Food. Food food and more food.

But not just food… like fast food, or out-to-eat food, or food that isn’t food, or stuff that looks like food, or food with tons of ingredients…

Nope. This is the real stuff. Natural. Organic. Real.

September is the prime harvest season. I got to enjoy it in full swing…and not just because I work at an orchard:

An old friend of mine emailed me on Facebook, asking if I was interested in volunteering at an organic expo in Birmingham. Sure I was! My summer break goal was to take advantages of sporadic fun activities… so this fit right in. It was not only for fellow foodies, but for organic foodies, natural nerds, vegetarians…and it was in Birmingham to top it all off (Birminham, MI is an old, upper-class area…very wooded, very classy).

The day started off with Jordan Rubin, author of the book “The Maker’s Diet”, as the keynote speaker. He was followed by Dr. Brownstein, a popular holistic doctor. He spoke about iodine in our diets and touched on table salts vs sea salts. Another holistic doctor lectured about Vitamin D.

However, that wasn’t the most fun part. The speakers were only a small percentage of the event. The rest seemed more like a natural-themed flea market. Seriously cool. From soap-making, roasted corn cobs, and seasonings… to mushroom coffee, baby and pet products, to one awesome catering company—which is where Mom and I volunteered.

That had to be the best part. “Pure Food 2 U“, a local Michigan caterer, is dedicated to supporting other local farms…AND they actually make great food. Mom and I just started out by handing out the pre-paid lunches to the customers bringing their tickets. But—I got into it, asking the customers questions and trying to answer their questions. Of course, this made me go through a crash-course of Pure Food 2 U knowledge. They even had gluten-free brownies…and since it was an organic expo, of course those were a popular seller.

We ventured around some more, and I couldn’t resist snapping a few picts of the produce displays. My favorite business of the day, however, was the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program from Yale, “Maple Creek Farm“.

Maple Creek Farms has come a long way and established quite a following, thanks to the hardworking team of Michelle Lutz and her husband, as well as their weekly organic food program.  For 18 weeks during the summer, Maple Creek puts together a variety of their fresh produce and provides them to their many members. They’ve done so well that they’re now providing produce in season to Mind, Body, Spirits (a gourmet organic restaurant in Rochester), Inn Season (a fabulous vegan cafe in Royal Oak), and various farm markets. It was exciting to see them at this event, considering they’re all the way from Yale.

The best part of the day (apologies to the speakers) was actually having the lunch we were passing out half the day:

Check that out! Spring Mix salad with fresh chicken…and a natural brownie, fruit salad, and chili. Seriously the best.

So despite taking a busy Sunday in September off work, it was a great day. I talked to a lot of local business owners and I’m even thinking of doing it again next year–but with the intentions of getting some design work done for the businesses. Either way, that was my highlight from September.

Just a note: If you’re in Michigan, and are interested in volunteering for the organic expo (I’d recommend it!) Check out the facebook page for Growing Connections Conference and Organic Harvest Expo!

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