Spice Rack & Bulk Foods

Today I'm going to talk about the secret of my kitchen.  What makes all the delicious meals here in the Busy Beaver Household.

Its the ingredients!

My array of spices, real butter, fresh eggs and other ingredients that I get from Spice Rack & Bulk Foods.
A local dry goods store.

I first saw them at 2nd St. Market, a local farmers market in an old train depot.  They then expanded to a store in my hometown. EVEN BETTER! It's on the way home from work, so I can get any missing ingredients from there on my way home.

Now, I haven't bought traditional store bought eggs in years. In fact, I can't stand the taste of eggs from my grocery store anymore. That's because I've been buying my eggs from Spice Rack, and they are just better!
They are fresher, and I believe they are pasture/grass fed. No matter how they do it, the eggs just taste awesome.

Then there's the butter! Amish roll butter to be exact. I don't know about you, but real butter makes everything taste better.
In fact, I only cook with olive oil and butter. No margarine in this house.

I use instant oatmeal, raw sugar and dried apples from there to make my own instant oatmeal.  This is much cheaper than the packets.

Their quinoa and chia seeds are at the best prices I've seen around town!

There's cheddar cheese powder for popcorn, instant yeast, flour. Anything you could possibly need for baking, even rarer items like arrow root powder.

I won't list every single item, as you can see the list can be quite exhaustive... but I will say, they are my GO TO place for spices and seasoning. In fact we'll be going there soon to get the ingredients for my son to refill his container of baby bam.

Oh! And my 10+ rated bbq  chicken seasoning (per my foodie Aiden) comes from mixing the honey bbq seasoning and rotisserie chicken blend spice together... absolutely delicious!

If you've ever wanted to try to make something you're not familiar with, like curry, you'll find the ingredients there!

Their spices are the freshest and best bargain around! Absolutely perfect for attempting the latest recipe.
They've also partnered with other local businesses to bring fresh bread and pastries and the latest eco-friend gear!

If you're in the Dayton area, definitely check them out! You won't regret it!

Yup! Even Castile Soap!

Cinnamon sticks to stir your hot chocolate!

My son's favorite snack!

Why I joined a CSA

Greetings! From the Busy Beaver Mom!

What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture.
Basically I'm paying a local farm a weekly fee for them to bring me 10-15 lbs of fresh veggies every week.
Some questions I'm receiving from family and friends..... Do you get to pick what veggies you get?

Yes.  Now, not all CSA's offer this kind of plan, but the one I joined (Fulton Farms "Happy Box") does offer me the option of selecting what kind of vegetables I want to receive and what kind I don't want.
Most of the vegetables they offer are local grown, but they do offer some imported varieties as well.  They do however offer a locavore option which is strictly what's local and in season.  So if you are in the Dayton, OH area you could check them out.

So why did I join?  I'd been thinking about it for years but finally took the plunge.  Who wouldn't want fresh veggies delivered to their door?

Fresh, Local Veggies are HEALTHY!

I first became interested in eating organically and more healthy 7 years ago when I was pregnant with my son.  Even though I couldn't really afford an organic diet, I made sure to drink organic milk to prevent unnecessary hormones and antibiotics from being in my system.

So gradually, as I could afford it, I began increasing the amount of organic produce and locally grown food as much as I could.   Why strive for this?  Think about how far your food travels.... bananas from south america, spinach from mexico, strawberries from Belize?  Really?  Food just tastes better when its really fresh instead of being picked weeks ago so it could be shipped and ripened in a warehouse.

I Kill Plants :(
So why not just grow them myself?  I have a confession to make.... I have a special skill at killing plants.
I can care for any animal with success, but plants..... not so much.  I was thrilled when my bamboo plant lived for 3 years.... only to almost totally obliterate it this winter by not watering it. I hope its still salvageable.

Last year I had a garden, and did manage to squeak out some tomatoes, strawberries and a few zucchini.
This was not enough to sustain myself and my growing boy.  Now with meat prices soaring through the roof, I'll invest in more veggies (which is healthier anyway).







$$$$$$$$$
I'd rather pay my money to a local grower than some big conglomerate.  Now granted, Fulton Farms is a bit bigger than just Joe Farmer and 10 acres.  But it still makes me feel better than giving my money to DOLE.

If I'm going to spend the money on groceries anyway, why not have local and DELIVERED! Hello!

I Love to COOK!

I used to say that I could burn water.  Since having a foodie as a son however, I've developed my cooking skills.  I once caught  Splendid Table on NPR on my drive back from Cincinnati.  They were discussing spinach and kale soup. I promptly went home and tried to make it, and it was wonderful!

I experiment in the kitchen, sometimes good, sometimes bad.  Fresh veggies every week will supply me with tons of opportunities to expand my cooking.  Some of the veggies offered I had never even heard of, or cooked with.  Guess I'll be experimenting with bok choy soon :D

Won't that be TOO much Food?
I selected the smaller bundle for my first year.  I imagine any extra food will be given away to neighbors or family.  Spreading the love!
This year I bought a freezer to put in my garage. So I can store soups, salsas, and veggie scraps to make into soup stock.  Maybe I'll eventually learn to can!

RECIPES
I'll keep track of recipes and the veggies that get delivered here on this blog. So keep posted to ride along with my food experiments!

- Jenny - The Busy Beaver Mom