Friends and Farms, which offers its subscribers weekly baskets full of fresh, local foods, has recently started to offer a vegetarian option – an alternative that was a long time coming, according to some. Philip Gottwals, co-owner of the Columbia-based company, says that his wife, Debbie, a lifelong vegetarian had pushed for the change.
“We’re not asking people to choose sides,” he says. “My household is split – I’m by all definitions a carnivore and my wife’s a
vegetarian.”
Initially, there was some discussion of whether to include soy-based products – like tofu and meat substitutes – in the vegetarian orders. “What we hear consistently is that everyone has an opinion on soy,” says Tim Hosking, a founder of the company with Gottwals. “We decided to take a middle ground.”
Friends and Farms, which began operating a year ago, delivers weekly baskets to subscribers who sign up for a minimum of 13 weeks, with prices ranging from $40 per week for a basket designed for one person to $76 for a family of four. The company’s mission is to create a relationship between consumers and food producers.
The “baskets,” (reusable bags, actually) distributed at a number of spots in Howard County (plus Catonsville and Towson) contain fruits, vegetables and enough animal-based protein for about two meals, (“with plenty of leftovers”), plus bread and dairy products, says Hosking. The new vegetarian baskets provide protein from legumes as well as additional cheeses and wheat products, Hosking says. “We do put in edamame” – fresh soybeans in the pod, popular for snacking.
Friends and Farms food is sourced from local suppliers, says Hosking, and is “perfectly fresh.” For example, “our seafood comes off the boat yesterday, is delivered to our distributor last night. This morning it’s cut and put on ice and delivered to our customers.”
Baskets also contain recipes for the weekly food items, says Gottwals. “We’ve got a split pea burger recipe that’s fantastic,” he says. “You’re getting the raw materials to make it. You’re not getting the burger.”
Gottwals has built strong relationships with local food producers who supply the goods. And it is bringing the local suppliers together with consumers that means the most to the business owner. “I’m a firm believer,” he says, “that food should be a relationship.”
For information, friendsandfarms.com
