Food co-op

In my never-ending quest to save money and find new and exciting foods, I have come up with an idea that is a twist on the old fashioned potluck. I have been talking to other people about what foods they like to feed their babies and children. I get a few interesting responses. Of course you hear the traditional things, like bananas, carrots and peas. But the more I delve into other cultures and lifestyles, I get some fascinating responses.

So, here is my idea. What about a food co-op amongst your friends, family and co-workers? People who you trust or just want to get to know better. I like the idea of hosting a night where my friends come over with their little ones and bring big batches of their homemade baby foods and other goodies. Enough food that it could last a couple of days. Almost like going to the store, but instead of spending all that money, you get a different spin on culture and diet. How lovely would it be to have your friends and family over for a nice evening of food and recipe sharing.

Once a week, someone will host the food co-op in their home or in some cases, stores like Whole Foods will let you have space for free. When people arrive, you can have them place the foods with little recipe cards on a table for an interesting night of food sharing. Especially if someone comes from another culture, learning about how they feed and nurture their little ones can be such a rich experience.

A since of community and sharing can be so important to the development of your child, but it also gives the adults a since of peace and comfort knowing that there are other parents around that share the same sense of community.

As a test, I am going to start my own food co-op and report back on my findings in a couple of weeks on this same topic. I am wondering how it will go over. I hope you do the same.

Cheers!