Third Plate- NPR Story About a New Look at Sustainable Farming and Local Eating

We found this recent NPR story fascinating and had to share! Click here to listen to the story on NPR.org.

'Third Plate' Reimagines Farm-To-Table Eating To Nourish The Land

by NPR STAFF  May 20, 2014

Perched on a farm along the Hudson River is Dan Barber's award-winning restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The food that's harvested on the farm year-round is what is served to diners daily.

But this champion of the farm-to-table movement noticed that farming and consuming foods locally still wasn't all that sustainable.

"Tomatoes are the all star of the farm-to-table world. But in fact, they're like the Hummers of the vegetable world," he tells NPR Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. That's because they require more water and nutrients from the soil than a lot of other vegetables.

"At the end of the day what we need to support is all of the farming decisions that lead to that one great tomato," he says.

Gulf Coast Newspapers: "Leave the shopping to the market"

Leave the shopping to the market

Windmill Market Produce Club brings together Baldwin County foods and local consumers

Friday, June 14, 2013

By Jill Clair Gentry Food editor people@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

Amy Ramagosa of Fairhope and her son Burke pick up their produce box at Windmill Market. Ramagosa says she loves teaching her son about different kinds of vegetables and how farmers grow food for their family to eat.

WHAT: Windmill Market Produce Club

WHERE: Windmill Market, corner of Equality and Bancroft streets in Fairhope

WHEN: Pickup is Mondays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Fairhope and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Mobile

MORE INFO: Stop by Windmill Market, call 251-990-8883 or email Maggie Lacey at maggie@windmillmarket.org.

Imagine: you don't have to go to the grocery store every week. The fruits and vegetables you feed your family tonight were harvested earlier today. You're trying vegetables you never would have bought at the grocery store and discovering you love them. You save money on food and are eating more healthful meals.

This might sound idyllic, but it's is a picture of a real-life program available here in Baldwin County — Windmill Market's Produce Club.

Every Monday for the past two years, dozens of people have flocked to the market to pick up a box of fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables, dairy, bread, meats and specialty items like granola, soap or coffee.

“It's a ready-made meal plan for the week,” says Maggie Lacey, manager of the Windmill Market. “You've got it all packed up and ready to go, and you've got recipes to get you started.”

And every item is grown or made locally.

“It's as fresh as produce gets,” Lacey says. “We talk to the farmers all week long. Sunday nights, they tell us what they've got, and they harvest Monday morning. There's almost nowhere you can go to get produce that fresh.”

Lacey says about 90 percent of the vegetables come from Baldwin County, but for some items, they work with farmers in south Mississippi, Georgia or Florida.