Cultivate Fest is Almost Here!! Be There, or Be Square...

Have you heard of the Chipotle Cultivate Festival?  If not, you're probably not alone - but you better recognize! The second annual festival kicks off this Saturday (9/15) at 11:00 am and runs until 7:00 pm.  Cultivate is an amazing, eye-opening festival (only in Chicago & Denver) focused on farm to table food, locally sourced products, farmers, famous chefs and they have a craft beer tent and great music.  Mayer Hawthorne headlined last year and G. Love & Special Sauce is headlining this year - and did I mention that it's FREE admission?!  That's right, you only need to pay for the food & drink you consume and the products you buy - the music & experience are free.

The festival also holds a special place in my heart because my Aunt & Uncle's Popcorn - Tiny But Mighty Popcorn - will yet again have a booth showcasing their amazing product.  Now, I know it could easily seem that I am just biased, but after learning about the product and consuming it for many, many years I can honestly say I would support it regardless of who was growing and selling it, because it is that AMAZING!!!  However, I am incredibly lucky enough that the popcorn is a product planted, grown, packaged & produced all by my amazing Aunt Lynn & Uncle Gene Mealhow.  I couldn't be happier for them and their hard work & dedication over the last decade+ is really starting to pay off!

You can read more about their full story here on their website.

2011 Cultivate Festival: me, Uncle/Farmer Gene, my sister Abbey

Some facts about Tiny But Mighty Popcorn:

• The popcorn is virtually hull-less - the hull (shell) of each kernel is cooked away during the popping process, making it easier to chew & digest than other popcorn brands
• Because it's easier to digest, it is highly recommended for popcorn lovers who are older or who suffer from diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel syndrome, Crohn’s Disease and other digestive symptoms
• The corn plant itself reaches a height of around three feet & the ears are typically 3-4 inches long, each loaded with tiny kernels about half the size of kernels in regular popcorn
• Commercial popcorn has been bred to pop a large-sized kernel with not much flavor, forcing the genetically modified corn to rely on additional flavoring such as artificial butters, flavored salts and over-buttering or over-salting
• Tiny But Mighty Popcorn is naturally a smaller, denser kernel and therefore a more concentrated flavor that reduces the need for butter, salt and other additions

Fully grown TBM corn varieties

Tiny But Mighty Popcorn keeps expanding (good news for all of us) and you can now find it in many stores in several states.  To see all locations where the product is sold visit the "Where to Buy" page on TBM's website; however, I've listed the Whole Foods suppliers in Illinois for you below.

Illinois Whole Foods - Where you can buy Tiny But Mighty:

Gold Coast	Lakeview	Lincoln Park
Deerfield	Evanston North	Evanston South
Halsted	Hinsdale	Naperville
Northbrook	Palatine	River Forest
Sauganash	Schaumburg	South Loop
Wheaton	Willowbrook

Look for both the original un-popped bags as well as the NEW pre-popped flavors of Sea Salt and White Cheddar - both are delicious!!

New Sea Salt & White Cheddar pre-popped TBM

Original un-popped TBM

My adorable Aunt Lynn at a demo - look for her on Saturday at the Fest!

I'll be working the Tiny But Mighty booth in the Artisans' Hall Tent with Lynn & Farmer Gene for most of the day at Cultivate Fest so stop on by to say hello, try a sample & get yourself some delicious popcorn to take home! It's a fantastic way to kick off the fall season - Cheers!

Passed this on my run yesterday - getting all set-up!