Fresh Abundance finds home

Fresh Abundance has been delivering to local doorsteps the past two years: Now, you can go to theirs.

After starting and running the local, organic produce delivery service at their South Hill home, BrightSpirit and Jacque Hendrix have a storefront for the business.

Fresh Abundance recently opened at 1001 W. 25th Ave., just off Lincoln behind Wilson Elementary School, BrightSpirit says. They’ll continue to offer once-a-week home delivery for its customers, but now members also can pick up an order six days a week from the store.

For same-day pickup, members must call in the morning before 10 a.m., and their order will be ready for pick-up between 4 and 6:15 p.m. To become a member of Fresh Abundance, customers pay $35 a year and a one-time registration fee of $15.

The membership fees are used for an education program to help local farmers raise organic produce or produce Fresh Abundance considers “safe.” They only buy from farms that practice sustainable agriculture, grow without the use of pesticides and raise no genetically modified plants.

BrightSpirit said the new storefront is an important move for the growing business. They have more than doubled their membership in the last year. Now they have about 470 members and make 200 home deliveries each week.

BrightSpirit travels to farms in the region each weekend to gather produce for customers. She says they bring foods to Spokane from a 200-mile radius. During the off-season, they rely on organic foods from Spokane Produce to fill members’ boxes.

“Our goal every week is to get it as close to home as possible,” she says.

By this fall, BrightSpirit says they plan to offer some of the most popular items for walk-in purchase at the store.

For more information, log on to www.freshabundance.com or call (509) 533-2724.

Pearled barley recipes sought

Growers call it the pearl of the Palouse. To others, it’s pearled barley. By either name it’s the top crop in this tiny town.

The Palouse Chamber of Commerce is hosting a recipe contest to help promote the grain. Cooks are invited to send in their best recipes for pearled barley for a chance to win $75, $50 and $25 cash prizes. The recipes, which must contain a “significant amount” of pearled barley, will be prepared by local cooks and judged by a tasting panel.

Then, the top three recipes will be served at the town’s 24th annual Palouse Days celebration Sept. 16 ,where the public will choose its favorite dish from the finalists. The winner of that “People’s Choice” competition will receive an additional $100 prize.

Entries are due to the Palouse Grain Growers by Aug. 15. Recipes should make 4 to 6 servings and entries must be typed. Recipes will be prepared by volunteer cooks exactly as written, so be sure to include any special instructions.

For more information about the contest, go to www.visitpalouse.com, e-mail grain@palouse.com or call Bruce Baldwin at (509) 878-1621 or Ben and Janet Barstow at (509) 878-1742.

Look inside today’s Food section for last year’s “People’s Choice” winner.