Cultivating A Personal Relationship With Food
- peaceblendsllc
- Aug 19
- 4 min read
I was fortunate enough to be raised with a direct connection to the food I consumed. Our neighbors had a dairy farm and raised other animals for meat. Everyone in my family always had large vegetable gardens. My neighbor (who was more of a grandfather to me than just a neighbor) would take me foraging for mushrooms. I drank milk right from the dairy barn and ate tomatoes straight off the vine. I had a personal relationship with my food and the people who provided it to me.
In our modern world, it is so incredibly easy to become disconnected from our food. Often, our idea of "foraging" is perusing the shelves of a local convenience store for a packaged pastry or a bag of seasoned corn chips. From its origin as an ear of corn to its final destination as your snack, that package of chips has probably traveled thousands of miles and passed through hundreds of hands. Most trips to the grocery store result in a buggy full of processed, prepared meals. There is no personal connection. There is limited nutritional value. There is no satisfaction.
I'll tell you a little secret...I am also guilty of falling victim to our modern food system. It is so easy to! I get it. Life gets chaotic, you get tired, you run out of time, and you feel like you can't prioritize yourself... It's convenient...
But it can't always be like that! Eventually, you will have an opportunity to make a choice. In that moment, make a healthy choice. The more you practice this, the easier these choices will be to incorporate into your everyday life. We are currently in the height of our local harvest season. Fruit and vegetable stands can be found all over the place, and they are packed full of locally grown produce just waiting for you! That tomato from the stand likely traveled less than 50 miles to get to you, and you will be able to taste the difference from the store-bought version that traveled thousands of miles, looks picture-perfect, and is completely void of flavor. And the best part? You just met the farmer who grew that tomato you are buying from that farm stand (and you likely met their family, too), and you are directly financially supporting them and your local economy.
When you buy a product from Peace Blends, you aren't just simply stocking your pantry. You are directly supporting my family! And we can not THANK YOU enough for your support!
Want to start incorporating local foods into your life, but you aren't sure where to start? Let's take a look at some of my favorite local food companies for inspiration (even if you aren't local to my area, many of these companies ship their products)
A Tip Of The Cap Mushrooms
This is one of my favorite hyper-local indoor mushroom farms. They are located just 5 miles from where I grew up!
A Tip Of The Cap Mushrooms offers a variety of products, including fresh mushrooms, dehydrated mushrooms, and mushroom-infused products such as spice blends and coffee. They offer Oyster, Shitake, Black Pearl, Freckled Chestnuts, Lion's Mane, and the BIGGEST King Trumpets I have ever seen!
I have worked with their products frequently through their previous sponsorships of the Ohio Mushroom Festival, and the quality is always exceptional!
Check out their website for a list of market locations, online ordering, and to read more about their story:
WestWin Urban Ag
WestWinn Urban Ag is an urban farm located in Sharon, Pennsylvania. They combine aquaculture and hydroponics to grow healthy, sustainable crops of lettuce and other vegetables, as well as fresh fish year-round! They even offer tours of their state-of-the-art facility, where you can learn about their growing process and see a beautiful sea of lettuce in the dead of winter.
I regularly use their products for cooking demos, catering events, and commercially when I was working in restaurants. WestWinn graciously donates lettuce for staff meals every year for the Ohio Mushroom Festival!
Check out their website for CSA information, a list of retail locations, and recipe ideas:
Ohio Mushroom Festival
Want to get more hands-on with your food? Check out the Ohio Mushroom Festival for a truly unique and immersive weekend!
The third annual OMF will take place September 5th-7th in Hammondsville, Ohio, at the beautiful Joe Bottoms Campground right on the Brush Creek and Yellow Creek. This 300+ acre property abuts the 4,000+ acre Brush Creek State Wildlife Area...that is A LOT of mushroom picking land! Never been mushroom hunting before? Fear not, OMF has you covered with a stacked lineup of foray guides that will take you into the woods and teach you what (and what not) to harvest.
When you are done hiking in the woods, bring your mushrooms back to camp to the Identification Table, where the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab will help you identify what you found! There will also be several lectures and workshops with world-renowned mycologists to help you get a better understanding of all things mushroom-related.
As if that isn't enough fun, the OMF also offers cooking demonstrations, kids' activities, vendors, artisans, food trucks, live music, and camping!
Check out some of the businesses and vendors you can support by attending the Ohio Mushroom Festival (this isn't a complete list...we have to leave some things a surprise!):
This is a family-friendly event you do not want to miss! Check out the website for more information and to get your tickets today:
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