Below is a snapshot of where Plovgh members are beginning to organize. Do you see your neighborhood or city or borough on the map? No? Well, here’s where to get started.

In the McVay family, Sunday night wouldn’t be complete without an enormous bowl of popcorn. It’s been happening that way for decades. After a day on horseback at the farm or at the end of a Minneapolis weekend, someone (usually Lizzy’s mama, Kita) pulls out the kettle, heats the oil, and drops the first kernel in. Once it pops, you know you’re on your way to goodness. 

When Plovgh returned from Iowa farm visits with a case of Jim Fitkin’s yellow popping corn, Kita tried it out. She now swears by it, as does Lizzy, who thinks it has hints of Iowa prairie, much like her preferred drink, Templeton Rye. Here’s what you can do with the popcorn.

1. Get a bag of Jim Fitkin’s popping corn.

2. Cover the bottom of a saucepan or kettle with a thin layer of the oil of your choice.

3. Turn the stove on high heat.

4. Add a single kernel to the pot and cover.

5. Wait for the kernel to pop to indicate that the oil is sufficiently hot.

6. Cover the bottom of the pot with a single layer of popping corn.

7. Cover and gently shake the pot over the heat for a few minutes or until popping noises have ceased.

8. Transfer the popped corn to a bowl.

9. Add melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and cayenne as desired.

Will beets ship? Earlier this spring we shipped a bunch of Upstate NY farm grown beets to Lizzy’s mom in Minneapolis. We wanted to see how far they can travel, as we think about how far Plovgh’s farms can reach. Wilted greens aside, it was a success. Jim Johnson reports, “Well, I have to say I am all about distribution research. But those beets are just plain delicious.”