This week (May 15, 2022) we are focusing on eating more sustainably and understanding where our food comes from.

Faith Formation: Secrets of the garden

This Sunday, May 15, from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m., children will be meeting for Faith Formation. They’ll learn about the food web and how all plants and animals are interconnected, how God has made us care-takers of the earth, and what each of us can do to care for the earth, God’s gift to us.

Eat local, reduce your carbon footprint

Food imported from other countries, or even from places like Florida and California, comes at a high cost for the environment. That is why some of the suggestions offered below give us opportunities to shift our food systems to become more locally based and less fossil fuel dependent.

Here are some ways you can tap into resources to buy more local foods:

• Use the Minnesota Grown directory to find a wide range of local produce and products, including information on:
  CSAs–short for Community Supported Agriculture–where you subscribe seasonally to get a weekly box of locally grown produce during the spring, summer and fall. Recipes are often included in the box.
• Farmer’s markets around the metro area and throughout Minnesota if you are travelling this summer.
• Pick-your-own locations for berries, apples, corn and fall pumpkins.
• Look for signage for local items (produce, honey, salsas to start off) in your grocery store, or shop a local coop or natural foods grocer which tend to support small family farms in the area.

Support our local food hub on Larpenteur Avenue, The Good Acre. You will find webinars and information on the local food system, and they even have a few CSA shares available as of this week’s TAB publication.

Grow your own! Typing those words in your browser brings up books and websites that will get you started.

Eating local is a great step toward a more sustainable food system, and your food choices do make a difference when we look at the cumulative effect. A side benefit you can reap from locally grown produce is better health, so it is a win-win for you and the environment!