The Weblog
The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:
Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!
Local Love!
The Local Lovefest continues in our series of featuring our market vendors, and their views on what being a local producer means to them…
Today, I am excited to introduce the duo of Mad Sweet Heat!! They are more new vendors with an amazing product!
If you haven’t already tried Mad Sweet Heat, or purchased, make sure to change that…
Here they are…bringing even more to our local fabric…Thanks for joining the market, Mark and Debbie!
We’ve all been asked to assess our thoughts on what being LOCAL means to us and those we aim to serve. Also, what does it mean to be part of a local movement, what makes us passionate, and how do we value Real Food vs. Processed Food? Let us start by telling you a bit about MAD SWEET HEAT.
MAD SWEET HEAT is a small local family business, who had their first retail sale in June, 2015. This was of course; proceeded by 11 months of learning the correct process of how one would take their prized recipe to the next level.
MAD SWEET HEAT is very passionate about making and eating sliced candied jalapenos! Being a local producer gives hope that we can make more of an impact on our own local economy which in turns helps everyone along the local supply chain. When one completes the steps necessary in creating a quality product from end to end, then you can’t help but have passion for the product(s) you create.
We all eat processed food at some point or another so knowing how your processed food is made and what ingredients go into the making of that product should concern us all. You can still get a great quality product that is all natural and contains no preservatives in a “processed food” such as MAD SWEET HEAT.