Eat Local Challenge: Q & A

In a post below, Lynne had the following comment and question:

This sounds like a really interesting challenge, but I'm in the Boston area, where the local farmers' markets won't start until Memorial Day at the very earliest, and mid-June more often. (Currently, I get organic fruits and veggies delivered through Boston Organics, but since that's a year-round service, they can't really keep it local during our long winter.) How do you go about finding out who makes what locally when the ultimate source of local produce isn't open for the season yet?

I think this question is worthy of its' own post because it affects so many people.

First of all, there is nothing saying that your Eat Local Challenge month has to be in May.  You could decide that, especially for your first time taking the challenge, May is going to be too difficult in your area.  You could set up an individual or group challenge in a different month.  I already know of some people from Canada who are going to be taking the challenge in August and writing about it on EatLocalChallenge.com.

If you decide that you want to take the challenge in May, where do you start?

1) Check out LocalHarvest.org.  They will show farms and food producers in your area that you may not know about.  Call those farms up and see where you can get their products.

2) Start asking at your stores.  Check with Whole Foods.  Ask them to show you what in their store is produced within a 100-mile radius.  Even if their answer is "nothing", you have learned something and made your voice heard with them. 

3) Look for local co-ops.  Co-ops will have a great idea of what's available, and will be more malleable than a big corporation like Whole Foods.  The idea of eating local is a fairly hot topic right now, so they may already have some ideas for you.

I'll keep thinking of other options for you, and hope that others will chime in as well.

Comments

[Jasmine]

sustainabletable.com has these cute note cards you can print up that have "I care where my food comes from". They also have some great links and a search tool (the eat well guide) that gives restaurants, groceries, organizations and farmers. It is worth checking out in addition to local harvest although local is not their only criteria.

[Marc]

For bloggers in cold climates like Boston, it might be interesting for you to write about some strategies you could use to eat more local foods. For example, posts about pickling, freezing, canning or drying the summer bounty of local farms. Or, perhaps, essays about gardening experiences with tips for the agriculturally clueless (like me).

[Reb]

Hiya. Do you know the URL for the organization that prepares meals on-site at a local farm? I forget the name right now. You might be able to do something in conjunction with them.

[Dave]

It's great that you ask retail store managers about local produce. I have worked for many years in retailing and supermarkets. To create real change also bring your concerns politely and consistently to the corporate office as well as to your retail manager. Often times the retail manager must carry the items s/he is told to carry. Making your voice heard at both levels is therefore important. When you see that the store has made the changes you want, remember to thank them, support them,and contact them to let them know that you are buying the items.

[Dave]

Remember,too, that it may take time for the changes you want in products carried to be implemented.

[shuna]

I like Dave's idea. I use to be the "customer comment answerer" at Whole Foods in the bakery dept and I leared a lot from what customers were asking of us!

Also if you have restaurants in your area who support local agriculture when it's in season, (the new chefs on Nantucket's Staight Wharf are going to be asking some gardners/farmers to grow for the kitchen...), talking to them personally might mean finding farmers who might only sell to restaurants and not the public.

[Marc]

Jen,
Do you, or other readers, know of a public domain mapping program that would let me create a postable map showing the sources of my food during ELC-06?

[Tana Butler]

"Do you know the URL for the organization that prepares meals on-site at a local farm? I forget the name right now. You might be able to do something in conjunction with them."

That would be Outstanding in the Field, and they would not be able to help you. (I worked with them for five years as staff photographer. They won't have the answers.)

"Jen,
Do you, or other readers, know of a public domain mapping program that would let me create a postable map showing the sources of my food during ELC-06?"

Use Platial Maps: I created one myself that will have done a lot of work for you already, if you're buying from the same farms I am. It's called Chefs & Farms: I built it to highlight farms and the restaurants who support them directly. So far it's mostly SF Bay area, but I intend to add points all over the world.

[Ivonne]

Great tips, Jen. It's funny because I've been worrying about the same issue. Here in Ontario we will have limited local produce. But that doesn't mean we don't have cheese, meat etc. As well it's an opportinity to check out local purveyors that I haven't ever visited before.

I'm very excited!

[VI]

Great question/post and comments!

There are, I believe, 2 ways to address the question, and to a certain extent, both have been mentioned above. First, you have to change the way you approach eating. Second, you just need to try a bit harder to find things.

We have been trained (I think) into a mindset that teaches of the "fresh" of something is always the better, and we have also been trained to expect to eat what ever we want whenever we want. Take a look at the inventory of your Whole Foods. On the other hand, ask yourself, can I eat canned peaches (if I canned them myself) or frozen garden vegetables or dried fruit? Moreover, can I live on apples for many months.

Now, there are local things out there if you pay attention. For instance, today I bought a 5 lb bag of Michigan appples and a 25 lb bag of Wisconsin potatoes (I live near Chicago). Search out, especially for items that are keepers/winter crops, etc. You may be surprised what you will find. Again, it may seem limiting in your menu planning, but there is stuff.