Chicago Celebrates Local FoodFrom the Farm to Your Plate

Blagica Stefanovski, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

This past Saturday, I almost needed a wheelbarrow to take me home. I spent the majority of the afternoon at the Chicago Cultural Center enjoying the Family Farmed expo. Local farmers, cheese makers, distributors and cafes brought their yummy goodies for sampling and purchasing. I’m a fan of supporting homegrown food and business and this food fest was right up my alley.

I’ve been reading up on how our milk, meats, cheeses and most things under the sun are pumped with hormones and/or preservatives (little girls are becoming women faster these days). I’m slowly making the transition into food companies that have this conscientious mentality. It was refreshing to talk one-on-one with folks that can ship meat directly from their farm to your house (Good Earth Farms) or even send fruits and veggies fresh to a nearby neighborhood drop off (Angelic Organics). I ran into my eco-friendly friends at igo, too. If you haven’t signed up for this service, you should. Great service for big grocery runs or doctor’s appointments out of the CTA reach.

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Slideshow: Family Farmers

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I grew up in a family that made our own buttermilk, bought meat fresh from the butcher and even made our own yogurt. I have memories of visiting my dad’s Macedonian village for summers at a time and being surrounded chickens, vineyards, lambs and cows. The food was incredibly fresh and the fruit was plucked straight from the trees – and flew into my mouth. Why can’t the consumer packaged food companies ‘get it’?

The good thing is, we as consumers, ‘got it’. Unfortunately, my grocery bills are higher to accommodate the organic foods, farm fresh veggies and raw milk, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it. Living in the Midwest has many advantages. We have the nicest people around, sure, but we also have some of the best natural food in our midst, too. Go get it!

Moooooo!

Don’t forget about the Chicago Farmer’s Markets!
Starting this May

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