Start eating local and build a community

Eating local… what the heck do I mean, how do you start and why should you care? Well I can’t answer all those questions in one sitting but I will answer them eventually. So this week’s green story is actually going to be two or three stories over the next few weeks. I do promise that by the end of this you will know how to eat local and have fun doing it.

Let’s get to it: what does eating local mean? No, it does not mean going to the local Wendy’s, BK, McDonald’s or any other fast food chain.

I can give you a formal definition. According to wikipedia.org, the local food movement is a “collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies — one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place and is considered to be a part of the broader sustainability movement. It is part of the concept of local purchasing and local economies, a preference to buy locally produced goods and services.”

That might be a bit too much to digest, but what it really means is finding local farmers, bakers and butchers.

Eating local is more than just a movement by hippies or “crazy” environmentalists; it can change our world and make it a better place.

Every time you go to the store and buy something, start reading where it comes from and you will soon notice how much of the food you buy travels hundreds — if not thousands — of miles before it ends up on the shelf of the grocery store. Think about how much money it costs to ship that food.

What if we couldn’t ship fruit, meat and tons of other products from Mexico and other places from around the world? What happens when it becomes too expensive? What would we do? Think about how much it costs to fill up your own car and take a trip.

Gas prices are rising, and who pays for that cost of shipping? We do. If we couldn’t ship food we would be in big trouble because global shipping has killed many small farms. I know it’s really hard to stop buying everything that gets shipped, but we do have ways to make a difference and start spreading the message of eating locally.

Eating locally supports local farmers, keeps that money in our local area and builds a stronger community. By seeking out local farmers, bakers, farmers markets and butchers you will start reducing your carbon footprint and making your community stronger because you are supporting local business. Plus it is better for you because you will know what that farmer feeds the animals and how they grow their plants. It also ends up saving you money. I have gone in with my friends to buy meat from local farmers and it is a great deal. Once I got a quarter of a lamb that coast me $50. It provided more than six different dinners including a leg of lamb, lamb chops and ground lamb. If my family of three went out and we all had leg of lamb dinners, the bill would have been way over that cost for just one meal. With one leg of lamb we had a dinner party and still had leftovers. You really can’t beat the cost and it was the best lamb I have ever had. 

I found a lot of “Top 10 reasons to eat local” and if you want to find them all just google that but I did pick one that (I think) sums it up really good. Top 10 Reasons to Buy From a Local Farm from myfathersfarm.org:

1. Locally grown food tastes better
Food grown in the Treasure Valley was probably picked within the last day or two and is crisp, sweet, and loaded with flavor. Produce flown or trucked in from California, Mexico, China or New Zealand is much older and possibly picked green and gassed to coax ripening. We are lucky in Texas to have a staggering diversity of diversify vegetable, fruits, range fed poultry at My Father’s Farm farms, by winter 2009 will be offering grass-fed beef and a lot more cominng.

2. Local produce is better for you
Fresh produce loses nutrients quickly, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality. Buying local lets you get food that is at the peak of flavor and nutritional value. Our bodies naturally crave seasonal crops, requiring more hearty potatoes and cabbages when weather turns colder, and lighter salad greens and cucumbers when it is warmer. Shopping locally tunes you in with the seasons.

3. Local Food Preserves Genetic Diversity
The modern industrial food system favors varieties with thick skins that can survive packing and shipping, leaving little variety. Family farmers place value on different things, like choosing varieties that are uniquely suited to the Texas Market, often favoring heirloom varieties that have been passed down from generation to generation. Old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.

4. Local food is Genetically Modified Organism Free
A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on gmo food - most so that they can avoid it. Biotech companies currently only license gmo fruits and vegetables to large commercial growers, which means that local farmers will guarantee a non-gmo source.

5. Local food supports local farming families
We need to support talented and hardworking farm families from disappearing, as each 5 year agricultural census shows they are - less than 2% of the population is currently a farming family. A typical farmer gets paid 10 cents of the retail food dollar, but buying directly from the producer or conscientious retailer keeps more $ in their pocket and their family on the land.

6. Local food builds community
Chat with Farmer Pedro or Dayana discuss heirloom or different varieties - it’s a great connection for eater and grower. Knowing farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the accessible miracle of raising food. 

7. Local food preserves open space
When more people put their dollars into the pockets of farmers and show that their work is valuable, farmland becomes less likely to be developed. We face enormous pressures in Texas with a high migration rate, putting our area at particular risk. 

8. Local Food benefits wildlife
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, herons, bats, rabbits, and eagles.

9. Local food supports a clean environment
If recent air quality alerts are any indication, land-use in our area may not always be in our collective best interest. My Father’s Farm however, is a place where resources like fertile soil, clean water and pollution free air are valued. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage can sequester 12-14 % of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry.

10. Local food is about the future
By supporting My Father’s Farm today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in our community tomorrow, and that future generations will enjoy all the , heirloom potatoes, tomatoes kale, eggs, strawberries, watermelon, pasture raised poultry, grass fed dairy & beef and more that this region has to offer.

I know this going green was a little heavy but next week I’m focusing on local places and business that are going green with local food and how to find them. Oh, and if you are a local business farmer, baker, butcher or restaurant and you use local food or can supply local food, send me an email at christyseyler@funcoast.com.

If you wan to read more on eating local here are some links that I found helpful:

Environmental Cost of Shipping Groceries Around the World

How To Eat Locally

Think global, eat local