5 New Ways to “Feed Your Curiosity” About Food and Farming
Finding unbiased information about food and farming is, at times, a quest. Instead of leaving Iowans feeling like they’re lost on a road trip without a compass, the Iowa Food & Family Project and trusted blogger Kristin Porter (aka “Iowa Girl Eats”) are taking people on a journey to feed their curiosity.
“Join My Journey” started last year when Kristin visited several Iowa farms, meeting the families who grow the products she features on her popular blog. This season, Kristin is bringing those experiences along with her to new locations including restaurants, grocery stores and the “kitchen table.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to cook up a storm with Kristin in my own kitchen where she showed me how easy it is to cook with tofu. (Confession time… I’m a meat and potatoes kind of girl, whose parents and grandparents took great pride in raising their own meat and potatoes for our dinner table. I wasn’t too keen on trying on tofu. Since I married into a family whose primary business was raising soybeans – even some food grade beans for the Japanese market – I decided it was time to give it a try.)
Kristin’s visit forced me to literally eat my words. Why? Because I often say to my kids, “It’s good to try new things.” I couldn’t expect them to eat something I wouldn’t eat myself, right? Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite of Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry. It was like taking my taste buds on spring break after a long winter of feasting on comfort foods.
Cooking with Kristin was more fun than a person should have on a work day! Click on this link to see how colorful and fresh the ingredients were that we used. Imagine hearing them sizzle in the wok. It all smelled so tantalizing and tasted even better. Truly, this meal was a journey for my five senses.
Like me and Kristin, many moms and food purchasers are on a journey to gain confidence in the safety and quality of the food they provide for their family. Greater confidence comes from knowing how and why foods are grown. To help feed that curiosity, Kristin is working with farm families, food safety experts and chefs to take a closer look at actual food products, ranging from tofu to tenderloins.
Feed your curiosity! Here are the top five ways you can enjoy the journey:
- Follow along at iowafoodandfamily.com. Each month Iowa Girl Eats and several guest bloggers will document their adventures with new stories, voices and info nuggets each month.
- Face(book) the facts. Track the trip at the IFFP’s Facebook page where friends can find facts about food, ranging from riveting data such as identifying five JELL-O flavors that flopped to discussions about GMO safety.
- Ready-to-go recipes. ‘Iowa Girl Eats’ is known for her no-nonsense, easy-to-prepare-and-source, healthy recipes and she’ll feature some with each visit whether it’s preparing pork at one of Iowa’s hottest new restaurants, to enjoying beef at one of Iowa’s most popular summer attractions to dishing about dairy at a grocery store.
- FREE STUFF! Each month, IFFP will offer fun, food-related giveaways to enhance any kitchen.
- Join the journey in person. Come along and experience the journey for yourself. Several stops are open to the public and feature giveaways, samplings and more. Watch online for upcoming visits.
“Join My Journey” is an activity of the Iowa Food & Family Project, funded in part by the soybean checkoff and involving nearly 35 partners including Latham Hi-Tech Seeds. The IFFP sponsors innovative and engaging activities providing Iowans with the real scoop on food from the people who best know it and grow it — Iowa farm families.
