A little more than 15 years ago I had just finished grad school and found myself working for a great cooking store in NE Minneapolis called “Let’s Cook.” We sold great products and conducted team building cooking classes. Our ingredients were often purchased at one of the many local food co-ops. I had never heard of such a thing before.

Growing up in a small town in the Chicago suburbs we had a couple of local grocery stores when I was young. I remember my mom being really upset when they both closed and the “big box” stores came to town. Then it just became commonplace. In town after town, small grocery stores closed up and were replaced by stores that are the same all across the country. Seasonal ingredients disappeared, replaced by flavorless tomatoes in January, and red-on-the-outside, white-on-the-inside strawberries in the fall that look beautiful and have no flavor. Stores, filled with row after row of produce grown for its resilience to travel and uniformity, instead of flavor, clog our cities.

It was many years after I had moved away and had children of my own that I went back home and was surprised by the memory of Simotes’ Farm Stand. The Simotes’ were a local family that opened their stand each summer. It signaled gardening time and dinners out on the picnic table. Local food at its best.

My time at “Let’s Cook” helped reconnect me to the food I ate and the places where it came from. When I left the Twin Cities for Chicago, one of the first things I looked for was a co-op. Surprisingly, there was only one and it was a train ride away from the new neighborhood I called home. I was thankful for the many farmers markets which helped me find my way between the trips to The Dill Pickle Co-Op.

We moved to Tucson, Arizona and the quest for local food continued. It didn’t take me much time at all to find a thriving local food scene and The Food Conspiracy Co-Op. I joined right away and have never looked back.

Now home is on the road and the search continues. From city to city, I look for Co-Ops and locally owned grocery stores. I relish the quest for seasonal foods and place-based ingredients that challenge and excite my cooking and flavor experiences. I have found lion’s mane mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, Hatch Green Chilies in New Mexico, North Dakota flour from locally grown wheat, and new varieties of apples that will be turned into apple sauce as summer turns to fall.

I want my money choices to matter. When I find a place to stop and shop in a local Co-Op, I know it’s money spent wisely. I have confidence that my spending will help support local families, and organizations.

Is there a Co-Op near you that I should keep an eye out for? Let me know so when we head your way I know where to shop!

Here are a few of the Co-Ops we have stopped at so far, along the way:

Silver City Food Co-Op, Silver City, NM
La Montañita Co-Op Santa Fe, NM
PCC Community Markets Various locations WA
Anacortes Food Co-Op Anacortes, WA
Skagit Valley Co-Op, Mount Vernon, WA
Missoula Food Co-Op, Missoula, MT
Bisman Community Food-Co-Op, Bismarck, ND