Organic Buying Opportunities

If you are into beauty, health, trends, supporting your neighborhood or looking for a good deal, you know that extends from your wallet to your routine to your purchasing choices and to your pantry. It all starts from within, doesn’t it?

In January I profiled Angel Food Network, a nationwide buying group (food coop essentially) that offers enough food for a family of 4 for $30 a week.

Milwaukee local Growing Power is going the same path with locally grown organic goods (no frozen or boxed goods). Grown on a two acre farm on Silver Spring Road, Growing Power uses a mix of traditional and hydroponic farming and additional off site growing locations. CEO Will Allen has received much recognition and, recently, the MacArthur Fellowship for his outstanding work in urban farming. You can feel confident about where your food is coming from.

The Market Basket is such a simple and affordable way to introduce organics and fresh produce into your diet on a regular basis. The catch? You’ll still need to cook (but website recipes are on the way). According to their site:

The Farm-to-City Market Basket Program consists of weekly deliveries of safe, healthy and affordable produce to neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago. This program is run on a weekly basis, so that customers may engage at a pace that is right for them.

During the spring, summer, and fall months, the majority of the produce found in the Market Basket comes from:

*Growing Power’s Farms in Milwaukee, Merton, and Will Allen’s Farm in Oak Creek; and
*The Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative, a collective of small, family farmers.

During the winter months, produce comes from:

*Growing Power’s greenhouses in Milwaukee;
*The Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative, relying on our farmers in the South and on storage crops such as onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes; and
*Small-scale, locally or family owned wholesalers such as Goodness Greeness in Chicago. These whole salers keep fresh fruits and vegetables not grown locally during the winter, such as apples, head lettuce, and peppers, available and affordable year-round and provide local jobs in our community — the very essence of a Community Food System.

Types of Market Baskets:

The Regular Market Basket

Provides approximately 12-15 varieties (20-25 pounds) of conventional and sustainably grown produce designed to last 2 to 4 people throughout the week. The basket contains a variety of both fruits and vegetables.

The Junior/Senior Market Basket

Provides approximately half the regular market basket designed to accommodate smaller households. The basket still contains 12-15 varieties of produce, but in smaller quantities.

The Sustainable Market Basket

Provides approximately 10-12 varieties (18-22 pounds) of certified organic and sustainably grown produce designed to last 2-4 people throughout the week. The basket contains a variety of both fruits and vegetables.

Extras!

In addition to the weekly market basket, customers may also purchase pasture-raised meats, farm fresh eggs, and fruit baskets. Urban Clover Honey from Growing Power’s apiary is a specialty item that is seasonally available.

*Whole Chicken, $16.00 (Amish-raised in Wisconsin)
*Beef Liver, $3.00 (Grass-fed, Wisconsin raised)

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Visit here for more information on Growing Power.