PIKNIK.SPOT PROVIDES LOCAL FOOD MAP

Piknik.spot is an online resource for those in Waterloo Region who want to eat locally and support small farmers, restaurants and other businesses. It provides a directory and map view of sources for locally grown or produced food. There are also listings of Community Supported Agriculture programs that help you support local farms.  

The website was created by Laurie Varga and Geoff Whittington, a married couple based in Waterloo Region. Varga said they were inspired on a drive down Northfield Drive in Waterloo, where they saw many Mennonite-owned farms with little social media presence.   

“We were both kind of excited, and I think that’s what kicked it off initially,” Varga said.   

“[W]e want people who either produce, resell or incorporate local food in their activities. For example, they got Eby Manor, they produce cheese and milk and what have you,” Whittington said.  “So, we’re going to include [businesses] that produce locally. Then we have businesses like the EcoCafe—they use the milk that Eby Manor produces…,” he said. New listings through the site are mostly acquired from Varga and Whittington driving around the region to look for new farms, finding businesses online and talking to people. However, users of the site can add their own listings that will be submitted for approval to be listed on the site.   

“Businesses can claim their locations. They can add more relevant details and manage their own location, things like products they offer, and they can also communicate with [followers]…,” Varga said.   

Varga is also a member of the advisory circle for a research project, Towards a Sustainable Food System for All, which focuses on food security and sovereignty in the region. Piknik.spot hopes that providing this directory will address these issues while also contributing to the local economy.   

“We are so lucky here in Waterloo to have this rich environment for food production and so many small local farms contributing to our economy,” Whittington said.   

Looking for an egg-only CSA delivery in the KW area is a bust so far. I don't need veggies; I grow 'em. What I do need is eggs. And I don't have a car, so what I want is delivery. What's a woman gotta do to get some free-range fresh eggs around here that don't come with so many vegetables it throws me into permanent choice-paralysis?

#eggs #BuyLocal #LocalFood #CSA #CommunitySupportedAgriculture @waterlooregion #KW #WaterlooRegion #Kitchener

A Shared Lunch! Vol. 12 No. 3 of Canadian Food Studies is about being “in it” together, so we thought we’d follow that ethos and share our lunch with you… Or actually, our authors’ lunches.

Elaine Power starts it off with her shared lunch: “A bowl of squash, parsnip and carrot soup, made from my last CSA veggie box of the year, with Aleppo chilies on top; a local Honeycrisp apple; and some Manchego cheese.”

There are certainly some shared sensibilities between Power’s lunch and her responses to the CFS Choux Questionnaire. But why take our word for it? Read, and find out: https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v12i3.775

#FoodStudies
#Lunch
#SharingFood
#Squash
#Courges
#Parsnip
#Panais
#CarrotSoup
#SoupeAuxCarottes
#CommunitySupportedAgriculture
#CSA
#AleppoChilies
#PimentDAlep
#HoneycrispApple
#Manchego
#ChouxQuestionnaire
#FoodInsecurity
#FoodSecurity
#FoodWaste
#FoodLiteracy
#FoodRetail
#FoodJustice
#CanadianFoodStudies

photo: Elaine Power

"🌱 Tôi giúp CSA địa phương số hóa quản lý đặt hàng mùa COVID qua PWA đồng bộ Google Sheets, thay thế ghi chép giấy truyền thống. Ứng dụng hoạt động suốt nhiều năm, theo dõi thành viên và gửi báo cáo chi tiết về nông trại. Phần thưởng của tôi: cả mùa thực phẩm tươi! Nay CSA đóng cửa nhưng giải pháp này có thể giúp CSA khác. #NôngNghiệpCộngĐồng #CSA #PWA #GiảiPhápSố #SángTạoNôngNghiệp #CommunitySupportedAgriculture #AgTech #FarmTech #DigitalTransformation"

https://v.redd.it/g0barh3nl6ag1

Just signed up for a #CommunitySupportedAgriculture #CSA farm box to support local farmers and boost resilience in my community! Each week, I receive fresh organic fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and in return, the local community gets more food security. Way tastier than store bought since it's local which means it's actually ripe! If you want to eat healthier and help create more #resilientcommunities, I highly recommend giving it a try! 🍏🥦🍄 https://www.localharvest.org/

#eatlocal #solarpunk #vegan