All Entries Tagged With: "local food"
It’s time to GET FRESH in Ferguson again!
Mast Amish Produce & Bakery is one of several dozen vendors who will return for the Ferguson Farmers Market's 10th season, kicking off this Saturday.
If you’re a regular reader here at NOCO, you know what I think of the Ferguson Farmers Market: It’s awesome! That’s why I’m super excited that opening day for the 2012 season is May 5th!
Swing by downtown Ferguson this Saturday and you’ll find 45 vendors selling local meat, cheese, produce, baked goods, plants and artisan crafts. The Maple Jam Band will also be on hand, playing live music from 9-11am. And don’t forget – the market sells breakfast too!
Among the fresh items available this week: greens, salad mix, spinach, bok choy, onions, cabbage, broccoli, pea shoots, baby brassica mix and lots of strawberries! Arrive early and you might even snag some baby arugula, Asian salad turnips, dandelion greens, burdock and new potatoes.
And when you’re done shopping, why not take a quick house tour?! Five beautiful historical homes in Old Ferguson will be open this Saturday morning from 10 to noon, including my listing at 117 Adelle…
Each of the houses is currently for sale, and the tour is totally free. If you want to participate, grab a map at the market’s info booth on Saturday.
The Ferguson Farmers Market is open Saturdays, 8am-noon, at 20 S. Florissant Road, 63135. Hope to see you there!
Cheers to Ferguson Brewing on 2 great years!
Six or seven years ago, when Joe Lonero and I would sit in a parking lot somewhere and kick around ideas for downtown Ferguson, I don’t think either of us ever envisioned the day when he would be running a wildly successful microbrewery. But things have a way of falling into place when Joe gets involved, so it’s not exactly a surprise either.
It was his hard work and creative vision that gave birth to Ferguson Brewing Company, and Joe was right there, getting his hands dirty, every single step of the way. Of course, as many readers know, he ran into some health problems last year and is still fighting for a full recovery. But I think it’s a great testament to his leadership and business acumen (and that of his son Mike) that the microbrewery has continued to grow and thrive even without him directly at the helm.
April marks the two-year anniversary of Joe’s brilliant labor of love, and I know I’m not the only who plans to raise a glass and join him in celebrating! This Saturday, April 14, the Brewhouse is hosting a big birthday party from 1-5pm, and I will definitely be there.
Tickets are $25 and include beer samples from 15 different local breweries - Augusta Brewing Company, Crown Valley Brewing, Buffalo Brewing, Morgan Street Brewery, William K Busch Brewing, Square One Brewery, Perinial Artisan Ales, Griesedieck Brothers, Charleville Brewing, 4 Hands Brewing, Urban Chestnut, Kirkwood Station, Trailhead Brewing, Cathedral Square, Six Row Brewing, and Ferguson Brewing. You can also enjoy light snacks, live music and a souvenir glass.
So what do you say? Wanna join me in a toast of North County’s first and only microbrewery? You can grab your tickets right here.
International Food Market opens in Hazelwood
With the opening of Worldwide International Food Market in Hazelwood, North County's dining choices just went global.
For quite some time, the 1970s strip mall at Dunn & Lindbergh sat mostly empty, a shadow of its former self. I remember when the old-timey K-Mart was there, the kind with a cafeteria in the back. I also remember the Walgreen’s, in the days when Walgreen’s had a Wag’s restaurant inside.
It’s not like this was some awesome mall where I couldn’t wait to go. Hardly. But still, I hated seeing it vacant all those years, nearly forgotten when Lindbergh was revamped. That’s why I was excited recently when several NOCO fans told me that a new international grocery store had moved in!
Housed in the former Walgreen’s location, Worldwide International Food Market is a full-service grocer with products from all around the globe. And WOW, is it a fun place to shop!
I went there today and was delighted to find neat little rows organized by country. There were sauces from Japan, cookies from Sweden, lavash bread from the Middle East, even whole frozen goats, ready for a Bosnian-style barbeque. There’s also produce, frozen food, a full line of bakery & dairy, and freshly made deli items, like hummus and falafel.
It’s kind of like our very own Trader Joe’s. Except that soon, this gourmet grocery store will also have an international restaurant inside!
Worldwide is open for business now and will host an official grand opening on April 2, but the manager told me that the restaurant is still a couple months down the road. He also said that if you can’t find a specific product in the store, let him know and he’ll special order it.
It’s a friendly family business here, and they truly aim to please. So when you get a chance, be sure to stop by and welcome them to NoCo….
Worldwide International Food Market, located at 7238 N. Lindbergh, 63042, is open Monday through Saturday, 8am to 10pm, and Sunday, 9am to 7pm. For more info, call (314) 731-3500.
Mobile farmers market rolling into NoCo soon
Aiming to bring fresh produce to local "food deserts," the Sappington Farmers Market runs a mobile farmers market at various locations throughout St. Louis.
According to the USDA, my house in Ferguson is nearly surrounded by food deserts. That’s what you call the census tracts with low access to a large grocery store, and thereby low access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
A good chunk of North County, particularly near the airport and the St. Louis city border, is classified this way, meaning residents have fewer healthy eating choices. So that’s why it’s pretty awesome that the Sappington Farmers Market has decided to do something about it.
Teaming with Metro Transit and a network of small-scale farmers from Missouri and Illinois, Sappington’s Farm to Family Naturally Mobile Market will soon make regular stops at four Metrolink stations, including the North Hanley station right here in NoCo.
Drop by once a week and you can choose from a whole range of local and sustainable products, including eggs, produce, herbs, beans, jams, cheeses, baked goods and more. You can also sign up for the market’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, actually purchasing a share of the coming season’s crops.
Of course, I’m lucky to have the Ferguson Farmers Market and the indoor Vine Market within walking distance of my front door, so I’m not exactly in the Sahara. But I think it’s great that this new market is opening, and I can’t wait to try it out! I especially love the payment options: cash, credit/debit & EBT. Something for everyone.
By the way, if you want to know if YOU live in a food desert, you can use this handy tool from the USDA. From what I can tell looking at the map, at least the folks in Florissant are eating well…
The Farm to Family Naturally Mobile Market arrives at the North Hanley Metrolink station Wednesdays, 3-5:30pm, starting March 21. All are welcome! For more info, check out the mobile market website.
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K