Submitted By: Kim Curiel (kimcuriel@yahoo.com)
Challenge
How to develop a model where most of the food we prepare is local, organic, and in season.
Solution Details
In addition to the Farmer’s Market, we grow some of our favorite items right in our own yard. My husband has worked very hard at chipping away at the sandstone we live on to create growing pits. These 4' by 10' strips of land have been painstakingly filled with hauled manure from Henson's Horse Ranch and leaves gathered on fall clean up day. It's created something resembling soil now. We were able to grow a nice winter garden with kale, cabbage, beets, carrots, broccoli, onions and garlic. Now we've got our tomatoes, basil, eggplant, squash, beans and chilies planted. There's nothing better than walking outside and plucking a ripe warm tomato from the vine and chomping down. Delicious. Can't get more local than that.
If you've got any amount of sunshine (you don't even need a yard or patch of earth) you can grow your own food. Start by planting something you positively love to eat, say fresh tomatoes. They grow perfectly well in pots as do peppers and eggplants. Lettuce is another great container food. People ask me how I learned to garden and my answer is, "I love to eat good food, so I learned to cook, but to get really fresh, unusual, fun food I had to grow it, so I bought a book and learned how." If you've got lawn, consider digging a few strips of it up and planting edibles on the land instead. It will do the world good.
From the Fourth of July through Thanksgiving, we add a third source of local food, which is Hurst’s Farm on St. Mary’s Road – across from the Little League Fields. I feel truly lucky to have a dedicated organic farmer right in the neighborhood. She grows some of the best organic produce you’ll ever come across! I know she’s there when her sign is hanging on the post listing the types of foods she has available. What I do is jot down meal ideas for the week then make a list of the foods we'll need. I make a star by all the things on the list that I know I can buy at Diane's farm. I either call or email her to let her know when I'll be coming by and what I'll want, or I just stop on my way to town if her sign is up. I know that her corn, beets, basil and tomatoes are better than any I'll find elsewhere, so I make those a priority when in season. I often also stop by on my way to town tell her what I'll want and come back after I've gotten the milk and bread to pick up the veggies and flowers. I bring a bag for her to put it all in.
We are not currently using a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), but I highly recommend it. It’s a way to buy a share in a local farm’s harvest for the season. Usually shares are sold in the winter and early spring. You can find a local CSA at localharvest.org. There are now many to choose from, most of which have either delivery service or a designated drop site to pick up from. To take advantage of this type of arrangement it is best to buy several books about vegetables or request recipes for all the new and unusual produce you'll receive. This arrangement is best for the farmers because they know that they have a committed customer who will eat what they grow. The food you'll get will be very fresh and may be more than you can handle alone. This is a great opportunity to share with friends and neighbors, or make social dinners to invite others to. We helped start one of the first CSAs in Contra Costa County in 1997. We worked very hard on the farm, spending most weekends there. Unfortunately, that farm folded, in spite of our efforts. We haven't tried another one since because of all the other opportunities for local food in our area, including and especially our own garden.
Benefits & Payback
The local food that we buy generally tastes better, is healthier, better for the environment, and delivers more of our dollars directly to local farmers.
Informational Links
www.localharvest.org - a great web site for finding local farmer's markets and CSAs.
