Life After the Farmers Market

Thursday, November 13, 2008

My local farmers market came to a close last week, and Monday was my first day buying everything from the supermarket since June. I went in with an open mind, but that was shot down by the first item on my list. The Green Pepper:

(photo courtesy of e g g)

I was impressed that my local true Whole Foods (there are others that were previously smaller supermarkets acquired by Whole Foods, such as Wild Oats) labeled all of the produce as either organic or conventional, along with where it was grown.

Sadly, the green pepper I needed for my recipe came from Georgia. Sigh. And, was NOT organic. Next time, I'll come prepared with backup recipes.

And although I've always enjoyed supermarket peppers, a whole summer of eating locally grown ones seems to have spoiled me. It looked just like the peppers I have been enjoying, but honestly, it tasted like...nothing.

I realize that if I work hard enough, I can find some local options here throughout the winter. That crummy green pepper might be all the inspiration I need...

Quinoa: Going Local During the Winter?

Thursday, November 6, 2008

My farmers market has ended, sadly. For weeks, I have been looking ahead, wondering how I will get local food throughout the winter. If I normally bike to the grocery store, does driving 15 minutes to a local farm negate the environmental benefits of buying locally?

Today, I was told that quinoa (a native peruvian "grain", supposedly one of the healthiest) is actually grown by White Mountain Farm right here in Colorado! I had eaten it back in May, in preparation for my trip to Peru this summer, and loved it! Of course, in Peru, it seemed to end up in just about every other meal. My previous two purchases of quinoa back here in the states: a box from Whole Foods, and the bulk bin from Whole Foods. It's EXTREMELY likely that both of these came from either Peru, Bolivia, or Ecuador, the primary worldwide suppliers.

(photo courtesy of FranUlloa)

Then it struck me. During the summer, roughly 80% of the food I ate came from the farmers market. I would only go to the store for a few additional items, mostly grains, spices, flours, and dairy (or psuedo dairy, like soymilk). Why not use the winter as a time to focus on finding local sources for those types of items? White Mountain Farm here I come!

Sadly, my bubble burst a little this evening, when I was reminded that supporting quinoa in Peru and Bolivia decreases their need to rely on the export of coca leaves, which are made into cocaine. Why must every decision be so complicated? I just want to do what is best for the planet!

Help me decide. Which would you do: buy local quinoa, or support responsible, non-drug crops in Peru?

Where Can I Find Local, Sustainable, Organic Foods?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Check out the Eat Well Guide. Just put in your zip code and how far you are willing to travel. Viola, you get:

• Co-Ops
  
• Farmers
  
• Farmers Markets
  
• Online Shopping (which seems like an odd category, since location seems irrelevant)
  
• Organizations
  
• Restaurants
  
• Stores

There are other ways to search as well, but the coolest is "Plan a Trip". Enter your driving directions, and it lists all of the local, sustainable, organic establishments along the route. What a great way to keep eating healthily on your road trip!

Take a quick look at this great resource. Did you find any new places near where you live?

Now You Can Avoid Food From Certain Countries Entirely!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Thanks to this article from ABC news for the tipoff, which informs us that producers will now be required to label each food with its country of origin. Initially this sounds like a giant leap for mankind, until you read the fine print. Sorry folks, the following foods are exempted:

• Processed foods
  
• Foods used as ingredients in other products
  

If that strikes you as insane, it's because it is. It unfortunately excludes just about everything at the supermarket -- all but the simplest produce items.

Think I'm overreacting? From the article:

For instance, lettuce must now be labeled, but salad mixes containing lettuce and carrots will not be. Raw shrimp requires a label but if the store adds spices, it then becomes unnecessary.

So now producers will just add extra ingredients to our foods, and avoid compliance. I mean, they will certainly be motivated to avoid the "up to $1,000" fines, right? The penalty, I should point out, is cheaper than the measures it would take to become compliant.

The largest joke of all is that the new laws are being enacted because of food safety concerns. This insanely implies:

• Bad food from a certain country condemns all other food from that country
  
• Food safety is directly related to place of origin (it is not, plenty of unsafe food is produced in the U.S. of A.)
  
• and worst of all: CONSUMERS DETERMINE THEIR OWN FOOD SAFETY BY GLANCING AT A TINY STICKER (because if the label says "China" and there had been a problem with food from China...wouldn't the food already be removed from the shelves before any customer had the chance to read the label?)

Now, obviously these new laws aren't entirely bad, but they do not go far enough. It's a good firstbaby step, but clearly if food safety is the real issue, then we need more advanced tracking information (not just a country of origin) so suppliers can specifically remove only the tainted food, and not everything from an entire country.

Where I do see this making an impact is in the locavore community. The labels will be a victory for people who are concerned about where their food comes from. Much of this crowd shops at places like Whole Foods, which does a great job of it already.

(photo courtesy of thegreenpages)

Promoting a Healthy Food Lifestyle: Cool Foods Campaign

Monday, September 29, 2008

Kudos to the Cool Foods Campaign who urges us all to "Take a Bite Out of Global Warming". Their goal, which eerily mirrors my own, is to "educate the public about the impact of their food choices across the entire food system and empower them with the resources to reduce this impact".



The Cool Foods Campaign pledge is listed below, with my comments in parentheses.

Top 5 Things You Can Do To Take A Bite Out of Global Warming

1. Eat Organic (However, be aware that local farmers often do not have the time & resources to become "certified organic", even though their food would technically qualify as such)
   
2. Reduce Meat & Dairy Consumption (The whole "cruelty to animals" argument never resonated with me, but reducing my impact on the environment does! As for dairy, pay attention to how your body reacts...humans stomachs were not made for bovine dairy)
   
3. Avoid Processed Foods (After the initial shock, this is easier than it sounds)
   
4. Buy Locally Grown Foods
   
5. Say No to Packaging (and bring your own grocery bags to the store with you!)
   

I've signed the pledge, but I must admit, it was too easy - I'm already doing it with this blog! For those of you who don't have your own public platform, an easy way to promote your eating lifestyle, I've found, is to subtly brag about it to friends. Rather than ask them about their own habits, say things like: "I had the most amazing Sesame Tofu with Wilted Bok Choy last night".

Maybe I should start posting some recipes?

PS - According to the Cool Foods Campaign - 18% of worldwide greenhouse gasses come from livestock...that's more than transportation!

Farmers Markets: Increasingly Popular Each Year

I played around with the new Google Insights last week, which allows you to see google searches over time, with the option of breaking down the information into different geographical regions.

The following graph shows searches for "farmers market" in the United States, over the last four years:

(direct results from Google Insights)

What does this data tell us?

Farmers Markets Gain Popularity Each Year

Public interest in farmers markets has almost doubled in the past 4 years. This is great news for everyone. Why is increased demand for farmers markets good for everyone?

• More options (Minneapolis for example, has at least 11 every week)
  
• More variety (as vendors try to distinguish themselves)
  
• Better products
  
• Better prices
  
• Increased reliance on local, sustainable agricultural practices
  

Farmers Markets are Extending Their Availability

See how the peak interest each summer has been flattening each year? That indicates people are not just interested in a one-time visit in July. They increasingly visit in May, June, July, and August. The farmers markets themselves accommodate, opening earlier each year, and closing later.

I urge you to play around with Google Insights to see what the trends are in your local area.

And just for fun (based on data from the past 12 months):

Top 10 States with the Most Interest in Farmers Markets

1. Oregon
   
2. Washington
   
3. North Carolina
   
4. Minnesota
   
5. Vermont
   
6. Georgia
   
7. California
   
8. Colorado
   
9. Wisconsin
   
10. Iowa

Buying Local Food: Actually Worse for the Environment?

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Possibly.

Food That Travels Well, a New York Times Op-ed piece from last year is a good starter piece on the subject of whether local food is actually better for the environment. Hint: In some cases it's not!

Food from Halfway Around the World can have a Smaller Footprint

In addition to factoring in the actual transportation of the food from it's source to our plate, we must also consider the "other energy-consuming aspects of production". It isn't hard to imagine it might actually be more environmentally responsible to forgo local grain fed beef in favor of grass-fed beef from across the country (or even the world).

Or to put it more eloquently, as quoted from the article:

These life-cycle measurements are causing environmentalists worldwide to rethink the logic of food miles. New Zealand’s most prominent environmental research organization, Landcare Research-Manaaki Whenua, explains that localism “is not always the most environmentally sound solution if more emissions are generated at other stages of the product life cycle than during transport.”

My take on this? Well, based on our past food history, it can't hurt to question everything we hear about food and make sure we know the reasons why we make particular choices. Granted, this would eat up (no pun intended) a LOT of your free time, but never miss a chance to re-evaluate your habits.

(image courtesy of didbygraham)

On Saturday, our trusty beef provider informed us there would be no more grass-fed beef until next August! Perhaps that was a sign we needed to a little research before resigning ourselves to grain-fed local beef for the next 11 months? Definitely.

From the article:

As concerned consumers and environmentalists, we must be prepared to seriously entertain these questions. We must also be prepared to accept that buying local is not necessarily beneficial for the environment. As much as this claim violates one of our most sacred assumptions, life cycle assessments offer far more valuable measurements to gauge the environmental impact of eating.

Keep buying local (if it makes sense!). Stay informed. Everything is a choice. Know the impact of your choices and the reasons for making them.