Being a Community

Over these last five years, I've grown to love Salt Lake City. And now that we eat gluten free, I've come to appreciate the fruits of living in a big city. The boy and I both spent some of our growing-up time in Boise, Idaho, which is the largest city in the state, but doesn't compare in size to Salt Lake City, or the greater Wasatch Front.

I've come to appreciate a whole list of things that make being gluten free easier while living in Sugarhouse, including:

• Pei Wei Asian Diner
• Chipotle
• Au Naturale (these three restaurants are less than a mile from my casa!)
  
• Harmons
• Against the Grain
• even Smith's manages a good box of Annie's Mac on their shelves
• a Wendy's up the road for some gluten free chili on the go

But, this month, I discovered Salt Lake has taken it to a new level. My friend, who coincidentally has parents who eat gluten free, introduced me to:

The Community Food Co-op

FANTASTICALLY FRESH PRODUCE!
mushrooms, red potatoes, oranges, apples, green onions, kiwis, red leaf lettuce, artichokes, rice

Every month, at the beginning of the month, you can order a "share" of commonly-purchased foods. A single share includes several common types of vegetables (such as carrots and tomatoes), several types of fruit, and a selection of common meats. There are ordering options for just fruits and veggies, for extra meat, and for some add-ons like excellent olive oil or salsa. All this food comes at a great discount price, because it is ordered through the co-op. You have a pickup location of your choice (there are pickups all around the valley), and generally on the last Saturday of the month, you arrive there in the morning to greet your pile of home-grown goodness. Each order also comes with a bag of rice, and a loaf of bread. Easy solution for the bread: give it to a friend, or the co-op can easily donate it for you to one of the local causes (soup kitchen, YWCA, etc).

Being gluten free, I'm buying a lot more meat and a lot more produce. So, this is perfect for me. More food, less money, helping the community. The catch is you need to volunteer for 2 hours per month, either with the co-op or anywhere in the community, as long as it's not for your family.

I think I'm in love.