A Parade!

Supporting Local Food and Farms

AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST No Farms No Food The message is simple and couldn't be more clear—America's farms and ranches provide an unparalleled abundance of fresh, healthy and local food, but they are rapidly disappearing. Ninety-one percent of America’s fruit and seventy-eight percent of our vegetables are grown near metro regions, where they are in the path of development. And America has been losing more than an acre of farmland every minute. That's why supporting local food and farms is more important than ever! Check out the American Farmland Trust link above for ideas and actions to save your local farmers.

Some thoughts on seasonal fruit!

from the Sustainable Table:

An important part of buying local is making an effort to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season in your area. Although today's global marketplace allows us to buy foods grown virtually anywhere in the world all year round, these options are not the most sustainable.

By purchasing local foods in-season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, your food dollar goes directly to the farmer, and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Buying seasonal produce also provides an exciting opportunity to try new foods and to experiment with seasonal recipes. And it simply tastes better!

Even if you don't want to change any of your eating habits, you can at least make sure to buy local produce when it's available, rather than purchase the same type of food from 3000 miles away!

For an added challenge, try to eat most foods only when they are in season, or can seasonal food in order to eat and enjoy it all year round.

The Local Foods Movement in Northern Michigan: The Traverse Magazine Story

Posted by Elizabeth Edwards

I've lived in Northern Michigan long enough to know that there was a period in the early 1980's when our restaurant scene was going to go the way of so many other cities: from small, cozy mom n' pop restaurants to a smother lode of chain restaurants. But as Jeff Smith chronicles in his story "Local Foods All-Stars" in the May issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine, a man named Justin Rashid planted a seed--so to speak--that would eventually save our region from becoming a Kentucky-fried Anywhere USA and set it on the path of national recognition for our local food scene. What Rashid did was complemented by three decades of roll-up-you-sleeves work by other local food visionaries.

Shires in Summer