As I tend to wear my obsessions on my sleeve (most of you remember my penchant for a particular band in college), it is probably quite obvious that local, pesticide-free foods are one of them. I’m into a lot of things about them, particularly how they are healthy for us, the farmers, the earth, and the local economy- Basically the opposite of all that is corporate, huge, faceless, greedy, and without regard for our physical and environmental health.
Since living here, we have formed good relationships with two local farmers who have given more to our quality of lives than can be expressed in words. Saturday, Greg, Geneva, and I went to one of the farms to pick carrots, kale, beets, turnips, lettuce, and broccoli rab. Sunday, the majority of our harvest went into the food processor to become what is now individual servings of baby food. Like I told Greg yesterday, LOVE (for me at least) is scrubbing every centimeter of each individual carrot rather than just peel them so that G Baby can get the most potent dose of vitamins (sans dirt).
In an age where farming is predominately large-scale, corporate, and impersonal, we don’t often think it is possible to interface with such healthy abundance. The website www.localharvest.org is how I located these two farmers in our area. All you have to do is type in your zip code or city name. And yes, there are even local farms in southern IN and southern IL and I’ve done the search for you (so, just click here)!
Here is a picture of my beautifully scrubbed carrots.
And, included here are the 10 Reasons to Buy Local Food:
10 Reasons to Buy Local Food
1. Locally grown food tastes better.
Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Produce flown or trucked in from California, Florida, Chile or Holland is, quite understandably, much older. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.
2. Local produce is better for you.
A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity.
In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good. These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.
4. Buying local promotes energy conservation.
Buying locally-grown foods decreases dependence on petroleum, a non-renewable energy source. One-fifth of all petroleum used in the United States is used in agriculture. Remember, the average distance food travels in distribution is 1,500 miles. By buying local, you can conserve the majority of energy used in shipping.
5. Local food supports local farm families.
With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.
6. Local food builds community.
When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.
7. Local food preserves open space.
As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.
8. Local food keeps your taxes in check.
Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 0.34 cents on services.
9. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.
A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry. In addition, the habitat of a farm - the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, killdeer, herons, bats, and rabbits.
10. Local food is about the future.
By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food. And when you make this choice, you cannot help but raise the consciousness of your friends and family.
Adapted from Growing for Market's "10 Reasons to Buy Local Food" (2001)
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