Eat from your neighbor’s yard
Today, articles about why buying local is important seem to
saturate the media. From newspapers to magazines to news on the
internet, journalists are covering this popular trend. It is very
important and exciting to see that mainstream media has caught on
to covering this topic, and as a result, more people are finding
ways to support local businesses.
Eat from your neighbor’s yard
Today, articles about why buying local is important seem to saturate the media. From newspapers to magazines to news on the internet, journalists are covering this popular trend. It is very important and exciting to see that mainstream media has caught on to covering this topic, and as a result, more people are finding ways to support local businesses.
Often, though, the pieces I have read leave me with the same question: but why?
Why is it important to know who grew your food?
And even more important, why is it important to know how your food is grown?
While the basic message is starting to catch on, the next step is to explain why getting your food from a local producer is important for the environment, for your local economy, and most importantly, your health.
Here are some important reasons why you might want to consider buying your food locally:
You will protect the environment.
Food travels an average of 1,300 miles from farm to table, depleting its nutritional value and using precious fossil fuels. (Statistic courtesy of www.foodroutes.org)
With all of the concern about global warming in the media, the one recommendation about how you can help stated time and again is to buy a more fuel efficient car. That is important, but there are other important ways, too. Next time you go to buy a head of lettuce, for example, consider how far it has traveled, and how much gas that took to get to you. Why choose that lettuce, when you can take a little extra time to get one that is grown a few miles from your house?
Just like buying a more fuel-efficient car, you might also consider buying more fuel-efficient food. This head of lettuce might seem like a very minor purchase, so you might wonder what difference it will make. Consider if every resident in your town alone chose to buy their lettuce locally. That number would certainly add up.
Since we live in a region that produces a wealth of food that can satisfy all dietary needs, why not take advantage of it and, at the same time, save gas?
You Will Support Your Local Economy. In more rural regions, like ours, supporting local businesses is crucial to keeping your town buzzing.
You will support endangered family farms.
These days, small family farms struggle to stay in the market place because larger, corporate operations can offer more products at a lower price. Your buying directly from a local farm will not only help their business stay alive, but you will pay a lesser price for higher quality food.
You will safeguard your family’s health.
Knowing where your food comes from and who grows it is essential to ensuring healthy food choices for your family, especially because this will connect you to the person who grew it, giving you the opportunity to learn how their growing techniques are beneficial to you and the environment. Once food is harvested, the nutrients begin depleting, and therefore it won’t taste as good either, making it less enjoyable to eat. Go directly to the source and you will find a much fresher, more delicious product. As a result, you will want to eat more. The farmer could probably even tell you when it was picked!
One of my favorite local discoveries came last Spring when Kim Windsor, of Windsor Family Farm, contacted me about the possibility of selling her eggs to my customers. I jumped at the chance to visit the Windsors’ farm and learn about their operation. If I could share this local food experience with my customers, I would love to.
Tucked against the eastern hills of San Martin, I immediately envied the four children that ran around the farm petting the goats and feeding the chickens. There were rabbits, too, and even a lamb. All of the animals were beautiful and plump and looked so happy. Who could blame them?
Kim gave me a few dozen eggs to try and I was impressed by the array of colored shells that lined the carton. I was reminded of Easter without the dye! It turns out, she raises three varieties of chickens, and each lays a different color egg. Kim even writes on one of the eggs in pencil when they are laid so you know just how fresh they are.
Windsor Family Farm does not pay to be certified organic but the chickens are free-range and fed the traditional ‘organic’ diet. They are so “free-range,” I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it in the house at dinner time on occasion!
Their eggs are much heartier and the flavor is wonderful – incomparable to your average egg in the grocery store. Eggs found in supermarkets can be laid up to a month before reaching the shelf. Getting to know Kim enables me to:
– Know that these eggs were laid no longer than a week before I purchased them, and therefore gives me more beta-carotene in my diet.
– Support a local operation which means less gas was used to get food to my plate.
– Give the local economy a boost by supporting her small business.
Here are a couple of my favorite ways to eat eggs:
Boiled Eggs
Bring a pot of water to a boiling point. Once water is boiling, turn the heat off completely, and insert eggs in the water. Cover and leave for 15 minutes. Then, remove from water. Let cool before shelling.
Enjoy for breakfast with toast or sliced on a salad.
Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables and Feta Cheese
Saute any of your favorite vegetables, then add a few scrambled eggs to the mix. Top with feta cheese. This makes a great hearty breakfast or lunch. One of my favorite vegetable combinations is: Red potatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and chard.
