If one were strolling down South campus last Saturday evening, he or she may have spotted a sizable sampling of about 70 to 100 students, parents, staff and faculty sitting under the setting sun, slurping soup and sipping cider. The crew congregated at the site of EcoHouse and Food House on East Street to enjoy a pleasant potluck organized by the Local Foods Coop. As the clock neared 6:00 p.m., a crowd began to gather in the yard, forming a line in eager anticipation of the feast that would follow.
Each attendee was asked to bring a seasonal dish made with local ingredients to share with four to six people. Some of the delicious dishes shared were chili, cornbread, vegetable and potato sides, apple crisp, fresh apples and cider to boot.
“The chili was just the right amount of spicy, and there was some excellent deer jerky from CERA [the Conrad Environmental Research Area],” said Savannah Duby ’13, who attended the dinner and lives in EcoHouse.
The event was organized by the coordinators of the Local Foods Coop, a campus group that supports local farmers, local economy and environmental sustainability through purchases of locally grown food. There currently are 11 student facilitators who, according to Shaughnessy, “help serve as mediators between area farmers and community members, including Grinnell students, faculty and staff.”
Sarah Shaughnessy ’13, one of the student leaders for the Coop stated was content with the potluck’s turnout.
“I am really happy that the weather cooperated, and that we had enough food to feed everyone that came,” Shaughnessy said.
Although there was a chance of rain, the predicted raindrops did not surface to put a damper on the gathering’s enjoyment of fellowship, friends and farm-fresh food. It is safe to say that attendees of the potluck came hungry, ate hearty and left happy.
Shaughnessy is in her second semester of helping with the Coop and remarked on the group’s recent growth.
“Over the past couple of years, the Coop has managed to expand a lot,” Shaughnessy said. “The website has recently been reformatted to make ordering online even easier.”
All one needs to do to request an order from the Coop is create an account online, choose the desired items, and pick up the purchases in Main Hall on designated pick-up dates throughout the semester.
However if you’re still feeling down from missing out on the chili, cider and camaraderie of last Saturday evening, never fear. The autumn potluck is just one of the events that the Local Foods Coop hosts for the Grinnell community and there are still plenty of opportunities to take part in the sharing of delicious local food. Soon the coop will be gearing up for their annual local Thanksgiving meal, a conglomeration of local turkeys, vegetables, Challah bread baked by Chalutzim and more.
Visit the Coop’s website at http://food-coop.cs.grinnell.edu/ to check out the selection of grains, produce, granola, jams, herbs and other goods available. The current ordering session is open until 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3, and pick-up is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6.
To receive more information and keep up to date on the coop’s activities, contact localfood@grinnell.edu to get added to the Coop’s mailing list.
