Grinnell Area Local Foods Alliance (GALFA) works to encourage local institutions and individuals to buy locally-produced food.
Local Foods Co-op. The goal of the Local Foods Co-op is it to support the local economy and sustainable agriculture by providing members of the Grinnell community with access to locally grown food, from fresh vegetables to spices and various kinds of grains. Members can order produce from local farmers on a monthly basis through their website during the school year.
Grinnell Farmer's Market is held on Thursdays (May 20 - Oct. 29) 3:20 pm - 6:20 pm and on Saturdays (May 22 - Oct. 31) 10 am - noon. Location: On 4th Avenue between Broad Street and Park Street. Dozens of vendors sell locally-grown fresh produce, baked goods, honey, jams, plants and flowers, hand-made crafts, and many other items. For more information, contact Sheryl Parmley at the Chamber of Commerce at 641-236-6555.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a growing international phenomenon that directly connects food producers to consumers. Sometimes known as a “farm share” program, CSAs involve consumers purchasing a share at the start of the growing season and in turn receiving a weekly offering a wide array of local produce, eggs, and sometimes meat and baked goods throughout the growing season. Some CSAs are operated by a single producer while others are “collaborative,” involving more than one producer. Two CSAs currently operate in the community of Grinnell.
Compass Plant CSA, established in 1999 and run by Ann Brau, is a collaborative CSA served by growers in the Grinnell area and in Malcom, Iowa. The story of the beginning of the Compass Plant CSA is told in "Joining the Food Revolution in Grinnell," by Professor Jonathan Andelson, director of the Center for Prairie Studies. To learn more about the Compass Plant CSA, contact Ann Brau at lbdunham@iowatelecom.net.
Grinnell Heritage Farm CSA, owned and operated since 2008 by Andrew and Melissa Dunham, is located on a farm that has been in the family since 1858 and is counted among the oldest family farms in central Iowa. To learn more about Grinnell Heritage Farm CSA, visit www.GrinnellHeritageFarm.com.
Student Garden: The student garden is an on-campus vegetable garden that allows Grinnell College students to learn about organic gardening and to harvest their own food. It includes nine beds, a greenhouse to extend the growing season, and composting bins for communal use.
Community Garden: The community garden is located in Lake Nyanza Park and is a tool to connect college students and Grinnell community members through gardening. It allows community members of all ages to learn how to garden organically and provides them with a cost-effective and healthy alternative source of food. All of the produce grown in the community garden is distributed to the community through the farmers market and the MICA food pantry.
Regional Food Initiative, a project undertaken in collaboration with the Iowa Valley RC&D, cultivates connections between food buyers and local food producers. It works to educate institutions about the value of buying locally and to educate producers about the expectations and needs of institutional food buyers.
Directory of Grinnell Area Food Producers Who Market Locally is intended to promote a local food system. It provides a listing of area producers and the food they market locally as well as a listing of regional farmer's markets.
Local Food and Grinnell Dining Services: A Group Independent Study Students in this course spent the spring 2006 semester studying the Grinnell College Dining Services program and its relationship to locally grown food.
Slow Food Grinnell is a chapter (aka convivium) of Slow Food USA, the US arm of the global Slow Food movement. We're a new and growing group of people interested in exploring and celebrating food that is good, clean, and fair. We aim to do this though meals, tasting events, technique demonstrations, and general celebration of the slow life. For more information, visit our website at http://www.slowfoodgrinnell.org/
