Notes for Kirksville Vegans

My vegan journey so far, in the past two weeks, has taught me much about my community. Contrary to popular belief, it IS possible to find good vegan ingredients in Kirksville, MO. There are really only three places to do so, but they do a good job at it. Surprisingly.

The Kirksville Farmer's Market has been a great source for finding fresh, local produce. Some farmers actually have a program in which you buy a share of their crops for certain periods of time. This year, my husband and I chose to buy a 6-month share (that's the entire growing season) from Green Valley Farms out of Yarrow, MO (just southwest of KV). For about $13 a week we get to pick out as much of whatever we want! So far, in just May and June, they've had asparagus, spinach, cilantro, parsley, mint, peas, mulberries, strawberries, arugula, and an endless variety of salad greens. Nothing tastes so fresh as local produce! If anyone else is interested in signing up for one of these programs, ads appear in the spring in local papers.

Maxine's Back to Nature health food store, although tiny, has some great vegan resources. They carry many staples, such as vegan butter, mayo, and meat substitutes. Some of the lesser-known ingredients can be found here, such as hard-to-find baking ingredients. They also have Teeccino, my new favorite, an herbal coffee. Anyone wanting to lower their caffeine intake should try it. I love it.

Hy-Vee. Of course we all know and love our local Hy-Vee grocer. Especially since they recently have set up a health foods section. Yay! Numerous vegan foods can be found here. They might only carry one variety, for example they only have cubed Seitan, but it's better than nothin'! I hope to see their health foods area expand in the near future.

Local libraries have some of the best vegan cookbooks to borrow. That's where my inspiration began. Check it out.