Real Food Resources in Las Vegas – A Starter List

“Real Food” – what is that?  Isn’t everything that we can put in our mouths at the grocery store considered “Real Food”?  Well, most everyone knows that’s not true.  While it’s clear that frozen dinners, whether labeled “organic” or not, are not in the real food category, what about fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, whole grains etc.?  It turns out the answer is not so simple. The majority of our produce is genetically modified to resist pests or weed killer or grow extra-large and extra fast and attractive.  And our meat/fish sources often endure inhumane treatment and conditions AND receive feed that they are not meant to digest – ie. corn.  And our milk and grains are pasteurized/processed to the point where there are no remaining natural nutrients (the calcium in milk is ADDED back in).  How does all this affect us?  Hmmmm, let’s see, is the USA the most overweight nation in the world?  Well, not quite, but according to the WHO, we rank #9 (with 71.4% of our population overweight) behind 7 island nations in the South Pacific and Kuwait! - all which generally import the majority of their food.   But the problem obviously isn’t just a high Body Mass Index – we have all kinds of diseases, or at least an increase of certain diseases, as food production has become more and more industrialized and controlled by a few large corporation.  I could go on and on AND ON, but there are many others who have made movies and written books about this topic and communicate the problems with food production in the United States much more eloquently than I.  On April 21, PBS will be airing “Food, Inc” – a must watch for everyone – and encouraging potluck viewing parties.  Additionally, Michael Pollan, who figures prominently in “Food, Inc”,  has written several books and articles regarding food production in the United States.

THIS POST, however is about Real Food Resources in Las Vegas, meaning locally produced, mostly organic food and livestock not raised on corn.  And the great news about eating locally produced food is that it TASTES BETTER too!  Now, for Las Vegas, I consider anything produced within a 200 mile radius “local” because we live in the Mojave Desert and growing food in this area is an undertaking.  For those of you interested in starting your own garden a great resource is the University of Nevada Master Gardener Program.  For the rest of us, there are fantastic alternatives such as Molto Farmer’s Market.

Molto Farmer's Market

I gotta say, I approached MFM with some trepidation since all of the other “farmer’s markets” in Las Vegas mainly consisted of cotton candy, hot dogs, locally made crafts, and very little produce.  Although not all of the vendors are from Nevada, the vast majority sell produce and those who do not sell items such as tasty bread, locally roasted coffee, or a variety of nuts.  So my hat is off to Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich (both well know chefs if you haven’t heard already) for making this worthwhile farmer’s market happen.

Holy Shiitake! Oyster Mushrooms!

If you can’t make it to a farmer’s market in the middle of the week and/or the middle of the day, there are a few Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the area.  The one I use and LOVE is Quail Hollow Farm CSA located in Overton, NV.  The way a CSA works is one purchases a “share” for the season up front and  every week the share holder receives some bounty in return, generally in the form of a basket of vegetables.   This means eating what is in season and your fair share of what the farm was able to produce.  Quail Hollow Farm CSA delivers to 4 locations in the Las Vegas -  Molto Farmer’s Market,  Valley Cheese & Wine (lots of tasty temptation here), Nora’s Wine Bar (which actually uses produce from Quail Hollow) and Rainbow’s End Natural Food Store, which is locally owned and operated.

Quail Hollow's intern Kylie at MFM

In addition to the vegetables, one can order farm fresh eggs, raw honey, and a few other farm produced items via e-mail and they will be delivered with your basket.   I must say the honey from Quail Hollow Farm is some of THE BEST HONEY I’ve ever tasted!  OMG, I drool just thinking about it!

On a side note, Quail Hollow Farm just held their share holder breakfast at the end of March AND it was amazing!

We ate a LOT of Rainbow Chard this year

And awe-inspiring.  Laura Bledsoe, her family, and a few interns put in a lot of hard hours to produce for Quail Hollow’s share holders!  I am so grateful for and humbled by her passion to feed families farm fresh, organic food and all the work she and the farm crew put in every day.

We had a lot of fun meeting Quail Hollow's goats

Another CSA that delivers to the Greater Las Vegas area is  Meadow Valley CSA Farm, located in Moapa, NV.  I’d love to hear from someone who gets their shares from Meadow Valley!

Tucked away in the north end of Las Vegas is Gilcrease Orchard – 50 acres or so of apple, peach, pear, apricot, and fig trees.  Although Gilcrease Orchard sometimes has a booth at Molto Farmer’s Market, you can visit the grounds yourself on select days of the week to pick your own.  In the summer months, seasonal vegetables are also available.

Other farms in the Las Vegas area include Made in Parhump (sell’s a variety of produce and eggs), Dodoy Quail Farm (sells quail eggs and quail raising materials), and China Ranch Date Farm to name a few.  There are more farms in the area and as I become aware of them I will post them.

If you’re going to eat beef it really should be grass-fed for ethical, environmental and health reasons.  There are some resources other than Whole Foods where one can obtain beef from grass-fed, humanely treated cows.  There are a number of farms in California from which you can buy such beef in bulk and a one fairly close by in Northern Arizona called Bar 10 Beef.  This is a good option if you REALLY like to eat beef, you have a lot of freezer space, and some friends to split the order with you.

Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op is another option for people looking for high quality produce and other items.  They have baskets available for conventionally or organically grown produce.  There are 3 pick-up sites in the Las Vegas area.

For locally produced, farm fresh items magically appearing on your doorstep there is Las Vegas Farmer.Com – a great option for those of us who are really busy!  It’s a bit more expensive because of the home delivery aspect…

The sale of raw milk products is illegal in Nevada, so one would need to make a run to California or Utah, where such prohibition does not exist.  It’s not like moonshine, so Roscoe P. Coltrane won’t be waiting for you at the border when you return.  There are co-ops here that will take a group order to California or Utah, purchase your desired items for you and bring them back for pick-up.  If anyone is interested in purchasing raw milk products, feel free to contact me and I will forward the necessary information to you.

This obviously is not an exhaustive list of resources available in the Las Vegas area, but it’s a good start.  It took me over a year to find Quail Hollow Farms and Molto Farmer’s Market (and some of these other resources) and I’m so glad I can share them.  If anyone knows of any other farms or resources in the area please let me know.