I get asked this question a lot. Mainly, folks are curious about my obsession, er motivation, with eating local. Honestly, I don’t have a single reason. But if I really think about it, it’s because I love the taste of really good food. And yes, there is a marked difference in say buying strawberries from Garden Sweet and the berries from Mexico or California that you buy in the grocery store. There is just no comparison.
Growing up on the East coast eating seasonally was just something you did. There wasn’t anyone promoting it really, or blogging about why you should do it. There was no Pinterest or taking pictures of your meals, turning it into a trendy thing. It was just eating. In spring it was asparagus brought in each morning from the farmer up the road and fresh maple syrup. Then the greens start coming in, followed by stops at the u-pick fields and foraging fiddleheads, blueberries, blackberries and mushrooms. Almost every back road had an honor system farm stand or you could find a larger farm stand in close proximity. If you didn’t grow your own you stopped by a local farm to get cucumbers and tomatoes by the bushel for canning. Then the fall brought all manor of squash and the best part was cider and apple picking. Like I said, it was just how you ate. And we ate well. Really well. (Totally dreaming of silver queen corn right now).
When I left home and moved to another agricultural community, I learned about CSA’s (community supported agriculture). It was amazing to stop by the farm each week, baskets overflowing with fresh produce, fresh baked goods and eggs on the tables, and a number of other wonderful edibles to choose from. And fields of u-pick. Tomatoes, herbs, flowers, strawberries. All of this abundance was just a big, normal part of life.
Then I moved to Colorado. And sorry, early on, everything tasted like cardboard. I didn’t know where the farms were. It seemed like no one had farm stands, and the farmer’s markets, few and far between, were not heavy on the fresh food. That’s when the obsession started kicking in. I needed to find good local food if I was going to be here for the long haul.
Since that time small scale local agriculture has exploded in Colorado. It goes without saying that my taste buds rejoice in this. Farmer’s markets have popped up across the Front Range, multiple farms now have roadside farm stands, and the number of farms offering CSA shares is incredible. There is no reason to eat grocery store cardboard tomatoes. None.
Aside from the pleasure of eating wonderful food, there are other reasons that inspire me to eat local. I love my community. I love the environment. I believe in humane treatment of the people and the animals that sustain us. I find these values are best served on a small scale local level. Not perfectly, but definitely better than big ag.
My happiest memories and most joyful times revolve around food. My family knew every polish/Jewish bakery in New England (rye bread was a necessary staple). It seemed everywhere we went they somehow located regional treasures and cultural staples. My mother and her family cooked together regularly and meals were a family event. Even when at times our crazy schedules made that challenging, there was always Sunday dinner. Into adulthood, food remained the center of my social world. Gatherings of friends revolved around food. My community started to include people who grew food. I doubt the desire to feed people will ever leave me. I sure hope not (so does my husband).
That connection to community extends to my non-human community. I have loved dirt since I was young. Curiosity about the living world around me, and growing food, caught me early. There is nothing that makes me happier than black earth teeming with life. Loamy soil that reeks of earth. If that smell could be bottled! A sense of stewardship was cultivated early on growing up around farms and open space, animals, forests and water. I don’t take that abundance for granted. So in this quest to eat local, there is definitely a driving passion that stems from environmental responsibility and a deep connection to community that nourishes and sustains.
And, with all that said, I am far from perfect in reaching my ideal. It’s a constant work in progress and I try to make decisions that have the most impact. Like buying small farm local meat or raising my own. And vegetables. You’ll still find me at the grocery store, but I try to purchase as much as possible from local sources.
If you find yourself agreeing with any of these reasons for eating locally, wonderful! You just need to make the first steps if you haven’t. Because that isn’t always as easy or convenient as it sounds, we are here to assist you. And, we love the company of food lovers everywhere!