Think globally, eat locally. We all know the dietary mantra of earth friendliness—that locally grown food is preferable to (and tastier than) tomatoes or strawberries shipped from across the country. However, one area farm has taken the concept of the farmer’s market and added convenience and variety to the mix, making a “green” diet more accessible.

Our Local Foods, based on Thornhill Farm in McClellanville, launched its social enterprise in 2009 with two major elements: Kitchen Table Cuisine, a weekly online shopping service, and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Founder Maria Baldwin has taken the fruits of a working farm, combined them with products from other area farms, and developed an efficient system for delivering locally sourced food to Grand Strand and Charleston area consumers.

Kitchen Table Cuisine offers products ranging from Thornhill Farm fruits and vegetables to dairy products, meats, eggs, rice and other grains, and even coffee and pasta, produced at local and regional farms. Members scan an online “menu” each week, select their desired products, and pick up their order at a particular date and time. Deliveries along the Grand Strand occur weekly at distribution points in Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island.

Those desiring a steady stream of locally grown produce join the company’s CSA for a seasonal or annual membership. Members receive a weekly delivery of vegetables grown exclusively on Thornhill Farm; for example, a late spring order might include peas, beans, potatoes, carrots and lettuce, while a fall shipment would bring pumpkins, spinach and winter squash. The CSA offers home delivery for residents living south of U.S. 501 and at KTC pickup points for other residents.

Baldwin herself plows the earth, tends to the crops and reaps the harvest at the 100-acre Thornhill Farm. A certified Master Gardener with a degree in environmental biological sciences, Baldwin combines her passion for food and the earth with a creative knowledge of technology and marketing to spread the word about local food, getting the fresh product in the hands of the consumer as efficiently as possible.
Baldwin encourages consumers to think about not only where their food comes from, but also the ingredients that comprise it. “We have an emphasis on food of very high integrity,” Baldwin explains. “The food we grow, the food we represent from other producers and growers, is raised on farms that are strictly organic; it’s produced in small batches, with high quality ingredients.”

With hundreds of members in both programs, Our Local Foods is enjoying steady growth. As the farm’s production continues to increase, Baldwin hopes to expand delivery times and drop off points along the Grand Strand

“We’re really just getting started,” Baldwin states. “We’d love to establish a strong customer base in Myrtle Beach. The whole concept is new for people, but many are starting to make a big shift in their eating habits. We’re trying to put together an option of change and empowerment in food choices.”