Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA

The blog feed for BuyLocalPA.org

Malls Morphing into Greenhouses!

“In February, spinach, tomatoes, and strawberries were started in a composted soil system produced by a local company. This week, a hydroponic system was delivered that will exponentially increase output. They also added artificial light to supplement the daylight streaming through the glass ceiling. Already, the farmers market is growing in popularity. The grander plan calls for the entire mall to become a retail ecovillage: vegetarian restaurants, health food stores, garden supply outlets, more farmers’ stalls and shops selling recycled goods.”

Does anyone think that our local malls need a similar transformation? Read the full story about “Gardens Under Glass,” or better yet- take a road trip to Cleveland!

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

Calling All Number Crunchers!

We have tried to decode this recent Philadelphia food system study, but haven’t had much luck. The “Greater Philadelphia Food Systems Study” was just published last month, but has already caused our brains to swell! Packed with very interesting statistics and detailed maps, the report is like a US census, specifically for the Delaware Valley’s food and farming economy.  The aim of the study is to address the challenges this local food system faces, by deeply examining its agricultural resources, distribution infrastructure, regional economy, and stakeholders involved. Here is just one example of the many maps and stats:

 According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, 698 farms, or 1.5% of all of the 100-Mile Foodshed’s farms, report organic production as defined by the National Organic Standards. While National Organic Standards are used for certification, not all farms reporting organic production are certified organic. In 2007, 636 organic foodshed farms sold nearly $40 million worth of agricultural products. In the United States, 18,211 organic farms sold $1.7 billion.

To decipher this statistician’s fantasy for yourself, check out the full 190 page report! If you can help us break down the important information, comment below.

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

Getting Local Food into Restaurants

Our friend Lynne Goldman who blogs at Bucks County Taste posted an easily digestible piece recently, on what it takes to get locally grown foods on to the menus of area restaurants.  The article quotes J. Ryman Maxwell, who opened the Down to Earth Café last September.  Here’s a sample:

Maxwell has noticed that even in the short time his café has been open, farmers are coming to him, wanting to sell their goods and asking what products he’d like. Ultimately, this is how it should evolve, he says, with supply shaping itself to demand, and local producers putting themselves on firmer economic footing, knowing what their customers want and will buy. “I’m learning as I go, too,” he says, “I’m learning from the growers and they’re learning from us. The local farmer is realizing, I can branch out. There’s a market for this.”

How does the product get to the restaurant? Ah, therein lies the problem. Most of the chefs go and get it themselves. “It’s nice in theory,” Maxwell says, “but it’s a full-time job to work with all the different growers and farmers.” It takes a lot of coordination and time to meet with people and pick up orders daily or weekly.

The article goes on to explain the key role distributors are filling in connecting local farms to restaurants (and ultimately, to the entrees we enjoy there).  It’s nice to hear about these often-overlooked players in the local food chain.  Full disclosure: I was one of these players, managing Tuscarora Organic Growers in South Central PA for 14 years (which serves restaurants and stores in the Washington, DC region).  But we have many other great examples in PA, including Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance, Philly’s Common Market, and Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, to name a few.  Lynne’s blog post features Zone 7 in Central Jersey.  Are there other unsung heroes of local food distribution we should sing about?

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

The Naked Chef Advocates for Sustainable Eating

The suave chef with the British accent is back. But instead of showcasing his signature recipes, he is pleading for a change in American eating habits. Jamie Oliver, a renowned prime-time chef, recently teamed up with TED (the nonprofit with the modest mission of spreading innovative ideas) for an urgent call to eaters. During his talk, the chef called attention to eating foods which are locally and sustainably grown — sadly not a big part of many American’s diets.
In his opening statement, Oliver admits:

“I’m not a doctor- I’m a chef. I don’t have expensive equipment or medicine- I use information and education. But I profoundly believe that the power of food has a primal place in our homes that binds us to the best bits of life.”

His speech is powerful and recognizes the need for families to be wise in choosing what they eat. Check out the 20 minute video and hear the whole story for yourself!

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

A More Sustainable Sara Lee?

Sara Lee has just launched a nation-wide campaign to promote their new Earthgrains bread, chock full of “Ecograin”, an ingredient the company originally claimed was more sustainable (in some ways) than organic.  Is this a new dream come true?  A big-name company trying to go green?  Or is it just a scam, and Sara Lee is spinning a story to attract new customers?

The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog group is calling Sara Lee’s bluff, by pointing out that the farmers who grow Eco-Grain aren’t much different than most conventional grain producers who use petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides.

“Corporations like Sara Lee clearly want to profit from consumers’ interest in ecological and healthy food production. But unlike organic companies, Sara Lee is doing practically nothing to ensure its ingredients are truly ecologically produced,” said Charlotte Vallaey from The Cornucopia Institute. “It’s a crass example of a corporation trying to capitalize on the valuable market cachet of organic, while intentionally misleading consumers–without making any meaningful commitment to protect the environment or produce safer and more nutritious food.”

Is Sara Lee really trying to be more responsible or is this just the latest example of corporate greenwashing?  Let us know what you think by posting a comment below!

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

Study Demonstrates that Local Food is also Economically Beneficial

As new regions learn about the benefits of sustainable agriculture, the local food movement is spreading like wild fire. But many don’t realize that a key part of local food is also local ownership of food businesses. A new study set out to investigate this relationship between a community’s local food and their economy. The research team recognized 24 “community food enterprises” from around the world, who are innovative examples of this successful correlation. The results overwhelmingly proved that a local food system is a powerful competitive advantage for every consumer and business, alike. 12 businesses were chosen from the United States, including the White Dog Café, located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

-A local food economy spurs better stewardship, community spirit, and social change in an area
-Local food and ownership also stimulates local income, wealth, jobs, taxes, charitable contributions, tourism, and entrepreneurship

More results and findings are located at the Community Food Enterprise website. You can also find more background information about our local CFE, The White Dog Café, on the site as well.

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

Social networking….on a farm?

One of the great aspects of farming is the sense of community built between the farmers and consumers. A new grassroots campaign, Crop Mob, is building upon this concept by matching landless farmers together to effectively harvest land. This allows these farmers, many of whom are young and new to the profession, to build relationships they wouldn’t otherwise have.

“It’s great to meet other people who have the same challenges and just network and build community,” said Jennie Rasmussen, one of the Crop Mob farmers.

Starting a Crop Mob in your area is easy! Check out this link to find out how you can get started. If travelling is an issue, no worries: all you need are a few buddies and a plot of land and you can start “mobbing” today.

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

U Penn’s Sustainable Food Week

It’s already half over but we just heard about this: a week’s worth of events are taking place right now on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, all focused on sustainability and food justice issues. Here’s a sampling:

• February 3: Mind the Food Gap; dinner and conversation on food justice in Philadelphia; Sustainable food will be served; 6-7:30 p.m. 

• February 4: Food and You: Health and Nutrition; Q&A seminar and luncheon featuring sustainable food with dietician Dr. Stella Volpe; noon-1:30 p.m.

• February 5: Food Inc.: Hungry for Change Film Screening; Food, Inc. 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The series is sponsored by Bon Appétit, the company that manages the food service for U Penn, along with a number of student groups.  Complete schedule here.  All events are free and open to the public.

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

Essen Pickling Workshop at Kimberton Whole Foods

Our Chester County Correspondent Kirsten Harper reports on a recent Pickling Party:

Over the summer, Kimberton Whole Foods is hosting workshops led by Betsey Gerstein Sterenfeld of Essen Cooking School, as a way to help launch PASA’s Good Food Neighborhood program.  The classes cover a variety of food preservation topics, and are geared to help busy moms and curious foodies alike add valuable tricks to their arsenal of techniques.

On Tuesday, July 28th the first preservation workshop was held for a small but enthusiastic group.  Several participants gathered in the intimate setting of the café kitchen to learn a time honored, yet largely underappreciated art – Pickling!
 
During the session, Betsey delved into the specifics of hot water canning, tips about extending shelf life in foods and shared details about preserving produce for year round enjoyment. She spoke about specialized equipment one could invest in for pickling and shared some of the ways she uses her preserved food in cooking.  Several unusual flavoring agents were suggested for pickled foods, adding interest to dishes throughout the year during the times when fresh local produce is harder to come by.  She also shared her secrets to cutting vegetables with the most ease and the least amount of waste.

Participants at the workshop learned how to pickle local cherries which, after 3 weeks of storage in a dark place, can be used as a sauce base for fall dishes.  Students also created Giardinara (a classic Italian mixed vegetable relish) using a variety of local produce on hand (see photo above).
 
By the end of the workshop participants came away with several jars each of pickled cherries and relish as well as a binder with detailed step-by-step instructions for each recipe. Some have already signed up for the upcoming event this month which will focus on freezing preservation techniques. A September workshop will cover tomatoes and a December workshop will feature “Homemade Holiday Food Gifts.”

If you’re not close enough to Chester County to attend one of these upcoming workshops at Kimberton Whole Foods, there are other workshops on food preservation coming up in other parts of the state:

Southwestern PA – Slow Food’s Canning 101 events at McConnells Farm in August and Braddock Community Garden in September.

South Central PA – Kitchen Shoppe’s Food Preservation Workshops on August 15 and August 22 in Carlisle, PA.

And finally… for our Good Food Neighborhood members — we’ve created a new discussion group in our Community Table forum that’s devoted especially to local food preservation.  Check it out!

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org

When Your Garden’s Bounty Overwhelms

If you’re a gardener you might find yourself in this situation at this time of year: having too much of a good thing.  We’ve all heard stories of baskets of zucchini left on neighbors’ porches (you might even be a guilty party!).  And the folks at the Easton Farmers Market have a creative outlet for the annual squash glut: their annual Zucchini 500 race.

Here are a few more options to explore when your garden’s on overdrive:

AmpleHarvest.org is a website where you can search for a nearby food pantry that will accept donations of fresh produce.  From the site: “Most food pantries can provide only canned vegetables and fruit to their clients.  AmpleHarvest.org enables your neighbors in need to get garden fresh produce that might otherwise be wasted.”

The Farmer’s Garden is another website that encourages sharing of excess garden produce.  You need to register (for free) to post a classified ad to sell, trade or give away your surplus backyard produce. Individuals and food pantries can also register to post wanted classifieds.  But anyone can search the ads without registering.  This national site is pretty new, and there is not much activity from PA — yet.

If you have another idea for what to do with your bothersome bounty, please share by posting a comment.

Source: Buy Fresh, Buy Local PA | info@buylocalpa.org