Join us for the 3rd annual Healthy Local Foods exhibit at the Eco Experience!

Interested in volunteering for this fun event? Click here for more information.

Download our Volunteer flyer

Always Fresh Picked!

Visit the Eco Experience to learn about food grown by Minnesota farmers, and where to find it in your community. Kids’ projects and other activities round out the market offerings, creating a fun and educational environment for the whole family.

Meet a farmer and taste the best Minnesota fare at the fair! Visit the healthy local food area for a changing array of tasty food samples and the latest on eating locally.  Learn about local foods and test your knowledge by playing the “Green, Greener, Greenest” quiz game.

Highlights and Activities

Local Foods Video Booth
Record your favorite food memory or to tell about your favorite food hero. Recordings will be displayed throughout the 12 days of the fair. Each day the best recording will be featured on our website, and the top three recordings at the end of the week will receive prizes.

Healthy Kitchen Stage
Get a taste of the best way to prepare local foods at 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, and 4:00 each day. Check out “Local grass fed beef” from Thousand Hills Cattle, Thurs. 28th at 2:00, or a Fresh vegetable dishes” from Youth Farm at 2:00 on Sat. 30th.  Other demonstrations include dishes from a variety of local caterers and chefs. Much of the produce used in these demonstrations can be sampled indoors.

Healthy Local Food Theme Days
Each day at the Healthy Local Food Exhibit has a different theme.  This means that every day you stop in you’ll see something a little different.  Stop by often to learn about many different aspects of Healthy Local Food.

Fair Trade Day

Based in Minneapolis, the Local Fair Trade Network builds on the foundation created by the organic food, farm worker and cooperative movements, bringing together the growers, sellers and eaters of food to cooperatively build a food system that is just and healthy for everyone.  Stop by to learn more about how to purchase Fair Trade foods.

Dining Local Day

Learn and taste as Minnesota chefs bring local flavors to the table. The Heartland Food Network is a collaboration of Minnesota dining establishments, catering companies, local family farmers and food distributors whose mission is to encourage and facilitate the increased consumption of local foods as a way to build stronger communities, healthier lives and a cleaner environment.

Food and Travel Day

Featuring Green Routes, a sustainable tourism program. Learn how to find good food when traveling in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Discover places to go and things to do that are both fun and delicious. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet some of the proprietors of these destinations from around the region.

New Immigrant Farmers Day

MFA’s family of programs include: May Farm CSA, Big River Foods – a local food distributor and the New Immigrant Agriculture Project. Immigrants are the fastest growing sector of farmers in the United States. This training and technical assistance program has been working with Latino and Hmong farmers since 1998.

Kids and Food Day

These organizations highlight the importance of educating kids on healthy local foods. Stop by for a fun interactive experience for the whole family.

Buy Direct From a Farmer Day

Get a free directory of local farmers, community gardens, farmers markets, CSA’s and more. Discover how easy and fun it is to meet the people who grow the food you eat and take part in your local food shed.

Co-op Day

The Wedge Co-op is a member-owned natural foods store located in South Minneapolis since 1974. Throughout the day, the Wedge will sample local and organic foods. Fairgoers will have the opportunity to meet the folks who make these amazing Minnesota products possible! In addition, the Wedge, along with other local co-ops, will have information about natural foods co-ops in the Twin Cities.

10:00 – Healthful, Easy Cooking for Your Dog
12:00 – Sweet Treats for Everyone (allergen free)
2:00 – Local MN Favorites
4:00 – Learn to Make Fresh Mozzerella

Minnesota Homegrown Day

Have you ever had a dish at a restaurant that you wish you could figure out how to make at home? A number of Minnesota chefs have shared some of their recipes in the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook. Learn to make foods with local ingredients just like the pros.  Stop by for samples, meet some of the featured chefs and producers, and learn more about restaurants that use local foods.

Organic Day

Organic Valley Family of Farms is one of the area’s leading producers of organic foods. Organic Valley will sample organic food and introduce its farmers to fair visitors throughout the state fair.

New Farmers Day

At a time when most statistics talk about the loss of farms in Minnesota, learn about the growing number of people choosing farming as a profession.

2008 Exhibitor

• Renewing the Countryside: promoting sustainable rural development; Green Routes program

2008 Partners

• Edible Twin Cities: local foods publication and web resource for consumers
• Health Partners: promoting healthy lifestyles
• Organic Valley Family of Farms : farmer owned co-op
• The Wedge Community Co-op : natural foods co-op
• Peace Coffee: fair trade, organic, locally roasted coffee

Click to view other exhibits at the Eco Experience!