Farm Update
Our new old tractor, an old-school Farmall Cub! |
The Local Food Difference:
6 Great Reasons to Eat Local
6 Great Reasons to Eat Local
Lovely rows of lettuce just waiting to be harvested and eaten! |
But in some ways, being the change we wished to see in the
world has made things a little harder for your average CSA. For the longest time, if you wanted to get
organic or local food, you pretty much had to be in a CSA or grow it
yourself. You had to commit to picking
up your food at a particular place and time each week (or commit to several
hours a week of planting, weeding, and harvesting in the garden), but it was
worth it to know exactly what you were feeding your family and how it was
affecting the environment. Now that
organic food is more readily available and more affordable in your average
grocery store, that’s no longer the case.
You can swing by the store on the way home from work and get your
organic produce along with your shampoo, butter, and your daughter’s birthday
present. This is a great thing for
consumers because it makes eating organic more accessible than ever. But I still believe that being part of a CSA
is absolutely worth it, and not just because this is our livelihood.
It’s been a few years since I’ve really thought to lay out
why getting your veggies through a CSA or farmers market is better than getting
them from the grocery store, because I’m so entrenched in this lifestyle that I
forget that it’s not, in fact, self-explanatory. So let’s take a few minutes to talk about all
the reasons why getting your food from a local farm is worth it, even if you
have to go out of your way a little bit.
The strawberry plants are full of blooms, so we're hopeful for an abundant strawberry harvest! |
Local produce benefits your local economy: When you get your food from a CSA or farmers
market, your food dollar stays in the community. Instead of it being sent to some corporate
headquarters somewhere, it is likely to go to the local barber, or butcher, or
piano teacher. Sometimes it’s a
symbiotic relationship too. Case in
point: Our tax preparation guy, our
propane guy, and the guy who makes the labels for our retail containers are
all CSA members, so we all support each other, and the original food dollars
keep circulating around the community.
Local produce is better for the environment: Nothing beats local organic food for reducing
negative environmental effects. If it’s
organic, then no synthetic chemicals have been added to the ground or
surrounding water sources, which is better for people, animals, and microorganisms. If it’s local, then it has taken a lot less
fuel to get it to you than produce that’s been shipped across the country. Local farmers also usually produce on a much
smaller scale, which means they don’t have as much gas-guzzling equipment as
larger producers.
Local produce is usually more cost-effective: When a grocery store stocks produce from
across the country or even a few countries away, not only do they have to buy
the product, they also have to pay for the shipping, and they also have to make
a profit. This means that they have to
charge more for it in order to make money.
When you get your food directly from a local farmer, you can get
superior produce for less money because there aren’t the same shipping costs
and middle men involved.
Local produce connects you to your community: If you’ve ever been to one of our CSA
drop-offs, or if you frequent farmers markets, you know they are a social
affair. I love listening to the
conversations CSA members have with each other while I’m setting up the
drop-offs. I hear about great recipe
ideas, restaurants to check out, how people’s kids and grandkids are doing, and
opinions on current events and politics.
In our fast-paced, convenience-driven, often digital lifestyles,
sometimes it’s just nice to establish a meaningful connection with a fellow
human being in real life.
Local produce keeps the agrarian tradition alive: This is often on my mind in November as we
wrap up another farm season, but it is equally true for the rest of the
year. There is such a tradition of small
farms and small farm families here in the Midwest, but most of that has
disappeared over the last fifty years or so.
I am so grateful to be living in much the same way as my farming
ancestors (except that we have the internet and cell phones, so it’s the best
of both worlds!) There is a reason why
rustic chic is a decorating trend right now, and it’s because there is
something in all of us that wants to be connected to something humble and
honest and unpretentious. Small-scale
local farming is exactly that, and it’s a tradition that is absolutely worth
keeping alive.
So next time you’re making a decision about where to procure
your food, take these factors into consideration. I’m not saying to never buy non-local food,
because let’s face it, it’s really hard to be a purist in this area. But there is so much benefit to the farmer,
the consumer, the environment, and the community, and so much good that comes
from supporting local farms.
Recipes
We're finally into local produce season here in Michigan! While most CSAs haven't started yet for the year, a lot of farmers markets are kicking off, and you can also find local produce in co-ops across the state. Right now, asparagus and rhubarb are in full swing, and many farms also have lots of greens, herbs, and green onions. While we don't grow our own rhubarb, Fred's mom always gives us a bunch, so I have been cooking and baking with it like it's going out of season... rhubarb tarts, rhubarb muffins, rhubarb oatmeal. So if you want a lovely and easy way to use the bounty of rhubarb available right now from your garden, co-op, or farmers market, try out these delicious rhubarb muffins!
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