFBL is the free electronic newsletter produced one to three times per month depending on the season. The newsletter features local events and highlights what produce is in season. You can read current and archived issues here and sign up for the mailing list to be notified when a new issue is released.

Take the Pledge!

Show your support to local food by taking the BFBL Pledge which states that you will spend at least 10% of your weekly food dollars with participating BFBL partners. Take the pledge online or at the BFBL table at the Downtown Farmers’ Market.

Tallgrass Grocery Coop

If you strive to buy local, organic food and you live in the Des Moines area, your life just got a little easier. West Des Moines is a Mecca for Iowan shoppers with a variety of stores, but until now, there hasn’t been a grocer dedicated to local foods. Enter Tallgrass.

Tallgrass Grocery Coop opened its doors in Valley Junction on September 15^th, 2011. The retail cooperative’s mission is to provide access to healthy, local, organic food and products at reasonable prices. Their goal is to sell food without fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial ingredients.

Although you don’t have to be a member to shop, a lifetime membership of $100 earns you a 5% discount on everything in the store, a weekly newsletter, and discounts on bulk orders, classes, and events.

Visit the store and website for more information:

Valley Junction
116 5^th Street
West Des Moines, IA 50265
515-277-7750

www.tallgrassgrocery.com

Why Local Food?

Benefits of buying local food:

• Fresher

When you buy directly from the farmer, you often buy it within a day or two of harvest. Fresher food tastes better and retains more nutrients.

• Better for the environment

Buying within your community saves fossil fuel because the food doesn’t have to transported from thousands of miles away.

• Know your farmer, know your food

Buying local allows you to build relationships with farmers. This creates transparency in production and allows you to learn more about how your food is produced.

Angie Tagtow, MS, RD, LD, Owner of Environmental Nutritional Solutions, shares another benefit:

"We as eaters really need to evaluate where our food is coming from. Right now Iowans are really dependent on food from a national supply chain, as well as an international supply chain, and that heavy reliance on those top two tiers of supply chains really creates a vulnerability within our food system. When we look at local, and regional supply chains, and if we can build those up, that would not only create more of a secure food supply system for all of us but also put more fresh, seasonal foods on our plates."

First CSA Boxes of the Season!

Our CSA has finally begun! We received our first box June 1st and are now getting weekly boxes. If you are not familiar with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), you purchase a "share" or "membership" to a farm at the beginning of the season and receive weekly boxes with local, fresh produce. It is an awesome way to support local farmers and get incredibly fresh produce. You also get the opportunity to build a relationship with the farmers. Our CSA is through Blue Gate Farm in Chariton and they are absolutely wonderful. We participated in their winter CSA last year and have been anxiously awaiting the beginning of the summer CSA.

Our first box included eggs, asparagus, bok choy, garlic scapes, radishes, several types of lettuce, tapestry salad mix, and fennel. We roasted the asparagus with olive oil and salt & pepper (our second favorite preparation after grilling) and have been eating salads regularly. The garlic scapes were new to us and we loved them! I have been using them in cooking as I use green onions, but my favorite use was in garlic cheese bread made with ciabatta from La Mie. Simple, but delicious.

Our second box from Blue Gate Farm included spinach, more garlic scapes (last of the season), braising greens (mizuna, chard, mustard, senposai, purslane, lambs quarters, amaranth), bok choy, spring turnips, and the usual tapestry salad mix.

Our third box had eggs, sugar snap peas, Michilli chinese cabbage, easter egg mix radishes, oregano, spring onions, and tapestry salad mix.

The fourth box had a beautiful bunch of basil, more braising greens (amaranth, lamb's quarter, purslane, sorrel, chard, dandelion, and sour dock), garlic, turnips, and squash blossoms. This box was a little light because of all of the rain. We were extremely excited about the squash blossoms as they are one of our favorites. I usually stuff them with ricotta and fresh herbs and then pan fry them, but this time I simply dusted them with flour and pan fried them. Divine.

Last week we received 2 beautiful eggplant (orient express), 1 green pepper, lemon balm and tapestry salad mix. We used the eggplant in a completely local frittata with eggplant, eggs, lemon balm, and oregano from the CSA and yellow zucchini from Maharishi Vedic City Organic Farm (which I bought at Gateway).

Rhubarb!

My second trip to the farmers' market this season was very successful. After missing the market last week while we were in California, I was definitely looking forward to stocking up on local produce this week. I went a little crazy with rhubarb this time. I didn't find any on my first trip, so I bought it from 3 different farmers this week. I bought it from the first farmer that I saw who was selling it because I was afraid I wouldn't find it anywhere else. In fact, there were at least 5 other farms selling it. I bought from 2 others. If it's not obvious- I love rhubarb. My husband does not. He had only eaten it one or two times before we started dating, but was not a fan. I probably did not help the situation by feeding him a bite of raw rhubarb a few years ago (without telling him what it is). I get a kick out of seeing his reaction to things like that. (I've also tried it before with unsweetened chocolate.) Anyway, he has been resistant to trying anything I make with rhubarb since. Until now. I saw a recipe for rhubarb rolls on Tastespotting from Beantown Baker (if you have never visited Tastespotting, I highly recommend it for finding inspiration for new recipes- check it out). I made the rolls for a belated Mother's Day brunch with my parents & grandparents this Sunday. Pat loved them. They were very good, but incredibly sweet. I think next time, I will try to use half as much sugar. I like my rhubarb to still have some bite.

I still have quite a bit of rhubarb to use. I am very excited to try these huge stalks of rhubarb that I bought from Coyote Run Farm which they called "Grandma Russell's rhubarb" because it was from Matt Russell's (one of the farmers) grandma's backyard. They think it is 50-65 years old and claim it is a bit sweeter than other varieties. I tried it raw compared to the other rhubarb that I bought and it does have less of a bite.

I also made a farmers market soup this week with carrots from Grinnell Heritage Farms, bok choy from Blue Gate Farm, herbed whole wheat pasta from Blue Gate Farm, and homemade chicken stock made with farmers market veggies. Simple, but delicious.

I had lots of other great finds in addition to my rhubarb.

Strawberries

Carrots

Beets

Dill

Cilantro

Mint

Bok Choy

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Asparagus

Cucumber

Missing California Farmers' Markets

Last weekend we visited my husband's family in LA for Mothers' Day. While we were out there, we stopped by a farmers' market in Simi Valley. It was wonderful, as expected. We bought a lot of berries & vegetables for our Mothers' Day brunch. There was a lot of the same produce that is available here (or will be available soon) like broccoli, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries and much more. What made me miss my San Francisco lifestyle was the California produce that I can't find in Iowa like oranges, clementines, grapefruit, lemons, limes, artichokes, and avocados. I can't say that I am never going to eat those foods anymore because they don't grow here in Iowa, but I don't eat them nearly as much as I used to. It's easy to feel deprived when I go back and see how much is available in California, but honestly there is a huge variety of produce that is available here in Iowa. Our diet is anything but deprived. It does make me appreciate the trips back to California even more and makes those California treats like a sweet persimmon even more special.

We missed the Downtown Farmers Market last weekend because we were in LA. So, this week I was not able to buy as much local produce as I would like. I bought a few local things from Gateway (tomatoes from Graddy's in Carroll, asparagus, lettuce, bread) but bought a few things from out of state too. I am looking forward to visiting the farmers market next weekend and to my first CSA box.

First Local Meal of the Season

The first Downtown Farmers' Market of the season was packed. I was amazed at how many people were there. I got the chance to visit with my favorite vendors and buy some great produce. With the produce I bought, I was finally able to have a complete meal with only local foods. We have been buying as much local food as we could during the winter season, but haven't had enough local produce to make a complete meal since late fall. So, this is what we had for lunch after we got back from the farmers' market on Saturday. For those who are interested in buying more local food, I will try to include sources for all of my food and where I bought it from.

Roasted Beet Salad with Quark cheese and Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinaigrette*

• Lettuce from Maharishi Vedic City Organic Farm in Fairfield, Iowa bought at their farm
• Beets from Grinnell Heritage Farm in Grinnell, IA bought at Downtown Farmers' Market
• Milton Creamery Quark from Milton, Iowa bought at New Pioneer Food Coop in Iowa City

Organic Strawberries and Yogurt

• Organic strawberries bought at the Downtown Farmers' Market
• Yogurt from Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa bought at their farm
• Drizzle of local honey from 3 Bee Farms in Griswold, IA bought at Drake Farmers Market

Cucumber & Dill Salad

• Cucumber bought at the Downtown Farmers' Market
• Yogurt from Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa bought at their farm
• Fresh baby dill from Mariposa Farms in Grinnell, Iowa bought at Hy-Vee

Skim milk from Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward, Iowa bought at Gateway market

*My vinaigrette is not local- I have a lot of of vinegars left from my shopping days at the San Francisco Farmers' markets (so they were local to me at one time, I suppose). The vinegar that I used for this dressing was a Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar from Hare Hollow in Healdsburg, CA bought at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco. Unfortunately I can't find local olive oil, so I buy the closest available which is usually California.

Check back soon to see more about my first farmers' market visit of the season!