Farm to Table Conference - Pittsburgh

This past weekend, the Farm to Table conference was held at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.  It was a great place to learn more about resources in our area. [EDIT 3/27/12: Here is a link to the program if you'd like to check out all the exhibitors, speakers, CSA's, etc.]

There were several speakers and demonstrations to choose from every couple of hours - one definitely could not have attended each one.  There was also a large room filled with exhibits from regional farms and vendors.  I was really glad I brought a big bag to carry all my info and purchases!

The exhibit room

The first table I visited was for Building New Hope, an organization that supports projects in Central America.  They had coffee for sale (which is roasted by our own Commonplace Coffeehouse!) and they pay the Nicaraguan farmers a rate that is better than fair-trade.  I was even more impressed when the rep told me they are volunteer-based.  I couldn't justify buying coffee since I just purchased some recently, but I bought a pretty woven bracelet made by a young Nicaraguan man trying to support himself.  You can purchase coffee from BNH by visiting one of these places listed on their site, or purchasing online.

Next I sampled probably the best honey I've ever tasted.

Honey from Bumbleberry Farms

Oh my word.  Maybe it's partly due to the fact that I'm off sugar right now, but I feel like I could drink this stuff.  It's local (Somerset, PA) and it's raw, which means it's therapeutic properties are still intact!  This honey is available in many places, including Whole Foods, but we could request it locally at our grocery stores if we wanted to see it on their shelves (I have a few business cards and will probably suggest this honey to Martin's - let me know if you want a card to take somewhere else).  The good news is, it's also available for purchase and home delivery through Rosary Acres (more on them in a minute)!  Kudos to Karen Mosholder for this fabulous taste of nature!  She also has a few specialty honeys you may want to check out on her Web site.

Of course, no foodie convention is complete without these guys:

I spoke with the girl in the blue shirt for a while, who was volunteering at the table because her health has dramatically improved by switching from pasteurized to raw milk.  In fact, she has an autoimmune disease that she's had since birth - I forget the name but it's the same one Michael Jackson had, where the skin pigment is damaged.  When she made the switch, her skin started healing!  She had no idea that would happen, but it made her a big believer in how much our bodies need good enzymes and bacteria in the gut.

I told her about my personal reasons for getting educated on nutrition (history of miscarriage), and she recommended a booklet to me, which I eagerly purchased.  In case anyone else would ever want to borrow it or get their own copy, the title is "Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts" and it's the "Healthy Baby Issue" (published by the Weston A Price Foundation).

And, while we're on the topic of nutrition and how it relates to healing and wellness, I'll tell you a little bit about the speakers I heard.  One was Janet McKee, a holistic health counselor who gave a cooking demonstration and talk.  I could have spent a long time listening to her!  Check out her Web site by clicking on her name - she has a long list of upcoming events and has tons of interesting info on the site.  One of the most remarkable things she discussed was her current partnership with a physician who beat terminal cancer by changing his diet.  They are working together to educate people and spread the word about the amazing healing power of food.

I also heard one of the owners of Weatherbury Farm give a presentation on grass-fed cows.  There was a lot of information given, which I won't get into in this post, but I am definitely in favor of making the switch!  The thing is, most grocery stores don't sell grass-fed beef - except certain Giant Eagle stores and Whole Foods stores.  You can purchase from Galaxy Farms (grain-finished) - see our Local Farm page - or Manchester Farms, or you can find a grass-fed beef farmer at Eat Wild or Local Harvest.  You can also purchase through Rosary Acres (I promise I'll get to them!).

Manchester Farms also sells grass-fed, whole, organic milk that is NON-homogenized (old-fashioned, cream-on-top milk!) and gently pasteurized.  You may find this milk at many locations around Pittsburgh - see their Web site.

All right - on to Rosary Acres.  I was really excited about them because they are now beginning HOME DELIVERY to anywhere in western PA!  They just finished building up the stock in their store in Ligonier, and just got their refrigerated truck.  Delivery will rotate throughout the region, so that means one area will get delivery about every two weeks (beginning after Easter).  No membership is required - you just call and place your order the week before your delivery day.  There IS a minimum order of $75.00, plus a $5.00 delivery fee, which isn't much when you consider your own cost of gas to get to all the markets in Pittsburgh.  And you can combine orders with a friend and just split the cost, if you can't reach $75.00.  Perhaps we can communicate on Facebook with one another if we are placing orders - that way, if people just need one or two items, they can piggyback on someone else's order.

If this delivery system works out well, it will bring together virtually all of the items this group has discussed - local honey (Bumbleberry Farms), grass-fed beef, local organic produce, raw milk (Your Family Cow), fresh wild-caught fish, herbs, teas & spices, and the entire catalog of Frankferd Farms, plus items from Friendship Farms.  I was ready to hug the man.  You can also shop in their store in Ligonier, located at 1869 Rte. 30 W.  The owners are Rick and Lisa Adams, and I met Rick at the conference - he's a very nice man and I am excited to do business with them.

I have about 35 handouts and catalogs sitting beside me, so I can't cover everything I saw there, but it was a great resource and I hope this information helps us here in Indiana to connect with the many healthy food options available to us!  Feel free to ask questions here or on the Facebook page... I am not sure if the comment form is even working here, so if you have problems, let me know.

I leave you with a couple of gratuitous Pittsburgh pictures.  I think we have a very lovely city :)

C.S.A. - Davis's Greenhouses

For those interested in community-supported agriculture, there is now an Indiana drop-off for produce from Davis's Greenhouses.  (Davis's is taking over customers from Misty Morning Farms, which is no longer operating.) Thanks to Barb, Andrea and Allison for doing some of the legwork to connect us with this CSA!

Free-range eggs will be provided through them as well.  Full share will include one dozen per week; half share will include one half dozen.

Davis's is not certified organic, but Tom Davis, the owner, used the term "naturally grown."  He tells me they use plant food and if they are forced to spray, it is the same kind of spray that organic farmers use.

Click here to visit Google Docs for the produce list. 

 If you have further questions about the eggs or the farming practices, please give Tom Davis a call at (814) 948-9202 or send him an email at davissgreenhouses@yahoo.com.

Here are some more details from Tom Davis:

DAVIS'S GREENHOUSES & PRODUCE

VEGETABLE & FRUIT  C.S.A

WHAT IS COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (C.S.A) & HOW DOES IT WORK?

Community Supported Agriculture is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a group of subscribers forming a direct link between the production and consumption of food.  Subscribers cover a year's farm budget by purchasing a "share" of the harvest in advance.  Subscribers then receive a weekly portion of the farm's product during the production season.  Davis's Greenhouses & Produce C.S.A. is seeking subscribers ready to embark on the enjoyment of sustainable local vegetables and fruits.

Signing up by June 1, 2012 insures your full 20 weeks membership.   

ABOUT DAVIS'S GREENHOUSES & PRODUCE

Davis's Greenhouses & Produce is located on Davis’s Farm on Spruce Rd off of Rt 580 between Uniontown and Pine Flats. As a member of C.S.A, you can receive fresh produce from early June through October. We will offer vegetables, salad greens & some fruits as they become available.

Weekly delivery will be via picking up at the Greenhouse or at specified drop-off points.

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS & PRICES

A Full Share is ideal for families.

A Half Share is ideal for couples or singles.

Full Share Prices:

            $300      20 weeks

Half Share Prices:

             $150     20 weeks

 To join this CSA, you must fill out and return this form along with payment to Davis's Greenhouses.

photo credit: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Butter, delicious butter

Thanks to Allison for this helpful picture of Whole Foods' store prices on Kerrygold butter! 

Allison must really be a fan, because she also posted this one from Sam's Club, which sells the 500 gram size (1 lb, 1.6 oz.) for about $7.00.  Thanks, Ali!

If you're on our Facebook page, you may have seen the group's conversation about this butter a few weeks back.  Here are some excerpts pertaining to people's reasons for choosing Kerrygold:

From Hillary:
"It's Irish butter made from grass-fed cow's milk. I haven't actually tried it yet, but it's supposed to be wonderful and good for you too!"

From Rebekah:
"Giant Eagle has it.  I bought the unsalted stuff and it is AMAZING!!!"

From Elaine:  
"Giant Eagle has it for $4.19 a block; the cheapest place I've bought it is at Trader Joe's -it's $2.74 a block there. I've written Wal-Mart and requested they stock it in Greensburg We could request it for Indiana."

Elaine also added:
"Wal-Mart is trying to provide more organic and other healthier choices. I think requesting it as a group is a great idea; demographics believe that every letter/email sent represents about 100 people so making requests as a group would be terrific. Groups represent buying power to companies. ...

... Wal-Mart had a form that we filled out while we were there and the other stores just sent us to their website. Communicating through the websites seem to be the way the stores accepted requests."

So the idea has been thrown out to contact local stores via their Web sites or by requesting products in person if there's a product we'd like to see offered for sale.  Out of curiosity, has anyone done this, and have you seen any results?  Feel free to share your comments below!


As a bonus, we live very close to Amish country and have ways to purchase local, raw milk butter from the Amish.  The last time I personally purchased it, I paid around $3.85 per pound.  The color and taste were delightful.  Here it is next to a stick of butter from a local dairy:

We love seeing that beautiful golden color, indicative of nutrient-dense butter from a cow feeding on rapidly growing grass in the spring and fall!  (And you can buy butter in bulk then freeze it for safe-keeping.)  Even Ma from the Little House books yearned for that gorgeous hue - she colored her pale winter butter with the juice of a carrot!


If you'd like to be a part of a buying group for Amish butter or Kerrygold butter, get in touch with the group on Facebook, or send an email to greenlifeindiana (at) gmail.com.  


For more information on nutrient-dense butter from grass-fed cows, check out The Skinny on Fats over at the Weston A. Price Foundation, or read any of the traditional food blogs in the column to the right.  Move over, margarine!

"Pink Slime" ground beef filler not labeled

Yet another reason to buy meats and produce straight from the farmers: USDA whistleblowers have revealed that about 70% of supermarket ground beef contains a filler known as "pink slime."

The filler is leftover fat and scraps of unused beef (trimmings that have typically been used in dog food), heated then treated with ammonia, then packaged into pink "bricks" for grocery stores to mix with beef.  Consumers don't even get the courtesy of a label.

Retired USDA microbiologist Carl Custer calls the pink slime a "salvage product" and does not consider it beef.

People might look at you crazy if you're one of those folks who grinds your own food, such as ground beef or grains.  But if a former USDA scientist, Gerald Zirnstein, is now grinding his own beef, perhaps it's not so crazy after all.  

I don't know about you, but this makes my stomach turn.  What's equally sickening is that we don't get a label because, according to ABC News' Jim Avila, "Over objections from its own scientists, USDA officials with links to the beef industry labeled pink slime 'meat.'"  In fact, it was former Undersecretary of Agriculture, Joann Smith, who made the decision to call it that, and in so doing, paved the way for Beef Products, Inc. (the manufacturer of pink slime) to make "hundreds of millions of dollars."  Interestingly enough, after stepping down from the USDA, Smith was appointed to the Board of Directors for one of Beef Products, Inc.'s principle suppliers.

Folks, this ain't right.

Anyway, for our little co-op to start organizing and getting some firm connections to local farms, we need to hold an informational meeting.  We just need a location that's big enough, and free.  Please comment below or send us an email if you have any suggestions!

We're Working ...

It's been over a week since we initiated the Green Living Co-op, and maybe some folks are wondering, "What happens now?"  It's been a little quiet here on the blog, though our Facebook page is generating lots of conversation among like-minded people in the community!

I know that many of you are interested in 1) local produce, 2) pastured meats, and 3) organic foods & products.  There also seems to be a lot of inquiry into a buying club.  Please rest assured that our little team of two is looking into this, and we will definitely keep you posted!  Hillary is hard at work making calls in between running her business and caring for her family.  And Sara's gathering information for the blog pages, trying to post the resources you've given us in some sort of organized fashion, also while caring for her family.  (I don't know how those professional bloggers do it all!)

While we've been working behind the scenes, I've often wanted to encourage us all with this thought:

"Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good."

I know for myself, it can become quite daunting to read foodie blogs, cookbooks like Nourishing Traditions, and talk to friends who seem make almost everything from scratch. When I first became interested in "real/traditional foods," it was exciting at first, and then completely overwhelming.  To pile on to my stress, I began finding out that not everyone who is well-educated on nutrition follows  with a "traditional foods" philosophy.  (And if that's you, please don't leave - we want you here, too!)  Some people began to tell me not to eat dairy, and some people advised me to avoid meat.   

I have come to accept that it's OK for us to have different approaches regarding diet, and it's OK for us each to do what works for us.  

It's also freeing to realize we can make changes anytime we want!

The reason this group is leaning toward a whole foods, full-on meat & dairy diet is merely because the two gals who had the idea and rolled with it are on that page.  It's OK if you're not!  Our goal is to help everyone connect with the local, natural foods available in our area and to learn from each other.  We believe it's good for us, good for farmers, and good for the planet.

So, when you see me at the grocery store, you might see I am "shopping the horseshoe" more (meaning I am buying less from the middle of the store and more from the outer aisles of produce, meat and dairy), but you'll also see me buying potato chips, M&M's, and that completely unhealthy 12-pack of soda!  I have a long way to grow, and have learned we're all just taking baby steps on our own paths toward eating well.  ;)  We can try our best, but we'll make ourselves really unhappy if we make perfection the only acceptable way to live!  

As always, contact us anytime (greenlifeindiana at gmail dot com) with your thoughts, suggestions, resources, and offers to help.  We are all ears and we need your input to make this co-op benefit as many people as possible!

Welcome!

Welcome to our site! We are a work in progress, so please bear with us!

As of today, we are just a couple of gals trying to form a cooperative -- a group of people who have similar goals and want to help each other learn and connect with local resources. Our goals are loosely defined at this point; as time goes on, the co-op will take shape and our goals will solidify with it! In general, we have a few simple ideas:

• Spur one another on to eat more "whole" or "traditional" foods and avoid processed foods.
• Help each other connect with local farms and merchants who sell these types of foods.
• Share ideas about living "green" - avoiding toxins in home cleaning products, cosmetics, and the home in general.

We hope to use this site as a one-stop shop for the community of Indiana, PA, to use as both a reference and a place to share. So, let the fun begin! Connect with our Facebook group, and/or send us your suggestions via email. We look forward to getting to know you!