post off: do you buy food locally?
Though it’s not a new idea by any means, the local foods movement is gaining momentum. We’ve posted before about joining community supported agriculture programs, and here in New York, our grocery delivery service has been promoting nearby farms with special shopping sections and discounts for buying locally. I’ve also had my eye on the Local Foods Wheel for the region. Available for the San Francisco Bay Area, the New York Metro Area and most recently the Upper Midwest, the wheel is an illustrated guide that details foods that are grown locally by peak season, so you can tailor your local buying to your taste. As a resident of a congested city it’s hard to know where my food originates, but these incentives have inspired me put more thought into the issue. What about you? Do you buy with local farms in mind? – Sarah C.
Each wheel is available for purchase on the site for $12.95, or you can also find yours locally (of course!) by consulting the “Places to buy†section on each region’s page.
I buy food locally but I don’t always buy “local food”.
When we can, yes. Kentucky started a “Kentucky Proud” program several years ago. Groceries display the signs on produce, packaged goods and meats so it makes it easier to shop better. But I’ll never give up my bananas : )
We do the best we can. We get all of our eggs from a local farmer, produce from our garden and from the farmer’s market, and we do have a co-op from which we buy meat from area farmers. We also sometimes buy our milk from a local farmer. We do the best we can, but unfortunately, our grocery stores haven’t caught on to the local trend yet, so when we have to run into the store, we aren’t left with much choice.
When we can, we joined a csa and supplement with farmers markets, but it’s not always easy or convenient.
I’ve been trying to do this more, going to our copious farmers markets around town. Especially for eggs, with the recent reports on what the egg farms with salmonella were like. I am willing to pay $3.50 for a carton of eggs just to know that it wasn’t farmed by miserable, sick animals crowded into unimaginable filth. (I really should just start keeping chickens.)
A friend of mine just watched Food, Inc. and says it really opened her eyes/freaked her out. I have a suspicion it will turn me back to vegetarianism if I watch it too.
One more note — even being able to discuss these things remind us how privileged we are. So many people wouldn’t have access to locally grown food even if they wanted it.