Delivering the goods
By Mary Ann Hollander
We all hear about the benefits of eating organic food and supporting local farmers, but as students, who has the money or the time? Two Savannah residents, Steve Howard and Erik Lyons, make the process of eating healthfully and buying local easy — even on a student budget.
The two founded Local FarmBag in August 2011 delivering (that’s right, delivering) local goods from 12 low country farms to 150 Savannah area households. They distribute an average of 1000 pounds of produce every week.
Each customer selects the size and frequency of the delivery from their list of possible choices. Single sized deliveries include four to five pounds of produce for $22, medium-sized deliveries include six to seven pounds for $35, and large deliveries are $45 for seven to nine pounds. These prices are reasonable for fresh food minded students, especially if split between roommates or friends.
As an added bonus, medium and large deliveries come with one or two loaves of freshly baked bread, respectively. Depending on the zip code, porch deliveries occur on Wednesday or Thursday. LFB will adjust orders based on dietary restrictions or allergies.
Their deliveries also include locally sourced cheeses and seafood depending on your tastes and budget.
Lyons says that he and Howard believe “in changing the current worldwide agribusiness food model to encourage more localized, know-your-provider, types of food systems.” Lyons adds, “we want to connect everyone with [producers and growers] and provide customers with direct access to [them].”
As a receiver of LFB, the fun lies in the challenge. A new bag full of new produce shows up each week and you don’t know the contents of the bag until a few days before the delivery. Then the hunt begins to find recipes to change-up the vegetables you are familiar with and to experiment with some produce you might be less familiar with. Either way, LFB offers an opportunity to support local businesses, eat healthy and dabble in the world of culinary arts.
Learn more at www.localfarmbag.com
