Can't We All Just Get Along?

Spread the word and bring a friend! ALFN is honored to be chosen for Whole Foods Market’s Community Giving Day. On Tuesday, August 19th, we will be at Whole Foods from 9AM to 7PM meetin’ and greetin’ fellow lovers of great food, and sharing our mission with the community. Stop by and say hi, while shopping for all the quality groceries you might not be able to source locally. (Mmm, avocado…) In fact, stock up on everything in the store! Whole Foods is generously donating 5% of the day’s sales to ALFN to help us achieve our goals. So if you yearn for things that don’t grow so well here in The Natural State (fair trade coffee, anyone?) now is your chance to stock up guilt free. Can’t imagine what you might need that’s not on The Market? Allow me to make some suggestions:

Coconut Oil. Although it has a myriad of uses and almost as many health benefits, I keep it on hand because it’s just plain tasty for roasting certified organic green beans and Romano beans from Armstead Mountain Farm.

Grains. There’s a wide variety of grains available in the bulk bins these days. Whether it’s millet or quinoa, amaranth or rice, there’s bound to be a grain out there well suited to your nutritional needs. What they all have in common is the ability to pair swimmingly with Arkansas Natural Produce’s Swiss chard, and White River Creamery’s American Feta.

Tofu. Scrambled, chili-ed, or loaf-ed, tofu is best when jazzed up with flavor packed sweet colored peppers from Rattle’s Garden and chive scapes from Food for Thought Farm.

There’s no shame in having a shelf or even a whole pantry full of not-so-locally-sourced ingredients, especially if they’re high quality and sustainably sourced. In fact, keeping a few imports on hand keeps a mostly local menu interesting by incorporating nutrients and flavors our climate doesn’t really offer. So if you find yourself occasionally thinking outside the state when dinnertime rolls around, prepare a lengthy list and set any semblance of guilt aside in preparation for next Tuesday. If your tastes are global, this is your change to support the local food community by getting exactly what you want. Maybe we really can all get along.

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

Do you have questions or comments about this, or any, weblog? Thoughts on local food, goods, or events? Reply to this email and let us know what’s on your mind. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!