Natural Foods Expo East

Thursday, my friend Char and I attended the Natural Foods Expo East in Baltimore.  It was a bit overwhelming—so much to see, so many things to taste and try out.  It was so huge, and I know we missed quite a bit—it’s really too  much to do in one day.  We spent a good deal of time in the New Products Pavilion, which was nice because we got to spend time and talk to the people who actually make the products, not just the reps, which is pretty much who you see in the main exhibition space.  I just got home, and am trying to get this to ‘press’ in time to post Friday morning, so though I would like to mention several products, and I will do so in future posts, today I will start with some of my favorites, and include links for all of them.

Motto is a really amazing beverage!  It is a lightly sparkling matcha drink made with green matcha tea, apple cider vinegar, honey, agave and fresh lemon juice.  I do not generally like carbonated drinks (except Champagne) nor do I like sweet drinks, but as Joni Mitchell said a long time ago “I could drink a case of you” Motto.  It is clean and fresh tasting, not too sweet and perfectly balanced.  I brought one sample bottle home, but I am going to buy some to have around for sure!  My friend Char was a bit skeptical when I raved about it, but when I brought her some to try she was an instant convert!

The next astonishing beverage I tried was CAcafe coconut tea.  It was delicious and creamy in a coco-nutty kind of way and the packaging is as cool as the product.  It comes in a to-go cup with a lid, and inside is the packet of tea, a packet of sugar (I had mine without sugar) and a little stirrer to mix it up, and when you do that, you get a frothy kind of cream on top.  I had no idea what it would taste like but it was mild with a nice coconut flavor, I was happy having it unsweetened, but I think adding the sugar would make it comparable to a nice warming cup of hot cocoa.  I’m planning on enjoying a cup at breakfast.  They also make a coffee, but I didn’t get to try that.

I found a product I already have in my house, and was delighted to meet the people behind Tiny but Mighty Popcorn.  I didn’t realize they have an already popped product, available in a few flavors, but what I love is their kernels to pop your own.  It is an heirloom variety, and verified non GMO.  I have an old Brookstone crank popcorn popper and I buy Tiny But Mighty popcorn all the time; it’s my favorite.  I met Lynne and her niece Ashley who were nice as could be, and we talked for a while about popcorn.  I will spare you the details…

In case you haven’t gotten the bulletin, fermented is the new black, and I got to taste some excellent fermented items from Wildbrine, they had all sorts of kimchi, as well as garlic dill sauerkraut and red beet and red cabbage kraut, both of which were very tasty and had great texture, silky and still had some snap to them.  I also tried one of the best pickles I’ve ever had, and I’m very particular about pickles.  These were very garlicky and had just a bit of heat, I could have eaten a bowl full, but I had lots more to sample.

I ate Cookie Chips, so good, and so crispy!  I prefer a crispy cookie, and these were very thin and crisp.  Their motto is “Tastes like a cookie, eats like a chip”  which is so true I am afraid of what would happen if I had them in my house, which at the moment I do, because they gave me a few bags to try, and I am afraid I will eat them all in the next twenty four hours!  At the show I tried the salted peanut butter which was the first time I’ve ever had a crispy peanut butter cookie, and I’m already hooked.  I don’t think I’ll ever go back to chewy peanut butter cookies!

Because I don’t want to have this post go on much longer I will only mention one more item, and it is not edible, but if you read my post Why Do We Use so Much Paper? , you won’t be surprised that I fell in love with this product.  It is called My Drap, and is tear-off rolls of all cotton napkins and place mats.  They come in a great range of colors, sizes and a few patterns.  They are re-usable, and washable up to six times, and even come in holiday patterns.  If you’ve been thinking about switching to cloth napkins, check these out!  They are fun and pretty and real cotton and linen, and a great price; a roll has fifty napkins on it, and retails for about $28.

Natural Foods Expo East was so much fun.  I got to talk to all kinds of fascinating people who are really passionate about their products.  Many of  whom were the owners of the company, working the show and representing themselves and their family, which is really inspiring!  I came home with three bags filled with business cards, samples of products and some more bags—lots of bags.  As I go through everything I will be reaching out to some of the vendors for more info on their products, and will introduce you to the ones that are worth seeking out.