Eater’s Almanac is our weekly newsletter for the Huss Project Farmer’s Market. You can receive a print copy each week at the market, which includes a recipe for seasonal vegetables!
“We do not finish breakfast without being dependent on more than half the world.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Coffee is a morning luxury (some would say a necessity) that many of us enjoy. In fact, coffee is one of the most traded global commodities, behind oil. But like a few of our kitchen staples—citrus fruit, olive oil, chocolate, certain kinds of tea—coffee doesn’t grow in our climate, and often the workers who grow coffee don’t have access to the same labor rights most people enjoy here in the United States.
Fair trade is one kind of global certification that sets higher standards for worker pay and conditions, and organic certification also contributes to a safer environment for humans, flora, and fauna. You’ll find organic fair trade coffee and other grocery items at the Huss Market, provided by World Fare in downtown Three Rivers. Visit World Fare for a variety of fair trade food products and hand crafts, as well as a newly expanded grocery section featuring a variety of foods that are as local, organic, and natural as possible. The store is run entirely by volunteers, accepts many forms of food assistance, and offers a Buyers Club to help you save money on good food.
While fair trade standards apply to certification of products from around the world, we can also stock our kitchens with locally-produced foods that align with fair trade principles. When you eat locally and in-season, that “half the world” your breakfast depends on might just include your next door neighbor, your relative … or you! Consider making the stories of these connections part of your household’s meal blessing ritual so everyone can appreciate even more how we’re all connected.
