Do you know what a food co-op is? I’d heard of them for a while but hadn’t really looked into what it was until this past week. A coworker told me about Rawfully Organic– a local food co-op here in Houston that has pick up sites less than a mile from my apartment. Their site states that “a food co-operative is a community of individuals and families that come together to share in seasonal foods and to work together to create a better balance of peace and harmony for all. It’s for everyone, and it is helped run by everyone.” (rawfulllyorganic.com) In my terms, a food co-op is a community where you can purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables, become a part of the farm to table process, and really connect with where your food comes from.

Considering they offered this HUGE box of local, fresh produce for $25, I couldn’t help but check it out! (The juice was an additional purchase- SO TASTY! I did my research first of course, reading through their volunteer opportunities,FAQ, pick up locations, and finally heading over to order a share online. The process was incredibly easy. I ordered online Thursday afternoon, and Saturday, on my lunch break from work, I headed over to pick it up.

I just want to reiterate- I got this entire box for only $25! It included an abundance of spinach, kale, celeriac, pinto beans, beets, dinosaur kale, red cabbage, arugula, parsnips, chard, fennel, and fresh dill! Eating healthy on a budget never looked so good!

I was greeted with warm smiles and hugs! I got to speak with Kristina, the founder and chief-operator of Rawfully Organic about how the process works. They work closely with Gundermann Acres, a local farm in Wharton, TX. They purchase only what is needed based on the orders they receive, as not to be wasteful. EVERYTHING that they offer is organic! It’s an incredible deal.

from rawfullyorganic.com

I love this bit from her site about why organic is so wonderful:

WHY IS ORGANIC IMPORTANT?!

There are SEVERAL reasons to buy organic, many having to do with not depleting our nature’s soil. Organic produce has 3x the amount of nutrients contained in non-organic produce. One person must eat 21 conventionally-grown oranges to get the same amount of nutrition contained in 7 organic oranges. Not to mention, they ALWAYS taste better! After a while, you will be able to even taste the difference in non-organic bananas and ours. YES! We also want to support sustainable practices, and when we put our dollars toward sustainable, that is exactly what we will create more of in the world! Lettuce create abundance!

I probably seemed a little overexcited while I was there, but I really enjoyed every part of this process and hope to get more involved soon. If you’re looking for a local food co-op to join in the Houston area, I’d definitely encourage you to check out Rawfully Organic. If you’re not in Houston, you can use this great Food Co-op search through Local Harvestto find what’s available to you locally.

Cheers to happy, healthy living!

-Cali Hix

Live at Camden. Work at Camden. Life at Camden.