BlogHer - Buy Local Food - It Pays More Than Once - Comments

A good salmon option

paulag01 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:37:31 -0500

Thanks for all the great comments & stories. I am pretty passionate about the food topic! I saw a documentary on Sundance on Chinese Tea. It was long & involved but what was interesting is this guy showed how conventional and chemical based growing methods literally kill the soil. You can tell the health of a soil by the presence of copious amounts of worms (aka "life"). And of course that translates directly to the healthiness of your food.

While certainly not local, I have found a sustainable and wild source of salmon in Vital Choice www.vitalchoice.com I have been using them for a year plus and been VERY happy. At first glance it may seem really expensive, but I have to say, the 2 of us will take 2, 6oz salmon fillets. In the past I'd look at that size & think - you're kidding, that's not "enough". Well, it is SO satisfying that we literally end up with a leftover. That means we're actually eating & enjoying the recommended 4oz serving and feeling totally satiated. Quality does matter.

Paula Gregorowicz
The Paula G Company

www.thepaulagcompany.com
www.coaching4lesbians.com

So important

Candelaria Silva — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:10:09 -0500

I am sucking it up and figuring out ways to buy local. I'm too late for CSA this year but am signing up to be on the list for next summer.

Thanks for the suggestions. Reading The Ominvore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food have made me even more concerned about what I eat because it's not longer a matter of eating veggies and using olive and canola oil, etc., it's knowing where your food comes from and eating things in season.

After an article in the paper today, salmon is pretty much off my list.

Oy vey!

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

Get even more local

Themommylife — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:02:18 -0500

I absolutely agree your post is all too true with the increasing food prices and contamination scares. I consider myself lucky that we have a number of farmer's markets to choose from within our small city in the middle of VA. I too have noticed different prices for different venues. It is so nice to speak to the person who is growing your food and ask questions. They often have great recipe suggestions as well.

One way I've been trying to save money, reduce my carbon footprint and have great veggies is to grow my own. I don't have a large garden, but its enough space for a couple of tomato plants, a pepper plant a cucumber and an eggplant. I've done this successfully in containers as well for those without the luxury of a yard. They really require very little tending.

The Mommy Life www.TheMommyLifestyle.blogspot.com

In Australia, I still

kazari — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:58:58 -0500

In Australia, I still haven't found a CSA near us - in fact, via google, I can only find one in Brisbane : (

But on the other hand, we have a great local farmer's market (local, in typical Australian fashion, is defined as within 100km or so. with extra leeway for the fishermen from Bateman's Bay).

I think I have a recipe for that...

Good information

paulag01 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:44:53 -0500

Thanks for the lively discussion!

Interesting points Alanna - it is true, some of the groceries can be local. We have a nice local one here that is smaller and locally owned. I try to go to that one vs the biggies as they seem to take more care with what they offer. That being said, it would be swell if they offered more locally grown stuff vs shipped in. We live within 20 miles of a bunch of farms. Perhaps it isn't feasible, not sure...

Farmers are businesspeople too... the fixed costs of booths, etc certainly play a part. The local farmer's markets simply draw more people to 1 place vs driving here for produce, there for dairy, another place for poultry, another yet for beef.. you get the picture.

Paula Gregorowicz
The Paula G Company

www.thepaulagcompany.com
www.coaching4lesbians.com

Excellent point --

Alanna Kellogg — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:30:28 -0500

-- perhaps one that's not emphasized enough. A couple of points I've noticed while watching/shopping farmers markets for as long as I remember.

> The farmers often drive 100-200 miles to get to a city market with enough population to sell their good at prices that make the trip worthwhile. So the dollars might stay "in state" or "nearby" but they're not necessarily entirely local.

> Because the farmers can get 4x the revenue by driving to the city, it makes fresh produce REALLY hard to find in small rural towns.

>Who owns your local grocery stores? It's worth thinking about. In St. Louis, three of the four largest chains are locally and privately owned - they're still family businesses. They may be "big" but they're still local.

> Because I shop several markets, I've become quite aware how the same farmers will charge different prices at different markets. When I ask, there are two factors. One is the price of admission at the market, the booth fee. The other is outright potential: in communities with higher average incomes, the prices are higher because the market will bear it.

> Local Harvest is a great way to learn about nearby local resources.

PS I'd love for this post to be cross-linked to Food & Drink!

Alanna Kellogg
Kitchen Parade &
A Veggie Venture

It's easier than most people think...and cheaper

froggemom — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:07:54 -0500

We are very lucky becauye we live within blocks of a local and sustainable foods market. Make that super lucky. We can get all our produce, dairy, meats and even pantry items through one place. Sure, some of the stuff is pricey, but it makes up for expense in taste, quality, and feel-good factor. Plus, we just eat less meat and dairy than we used too and get more veggies and fruit in our diets. And actually we probably eat a little less because we just don't have tons of food in the house.

I still have to make trips to the grocery store, but its really for things like kitty litter and soap.

Living in a large metropolitan area that is surrounded by farms makes this easy for us in southeast PA, but I think with some effort and conviction more people could eat local.

Also the Resistance Factor

paulag01 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:57:54 -0500

Unfortunately things are set up to make it more convenient and perceived cheaper to just buy whatever in the local big bulk store. And the key with anything - and I know this as a person and a coach -- people need to have a desire and a willingness to do something different.

That being said - it would be great if it were more readily available to all. Thanks for sharing the additional link as well. I know there are some great farmers markets in the city as well (having stumbled across one once in Union Square while in the city on business).

Paula Gregorowicz
The Paula G Company

www.thepaulagcompany.com
www.coaching4lesbians.com

How to make local accessible to all?

AdrianaWA — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:50:48 -0500

Paula, I completely agree and try to buy local as often as possible! I shop at the farmer's market here in Brooklyn and we belong to a food coop in our neighborhood.

I'm troubled that for too many people in Brooklyn (and elsewhere) buying local is tough. Local foods usually cost more than conventional and are difficult to find. in some neighborhoods in this borough, it's hard to find produce period!

Organizations like East New York Farms (http://eastnewyorkfarms.vox.com/) are trying to change this. I think it's important that as we continue to buy local foods for ourselves we find way to help our families and neighbors make similar healthy choices!

Buy Local Food - It Pays More Than Once

paulag01 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:14:07 -0500

With the cost of gas prices sky high and random contaminated food scares making the rounds regularly, it just might pay to buy local now more than it ever has. When you buy from local farmers and merchants your dollar stretches farther, you reduce your carbon footprint, and you keep your neighbors (relatively speaking) in business. Now, to me, that is ROI. And, the fact that it is summer for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere it is the easiest time of the year to do so.

My entire view of the food system shifted when I read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" a year or so again. It contines to shift as I read "In Defense of Food" and starting watching some quality documentaries and talking to local growers.

That is why I just have to laugh when last year's spinach crisis resulted in colleagues saying at lunch "You're not eating spinach are you???" as if I were eating something from a Survivor challenge. I could confidently look them in the eye and say, "Of course! I bought it from the organic farmer down the street and am confident it does not suffer from these huge unknowns as the industrial sold version.

Heidi Tunnell states the case well in her post (with the big honking picture of a tomato) "Now Will You Eat Local Food?":

If the latest report doesn’t scare everyone into eating strictly local food I’m not quite sure what would. They are now saying they STILL don’t know where the salmonella outbreak came from. Could be onions, cilantro, jalapeños, or maybe they still just don’t really know- Yeah, that’s comforting.

So, buy local or grow your own! Then you don’t have to worry and start throwing stuff out of your cupboards each time there is an outbreak in our messed up food system.

You might think that you don't have the time or money to buy almost entirely local. After all, who has time to go to the grocery for non-perishables and then farm hop to get the rest? Goodness knows sometimes I feel like I'm hopping here and there, but I've streamlined. Consider Story Girl's approach in "Why I love CSA":

I recently signed up for a share in a CSA, which stands for Community supported Agriculture. For a seasonal subscription fee, I get a basket every week of fresh, naturally grown vegetables from a local farm. The contents of the basket change week to week based on what's coming up at the time.

She goes on to state four great reasons why she loves CSA. Here's one I particularly like:

2. Better food. The produce I get is organically grown and locally produced. I know this because I've seen it. It's also in my hand within 4 days of when it comes off the plant. This is the absolute best way to maximize the nutritional content of my vegetables (thus making me healthier, one say it saves money) and also the taste - oh my the taste. Tomato basil salad is practically a spiritual experience.

Amen to that! Taste a local farm vegetable side by side with one from a store. No comparison. When I read in "In Defense of Food" that today you'd need to eat 3 apples to match the nutrition in 1 apple grown in 1940 I almost had an episode. At first glance you might think it is more expensive to buy local or organic - it is a total myth. Nutrient for nutrient you actually save money.

Now, you might think -- but I live in an urban jungle! How could I ever find this stuff? Well Niki at Super Forest gives three great tips for New Yorkers in "Organic vs. Local Food Debate Take 2" (it doesn't get more urban than that) and I'm sure these ideas can be applied to any urban area:

Ok...so if it seems too hard to get to your local green market every week, here are 3 ways to get locally grown produce (and even local organic produce) into your kitchen, if you live in New York City:

1) Urban Organic: They are a home delivery service of strictly Organic produce that is 80% local.

2) CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

3) Good Ol' Fresh Direct: Fresh Direct, another food delivery service has a section dedicated to local produce, meat, fish, cheese and wine.

If you Google CSA you can find one for your state and locale.

Buying local is a little like thinking Fair Trade goods from other countries. When you buy direct you eliminate the middle man, support a local merchant, and reduce your carbon footprint. Not to mention you keep a local farm in business which means something pleasant to look at rather than yet another strip mall or housing development.

Deb Miller has this to say in "Reduce Your ECO-FOOTPRINT - Buy Local":

Think of it this way. A head of iceberg lettuce can be grown by a local farmer, then shipped 5,000km away to a processing plant where it is sold for it’s final destination to London England (yes this actually happens). When all the mileage in fossil fuels and wear and tear on our highway system and other eco-pollution is added up for this "perishable" food item, the expense we pay as taxpayers and global residents is far greater than the nutritional value of this almost all water food. When we could have just gone down the road to the local food shed on a Saturday morning and purchased the lettuce directly from the producer. If we purchased locally, this would eliminate the middle man (or middle men), giving farmers a better price for their product. It also eliminates certain global trade laws that allows Canada to purchase the same head of lettuce or other foods at a cheaper price from foreign distributors. Local farmers are then undercut with this surface level "inexpensive" (remember the fossil fuels?) produce which has caused many home-grown farm boys and girls to have to shut down their family farms.

This doesn't mean you'll never buy something at the grocery store. That is pretty darn unrealistic. You can grab out of seasons produce there as well as nonperishables. However, this summer is the perfect time to do something good for your body, wallet, and the environment by buying local. I have to tell you it feels darn good as well and when you interact with local folks it is friendlier too. I for one am basking in toddling out to my own garden and pulling some lettuce and chard "just in time" for my meal and making the farms and local market rounds. And the big myth buster I have to share is that it hasn't increased our food spend one bit. If anything it has reduced it some. Now that's a win-win all around.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses the way the want rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

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