A healthy-foodie success story: Green B.E.A.N. Delivery

Produce delivered to your door

It's a grocery delivery service that started in Indianapolis, expanded to Cincinnati and then to other metro areas in the region, and has become a thriving business that delivers to 6,000 households weekly in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. But Green B.E.A.N. Delivery also is a major player in the movement to bring farmers, food producers and consumers closer together while helping to make organic, chemical-free and locally grown and processed more widely available. On top of all that, the company donates tons of food to soup kitchens and works with social service agencies to help fight hunger. It's quite a wide-reaching mission that began a few years ago as the brainchild of an Indiana couple, Beth Blessing and Matt Ewer.
Blessing and Ewer founded the company in 2007 to support small and medium-size family farms and local food producers AND to give consumers access to healthy food year round, even outside the growing season when many of us can work farmers markets into our routines.

Matt Ewer, GBD co-founder

Green BEAN (which stands for Biodynamic, Education, Agriculture and Nutrition) only took two years to expand from Indy to Cincinnati, thanks in large part to the founding couple's friendship with Cincinnatian John Freeland -- they all attended Indiana University together -- who is now Vice President of sales and marketing for the company and is based in Cincinnati.
Other BEAN locations include Louisville and Columbus.
So from the consumer's standpoint, how does it work?
Customers go to the website (www.greendelivery.com) and select their location. Next, you set up an account and a delivery schedule -- weekly, bi-weekly or monthly -- for your groceries. There's no long term commitment or minimum length of time in the program, so you definitely can do a tryout and see how it works for you. There is however a minimum order of $35, but with no extra delivery or membership fees. And then you go to another page to select your stuff. While they do emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables they also offer a comprehensive list of packaged foods, dairy products, fish and seafood and more. Some but not all of the produce is organic, and preference is given to local and regional farmers and producers.

John Freeland, with Cincinnati GBD 

I spoke with BEAN's John Freeland, who emphasized that what they do is "not a luxury service." Their mantra is "convenience, affordability, and accessibility," he said, and their mission is to create "a network of farmers and artisans and take it directly to consumer's doorsteps."
Your order comes in a green bin (as in the photo), kept cool by freezer packs.

Cincinnati residents can also email info@greenbeanohio.com or call 513-761-BEAN (2326) for more information.

Springtime's "Super Foods"

We don't have to wait until the summer or fall harvests to chow down on incredibly healthy, locally grown, in-season foods. Local asparagus (now available at Findlay Market and others) and strawberries (still a couple of weeks away, most likely) taste way better than anything from the supermarket, but there are several other great foods that are being harvested now and available at local farmers markets.

They include kale, fennel, spinach, leeks and artichokes -- all wonderful, yummy ingredients for savory dishes (or eat the spinach raw in salads and as a substitute for lettuce in sandwiches).
Click here to read an article about the NINE SUPERFOODS OF SPRING and why they are such nutritional powerhouses.

Running Creek Farm -- at Northside Farmers Market

This week I am featuring Running Creek Farm at the Northside Farmers Market. Running Creek has one of the most attractive booths and extensive selections of fresh, locally grown foods you can find at any metro-area market.

Co-owner Jim Lowenburg told me he grows about 14 varieties of potato and 20 types of tomatoes. Yesterday, the booth had a good selection of each along with five types of garlic. If you haven't had fresh-picked, local garlic but only know the supermarket stuff, do yourself a favor and find a market that sells the former. It will be a revelation!

As you can see from the photo, there's also a pretty display of cut flowers for sale here.

Running Creek Farm is in Mt. Healthy, OH, and all their produce is pesticide-free.

Northside Market at Hoffner Park (off Hamilton) is open Wednesdays from 4 - 7:30 PM.