A new wrinkle for weekly produce sale: ‘meal packs’

The SLO Food Alliance holds its weekly produce sale Wednesday (June 26) from noon to 1 p.m. on the Student Services Plaza. The usual assortment of early crops will be on hand (the last of the spinach, kale, assorted herbs, Bok Choi, Swiss Chard, Daikon, Chinese and cherry radishes, garlic scapes, etc.).

A new twist: SLO FA is partnering with the Nutritional Sciences faculty and the Dietetics Club students who manage the campus hoop house to sell a limited number of “meal packs” to introduce patrons to produce they may not have sampled before.

A meal pack includes fresh featured produce, a recipe, and most of the pre-measured ingredients needed to make a healthy, nutritious meal. Customers just need to supply a few standard ingredients from home. This week, featured meal packs include Pasta and Kale (a box of whole grain pasta, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, a wedge of Parmesan cheese, and fresh kale), Sautéed Kale with Raisins and Hazelnuts, and Cilantro Pesto (a box of whole grain pasta, parmesan cheese, walnuts and a big bunch of fresh cilantro for an interesting variation on the classic basil pesto). Meal pack prices vary, but costs are generally in the range of $1.50/serving.