I’m imagining a scenario…
I arrive at the Bowen Road Farmers Market with a plan to prepare my family’s meals for the coming week. The music is playing and the sun in shining! Uh oh. I realize I haven’t actually thought about what I’m going to make before getting here.
A menu of delicious-sounding meals draws my attention to the volunteer table.
I am told that every one of those meals could be made with ingredients from the market, and I can have a mini- photocopy of the recipe for a donation. Cool!
A market volunteer shows me a binder which has all of these recipes inside.
For each one, I see a checklist of ingredients separated into two columns:
1. Ingredients available at the Market
2. Ingredients not available at the Market
On the other side (of the quarter-sized slip of paper) is the recipe’s “How- To” instructional.
It’s helpful that the easy-to-read menu indicates how many portions each meal will make, and approximately how long it will take me to prepare them. I choose one that sounds easy and delicious (thinking about the three meals for 4 people I must make)…and I choose another because I already have most of the ingredients, and I choose a third one with that upcoming potluck in mind.
I happily donate a dollar for 3 little pieces of paper.
With my checklists in hand, I proceed through the market confidently gathering everything I will need. I now have a detailed plan! This means nothing will be forgotten about and wasted.
I came up with this idea when I thought how convenient it would be to have my shopping list written out for me, or at least help me create one. To look at an index of menu choices, decide my capacity for making them, and then have my shopping list assembled. What a service!
Instead of just suggesting this idea I could volunteer my time and do it myself! I got permission from market management to offer this service at the Bowen Road Farmer’s Market this summer!
The first step is to collect recipes, then create each print-out. My strategy here is to ask for recipe contributions from current farmers and markets goers. “What is your favourite meal made of ingredients from the BRFM?”
Is there anyone else who would be interested in helping me to gather the recipes or help out in some way? Feel free to pass along my idea to *anyone*