The Eat Local challenge wraps up today with our final contest.  Let me first thank all of these awesome companies and organizations for donating these products for this contest. I think we have all come a long way in the past two weeks as I read the comments and see that people learned something new about products made right here in Grand Rapids. That is really exciting to me.

Second, thanks to everyone who has participated in this contest, either by entering or passing along the information to an interested friend.  I feel so grass-rootsy.

Let me recap the chances you have to win. If you aren’t in the Grand Rapids area, please play anyway! If you win something that I can’t get to you; I’ll swap it out with another prize. This is Grand Rapids; we do stuff like that.  We’re a special breed of nice here.  

I will close the contest Sunday at midnight E.S.T. and do the drawing Monday morning. 

Today we got a chance from Mrs. Dog’s to win one of three Jamacian Jerk Marinades. 

We got a good reminder from the kids at Thornapple Elementary’s Environmental Club to say no to paper and plastic, and a chance to win one of 15 swell canvas bags from them. 

Art & Bev Bistro donated two $5 gift certificates for two of you to have a chance at your own Tasty Tuesday.

On Monday we had a word from Ben Franklin and a chance to win one of two All Natural Golden Legacy Turkey Breasts from Michigan Turkey Producers.

We launched the contest last Monday with Litehouse Dressings and one of ten chances to win a jar of this delicious treat.

On Tuesday we warmed up with Onion Crock Soup and a chance to win a case of tasty goodness.

Wednesday we heard all about Alicat Kitchens and got the chance to win a $25 gift certificate.

Thursday brought us the chance to win one of 5 Cheeze Kurls t-shirts or one of 5 Munchster’s dolls.

Friday we stirred up quite a bit of excitement with a case of Stehouwer’s Beef Sizzlers to win.

Play ‘em all, why not? Good luck!

I love my dog. I got her when I was a single girl, working a million hours a week. She was a ‘pound’ dog and I appreciated the look on her face when I walked by her pen. It didn’t say, “please pick me!” or “I’m so sad” or even “you look like a nice human”. It seemed to say, “Hey, you. Yeah YOU, lady. You can get me out of here, right?”. Then I swear she winked at me. This was my dog.

Our lives have changed a lot  since then. We have added a husband and two children to our family, and live in another city. But she is still my dog and she has given me a lot.

What she has not given me, though, is the inspiration for an entire line of award winning sauces, marinades, and nuts. Jeez,  which pen was THAT dog in?

This is, however, what Nutmeg gave to Julie Applegate; founder of Mrs. Dog’s. Julie and Nutmeg brought us the famous Mrs. Dog’s Disappearing Mustard, which you would have had a chance to try at the Art of the Table exhibit at the Local First ‘Eat Local Kickoff’ had my friends and I not hogged it all.

The Jamaican Jerk Marinade is also super tasty and will spice things up in a way that I promise you will love.  Julie describes it as having the taste and magic of Jamaica. I can hear the steel drums now. Want to give it a try? HOLD THE PRESSES!! WE HAVE ANOTHER CONTEST!! Lucky you! Julie has generously donated 3 jars of Jamaican Jerk Marinade and some recipes so three lucky winners will have some local deliciousness to call their own. 

To enter, just cruise over to the Mrs. Dog’s website and leave a comment below with your favorite recipe. Or, come up with your own; I double dog dare ya!

Good luck!

I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce Luna, the newest company representative. 

Luna’s official title is, “Morribrook’s Chile Pepper Princess”. Her qualifications include - total cuteness.

I have saved something very special for the final contest in the Big Binder Eat Local Challenge.  I genuinely hope that even after this challenge, we can all continue to make choices that will impact our community for the better. 

You know I love the Zoo, so it should come as no surprise that my family attended the first ”Party For The Planet” there on Earth Day.  My husband and I were thoroughly impressed by some Thornapple Elementary School’s Environmental Club members who gave a brief presentation about the need to utilize reusable grocery bags, and then gave bags away to encourage making this choice.

The Environmental Club was started in 2000 by Dr. Linda Ernst for this very reason. Under her direction it has grown from 12 to 40 children in the past seven years and now participates in a variety of projects such as picking invasive weeds, membership in the international children’s program Roots & Shoots, making crafts out of recycled projects, and setting up recycling stations.  By recycling printer cartridges and a setting up a new Paper Gator program, they are also able to donate to the John Ball Zoo Footsteps to the Future Program, The Kent County Humane Society and Heifer International‘s Read to Feed Program. 

Phew! If these third and fourth graders can do all that; what can you do? Start by saying no to paper OR plastic.

Regardless of where we shop, we need to get our goods to the car (or bus) one way or another. When you are asked if you would like paper or plastic; you can tell them that you would like to use your own reusable bag. 

This is a clever segue into today’s contest; a canvas bag giveaway by the Thornapple Elementary School’s Environmental Club. This is a great big sturdy canvas bag that will serve your grocery-getting needs for a long time.

Enter the contest by leaving a comment below thanking these awesome kids for all of their hard work.  They feel so strongly about their purpose that they have donated fifteen bags (wow!) to give away. Thanks for participating; and good luck!