Central City Co-Op Helps Fuel Healthy Eating in the Heights

Central City Co-Op offers healthier alternatives for Houstonians, all while supporting local farmers.

The city of Houston is inundated by big name grocery stores—we have our beloved Texan brand, H-E-B, along with Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s—but in the mix of it all, there are still people determined to support smaller local business like Central City Co-Op.

“For us, it’s all about sustainability,” says Jessica Wilt, executive director of Central City Co-Op, “The mission statement is to provide. The focus is on local food and connecting people with food.”

It all started back in 1998, with a group of people who decided they wanted to split a box of parsley. At the time, organic items weren’t really a thing in bigger grocery stores, but some Houstonians were on the hunt for affordable organic produce. They discovered someone willing to help them out with their parsley quest: The group ordered a case to split among themselves and boom, Central City Co-Op was brought to life on the back porch of a spot on Taft Street.

Wilt says after a couple of seasons, the farmers were able to grow enough food to blossom the idea into a farm share at Ecclesia Church. The farmers would bring in what they’d grown and split it equally between the baskets that people ordered. Whatever was leftover would then be available for pickup for whomever was interested. Wilt says it always came with a recipe, too, to help spread awareness about the different ways the items could be used.

Its popularity kept on growing, and in 2009 the co-op moved to what is now Kindred Montrose. Over time, things got rocky for the organization; it even was at risk of shutting down in 2016. But Wilt and her husband knew they couldn’t let that happen. To help save the organization, they decided to take on financial stewardship. Together, they absorbed the co-op and paid its debt. Right now, it isn’t technically a traditional co-op, but the hope is to one day have the community own it again.

“We just see ourselves as the placeholders for Houston until Houston is ready to take it over,” she says.

Central City Co-Op’s executive director Jessica Wilt played a pivotal role in keeping the co-op alive.

Ironically, things took a turn for the better in 2020. Wilt says COVID-19 seemed to be a catalyst for people, and noticed that many Houstonians were beginning to prioritize the types of food and ingredients going into their bodies.

This uptick allowed for the co-op to move to a temporary home in the Heights and up their operation from one day a week to six. But Central City Co-Op soon outgrew that space. In 2021, it moved into its current home on Harvard Street.

Now, Central City Co-Op is an outlet for local farmers and is the perfect spot for Houstonians wanting to shift to healthier eating habits. And Wilt jokes that the co-op is bringing back what she calls “grandma skills”—which is just a special way of saying they try to teach their customers how to make the most out of their groceries.

“[People] haven’t gotten that intergenerational knowledge passed down, so we’re helping them reawaken that,” she says. “It’ll save you money to be eating locally and in abundance, instead of having to make multiple trips to the store and not knowing where your food is taken from.”   

One example Wilt uses is a carrot. Most people will think of only using the carrot as a vegetable to help supplement their meal and not consider the actual greens that come along with buying a full organic carrot. But, in fact, the greens can be used in a separate recipe for pesto or soup—all you have to do is either sauté it or chop it up and leave it in your freezer for a later date.

The co-op is bringing back what Wilt calls “grandma skills,” and helps educate its customers on how to make the most out of their groceries.

Since it’s reliant on local farmers, what Central City Co-op has available changes based on the seasons. Wilt says it’s like a new culinary adventure each week, because you don’t really know what you’ll be getting. No matter what, though, you can always find pantry staples, some sort of produce, dairy, meats, wine and beer, and bakery items like pizza dough and bread.  

Of course, Wilt doesn’t trust just anyone to supply the co-op with products. There are a number of requirements to be a contributing farmer to Central City Co-Op. Wilt says she’ll go to the farm to see how they’re farming, which lets her know if they can trust the source. A few things she looks for include what a farmer puts on their soil, the upkeep of said soil, and the rotation of their crops.   

When Wilt thinks of a farmer she can count on to continue to meet and exceed her expectations, Scott Howard comes to mind. In a city like Houston, it’s hard to believe that people have even found a way to put soil to good use within the inner loop—also known as our concrete jungle—but Howard, who owns Montrose Urban Food Farm, has figured out how to successfully do just that. Depending on the season, you’ll find him growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cantaloupe, watermelons, cucumbers, kale, and collard greens. 

Howard has been gardening for several decades on a repurposed plot of land in Montrose. Twenty years ago, he decided to take an extra step and turn it into a community garden, which was once affiliated with Houston-based organization Urban Harvest.

About a decade ago, Howard doubled the land for farming and officially went commercial, but he exclusively sells to Central City Co-Op. Howard says that he’s become a bit of a local celebrity among its customers, but he only knows this because Wilt claims that they ask her to point them straight to his produce.

“I’m happy and pleased with the reputation I have for some really good vegetables,” Howard says.

You can find a variety of items at Central City Co-Op.

By supporting the co-op, Wilt notes that you’re also supporting so much more. For some of these farmers, the purchase of a product helps them pay for daycare, mortgages, car payments, and their kid’s college tuition. At the end of it all, you’re helping the local community thrive.

“We forget that we live in a community, it’s so easy in the modern world to feel like we’re off on our own, but we really are dependent on each other,” Wilt says.

Individual membership for the co-op is $60 a year, and includes several perks, such as discounted produce, beer, and wine; $5 off farm shares; access to raw milk pickup; and free coffee with every visit to the store. Though Wilt encourages anyone from the Houston area to stop by, too, and treat it like any other grocery store.  

Down the line, Wilt’s goal is to obtain a big enough grant that would allow for the build-out of a communal kitchen. She’d love to continue to build on the sentiment of community and bring people together to further educate them on how to use all the available ingredients to their fullest potential.

“That’s really the dream,” she says. “Bringing people [together], and continuing that educational process, making it fun.”

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

healthy broccoli cauliflower casserole

20 Healthy Casserole Recipes for Lighter Comfort Food

1 Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole Ralph Smith 2 Curried Veggie Lattice Pot Pie Ralph Smith Underneath that lattice crust you’ll find kale, butternut squash, and mushrooms. Creamy coconut milk and a healthy dose of curry powder make eating your veggies more flavorful and fun! Get Ree’s Curried Veggie Lattice Pot Pie recipe. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Bend park and rec camp mixes healthy eating with cooking fun

Bend park and rec camp mixes healthy eating with cooking fun Published 11:00 pm Wednesday, July 2, 2025 1/2 Swipe or click to see more Nine-year-olds, Maeve Hemingway of Boston, from left, and her partner Ella Brodie, of Bend, get verbal directions from their instructor Colene Stoernell, a registered dietitian, as they make a healthy

地捫Del Monte聲請破產!逾130年歷史罐頭界巨頭/香港有無影響?

地捫Del Monte聲請破產!逾130年歷史罐頭界巨頭/香港有無影響? | U Food

地捫破產|地捫食品(Del Monte Foods)聲請破產!一個陪伴無數人成長、深入香港家庭的經典食品品牌傳來震撼消息,擁有逾130年歷史的地捫食品在7月1日正式向美國法院申請第11章破產保護,這消息震驚全球,有不少粉絲擔心這會否影響到香港市場。 地捫Del Monte聲請破產 Del Monte 品牌首次亮相在1892年,目前已有逾130年歷史。地捫食品作為全球領先的罐頭水果和蔬菜品牌,其產品如罐頭菠蘿、玉米粒等,早已是許多家庭廚房的常備品,承載著一代又一代人的飲食記憶。 根據地捫食品發表的聲明,公司已與貸款機構達成重組協議,並自願啟動第11章破產程序,以執行協議條款。這一步是公司經過全面評估所有可能方案後,認為在法院監督下出售資產,是加速公司轉型並打造更強大、可持續發展的地捫食品的最有效途徑。 地捫又指,公司已從現有貸款方獲得9.125億美元的融資承諾,其中包括1.65億美元的新融資,以確保在出售過程中擁有足夠的流動性,並承諾將繼續為客戶提供服務。 地捫Del Monte聲請破產  香港及美國以外業務不受影響 儘管美國地捫食品申請破產保護,但地捫食品在聲明中特別指出,部分非美國子公司並未被納入破產保護章程程序,將會繼續照常運作。這意味著,香港市場的Del Monte產品供應預計不會立即受到影響。地捫太平洋公司也表示,Del Monte Foods聲請破產不會影響其在美國以外地區的營運,並正評估整個集團可能產生的財務影響,若有任何重大影響,將依相關上市規定對外公告。 Source link

Do You Really Need to Eat 3 Meals a Day? We Asked an Expert Dietician

Eating three balanced meals per day is often touted as the healthiest way to maintain a healthy diet and get adequate nutrition. But if you’re like me and have an unpredictable eating pattern, getting three meals in each day can be tough. I love to snack throughout the day, I don’t like putting effort into

The Real Food Academy Expands Nationally, Bringing Healthy Cooking Education to More Communities

The Real Food Academy Expands Nationally, Bringing Healthy Cooking Education to More Communities

The Real Food Academy (TRFA), a leading culinary education center specializing in nutrition-focused cooking, is expanding nationwide through franchising. With a well-established presence in Miami, TRFA is now offering franchise opportunities in key markets, responding to the growing demand for hands-on nutrition education and healthy cooking experiences. Recently, TRFA hosted an exclusive Discovery Day for

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x