Spring has SPRUNG!

Spring with all its beauty and promise is finally here!

What a tumultuous wet and windy season so far. The constant cloud cover held back the first harvests of the season. Expressly Local Food has undergone an equally tumultuous time over the past 2 months. While the restless changes of spring are expected, the store has undergone an unanticipated but welcome transformation.


In early March I learned that Abundant Earth Co-op was leaving. They joined us while Expressly Local was still testing our concept at Eastern Market. They brought to our store some of the organic food and Eco-friendly products not available locally.


To survive and thrive I knew I had to revisit my original and oft stated vision
for ELF. While emphasizing quality local products , staples not native to
Lancaster such as rice, legumes, seeds, nuts, coffee, spices and teas are now
available in bulk and still organic.

It has taken much time to change direction and replenish what
customers are accustomed to finding. You are invited to let me or Danielle know what you expect to find at Expressly Local Food.

In my last Blog, before the above mentioned changes, I told you about the irony of having summer bounty just when traffic dwindles because of the many options available all summer. Most of our customers belong to CSA's and eat out of their gardens. So my offer was and still is a subscription to Expressly Local Food. You will be supporting over 25+ small diversified Lancaster farms and gardens.

For $10 a week paid monthly ($40) you are entitled to $15 of produce of your choice as well as a 10% discount on all locally produced foods, dairy, meat and baked goods. The $40 you pay is a credit deducted in $10 increments per visit. In this way I hope to secure a committed customer base throughout the season. If this plan works a subscription plan will continue after the perilous farmers market season ends. As you know we have local produce year round in addition to all our other local food offerings.

The subscriptions start in June and payments should be made to Expressly Local Food by May 21.

Our regulars have watched this transition and welcomed it, appreciative of our mission to be bring the widest selection of quality local food under one roof year round. If you haven't been in for awhile (2 months) come see what we are doing.

 
This is not a royal "we". Another delightful and necessary addition to Expressly Local Food is my daughter Danielle Young. She is introducing a juice bar within the upcoming month (launch date June 1st!). She made juices, smoothies and coffee treats at a cafe in Los Angeles, where she lived for 8 years working as a video editor and photographer. I am thrilled to have such a gifted person join me at this critical time.

Cheryl