Go Local - Indy Area

Last Sunday I visited Cuppy's Coffee in the Hamilton Town Center in Noblesville, IN. (13170 Harrell Pkwy, Noblesville, IN 317-770-9386)

I met the owner, Roy, who gave me a tour and some details about the business.

Is this a local business?

Yes, Although Cuppy's started as a franchise, each is owned and operated separately now as the franchise has dissolved.

What makes your store unique?
We not only are a local store but support other local business including Harvest Cafe Roasters and The Classic Cheesecake Company.

We also have featured live music on Thursday nights.

The shop is centrally located - we have indoor and outdoor seating. The shop is next to the main children's play area.

What foods do you serve?
Coffee, Fine Teas, Smoothies, Artisan Gelato (Italian Ice cream), Gourmet Desserts, Breakfast and Lunch (Catering Available)

What are your specialties?

We serve high quality food. Our artisan gelato is lower in sugar than ice cream and is hormone free, and flavors are rotated.

Our espresso is not a Seattle blend but Italian. We do french press and customized coffee blends.

Customer picks:
(Sue) iced coffee, Turkish roast Gelato
(Yolanda) Mango Sorbet, Carmel Mocha
(Me) Strawberry Smoothie


Let me know if you know a small business that you would like featured in an upcoming spotlight (looking for other parts of the nation as well).
(ARobinson photo)

Fresh produce to your door

(great ideas from Jodi and Sara)

Maybe gardening (see last week's posts) isn't your thing. You can support local food in your area by buying shares in local farm products (CSA's). Healthier and cost effective all at the same time!



Upland, IN's Victory Acres has an added justice component where they share Christ's love with the homeless, troubled teens, and struggling families. They also have Indy drop off locations.




For all you Indy locals, Farm Fresh Delivery is a great way to get (mostly) local produce delivered to you year round. It is pretty cost effective and yummy.

Plant a row for the hungry...

Plant a row for the hungry is a great start on sharing home grown produce. Their website is actually the Garden Writer's Association. When I need further gardening help - these guys are the experts. They have a national campaign to give back by encouraging gardeners to plant an extra row for the hungry.




Don't know what to plant? Find a listing of your local food pantries to see what items are needed and their procedures for accepting donations.

The best food pantry websites are found by searching your local area.

Here's info for all you fellow Hoosiers about local Indiana food pantries and local food rescue.

Indiana's Food for the Hungry Web Site
Midwest Food Bank
Food Rescue
Third Phase


Are you planting something this spring? Send me pictures and your story and I will post some on the blog.

Happy planting!

Question of the week...gardening tips

Do you have any gardening tips for newbies?

Do you have a gardening question of your own?

Garden for Good

Fresh, healthy, sustainable, and local food might seem an unlikely justice issue. But unbalanced food production cycles directly contribute to the hunger and poverty in our world.

What if you could save your family $ on your groceries and have some to share with local food pantries that desperately need fresh produce?

March is a great month to start indoor seeds for a garden. In the past I have struggled with my garden. Not too much space, lack of equipment, and badly timed plantings.

Yesterday I sat down with a new friend Sara, who helped sort things out.

Time to begin seeds indoor for the garden? Now
How do I start to plan out my garden? Visit Square foot gardening to find out.
I only have a small space? That's OK
Do I need large equipment for a small garden? No

Websites to visit:
Seeds of change
Baker's Heirloom Seeds
Grace Garden
Square foot gardening

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....and more results

Laundry Soap
Best
Ecos Ultra Concentrated - 8.8
Wisk Laundry Detergent - 8.1D
All Ultra Laundry Detergent - 8.1D
Surf Detergent with Active Oxygen 8.1D
Citra Solv Citra Suds 7.4

Worst
Xtra All temperature 2.2
Delicare Fabric Wash 2.2
Arm and Hammer Heavy Duty 2.2
Xtra Mountain Rain 2.2
Clorox Bleach 2.7D

Dish Soap
Best
Citra Solv Dish Natural 7.4
BabyGamics Foaming Dish Soap 7.2

Worst
Palmolive Ultra, Dry Skin with Aloe 3.6D

Liquid Hand Soap
Best
Tom's of Maine Liquid Glycerin 9.5D
Dr. Bronner's Magic 18-in-1 9.1D
EO Hand Soap Rosemary 8.2

Worst
CVS Antibacterial Melon 3.3
Walgreens Antibacterial Liquid 3.5

(D or R denotes companies that support mainly the Democratic or Republican parties)

mercyrising does not support or endorse any products. Please check goodguide.com for more information.

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Better World Shopping Guide

A better shopping guide from your I-POD?

Pretty brilliant! You can also purchase the book guide - which is super user friendly.

Just look up an item (like chocolate) and see which companies get good ratings for things like business ethics, worker compensation, etc.

Go to betterworldshopper.org to check out the ratings, download a guide, and see who made the top ten list of offensive companies.

The guide is continually updated so the website is a great way to check out the lastest scoop.