Local foods: an introduction

Local food. In this world of global trade, what exactly does it mean? What is the importance of local foods in our daily lives? Local food is food grown within a radius-maybe 50, or even 100 miles, from home. “Local” today means more miles than in the past. With the decline in agricultural lands over the past 50 years, coupled with the ability to go farther, faster, it is easier and more necessary to travel farther for local foods. It might no longer be possible to find a cheese maker just down the road, but there are still a few scattered around. Many farms offer a variety of produce, eggs and local honey. Chickens, lamb, beef and pork are all raised by local farmers with meat sold directly to consumers. Honey and even minimally-processed products such as jams and syrups can all be found locally. Baked goods made with local produce- especially without the additives typically found in on supermarket shelves- are also a local food. A restaurant quiche made with local farm eggs, herbs and vegetables is a local food as well. Local foods are available seasonally, but that season is longer than many realize. Field crops here begin around late April and continue through frost. Some, such as kale, can be harvested through the snow! Others, like carrots, potatoes or onions store readily. Some meats are available year-round. While field tomatoes don’t ripen here in May, “season extension” techniques such as cold frame or greenhouse growing, or using row covers or high tunnels, extend the harvest a few extra weeks on either end of the season. Local foods can play a primary role in our diets, with just a little change in attitude. Good farming enhances quality, provides wildlife habitat and preserves vistas It also provides fresh, nutritious foods without cross-country transportation, which can be picked at the peak of freshness and sold the same day to neighbors, and which provide more variety and flavor than the trans-continental supermarket produce lining our supermarket shelves. Locally-grown crops are grown for taste, not shipping and packing ability. Tough skins travel well, but don’t taste good. Some foods, like raspberries, don’t store well at all. Chemicals to prolong shelf life may be in foods coming from afar. Not so at the local farm. Local berries- or any other crops- are fresh-picked, not shipped, sold to the consumer within days- not weeks- of harvest. Biodiversity is an important concept in local farming. Commercial agriculture has given us icebox tomatoes and iceberg lettuce, but local farmers still give us heirloom varieties like the purple Cherokee tomato, and endless varieties of lettuce. Local livestock farmers grow heritage breeds, which have become more endangered as large industrial farming has bred animals for quick growth, calm dispositions and the right amount of fat in their meat, rather than for their unique characteristics. Numerous farms, with on-site stands or pick-your-own offerings, dot the landscape. Many farmers use natural growing techniques, such as biodynamic or organic methods, where no chemical inputs are used. Some sell food shares to subscribers- commonly known as CSA’s- while some sell at farmers’ markets or roadside stands. Many farmers sell to area restaurants as well. The key to finding local foods is to stop- at the stand, the farm, or the farmers’ market- and to purchase directly from the grower. Ask if the food is locally grown, where, by whom and even how it was grown, and get to know local growers. While it isn’t “one-stop shopping” or “open 24 hours” at the local farm, farmers are mindful of ways to make their products more accessible. Farmers’ markets bring many diverse farmers into one area for convenience, and farmers offer web sites and even online ordering. Consumers, however, have to also learn that buying local isn’t meant to be mechanized or impersonal like supermarket shopping. Instead of spending Saturday morning at the supermarket, try visiting the farmers’ market or one or two nearby farm stands. Visit the Foodshed Alliance online at www.foodshedalliance.org Or call 908-362-7967 to start your journey to local foods today.