Get ready to get local

Online Epicure
By Janet Majure & Neil Salkind © 2008

It doesn't feel like it much, but spring is right around the corner. That means farmers markets are getting ready to enrich our diets with good, local food.

Why local food? Well, we love the freshness and supporting our local farmers, but if that's not enough of an explanation you might want to check out Food Routes, www.foodroutes.org, which does a good job of explaining why local food is hot. It also explains many terms you might hear in local food discussions, such as "CSA" for community support agriculture.

Probably the best source for finding farms and markets near you is Local Harvest, at localharvest.org. But there are other options. The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service offers links to state directories of local food, at http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/localfood_dir.php. If you are interested in local meats, poultry, dairy or eggs from grass-fed or pastured animals, check out Eat Wild, www.eatwild.com. It has links to local producers and lots of information about the benefits of grass-fed animals, one of the latest food trends to emerge.

Kansas City area residents can get a look at what's currently available and what's coming up through the Kansas City Food Circle, at http://www.kcfoodcircle.org/. The group also has set up a blog, at http://kcfoodcircle.blogspot.com/, which some might find easier to navigate—or not. They get a little carried away with their typographical changes.

Meanwhile, the area's Hen House Markets has a regularly updated online list of local foods available at their stores, at http://www.henhouse.com/buy_fresh_buy_local/todays_availability/. While there, you'll notice a number of "GNFF" notations on suppliers. Those are for members of the Good Natured Family Farms, at http://www.goodnatured.net/, a group of area farms and ranches that sells under the Good Natured label.

Here's more:

1. The Sustainable Table is loaded with information, including about local food, at http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/buylocal/.

2. Read about the 100-mile diet at www.100milediet.org, and join in if you care to.

3. A Michigan outfit has made a business of eating local. At http://www.eatlocalfood.com/store/ you can wear your eat-local heart on your T-shirt, tote bag or assorted other products.

4. Learn a little about what people are doing about local food policies at the State and Local Food Councils page at www.statefoodpolicy.org. Click on "Q&A" to read what it's all about.

5. The Natural Resources Defense Council has a handy utility to help you find what's in season where you live, a help for eating local food. Go to www.nrdc.org and type "eat local" in the search box. The first item on the results page is where you want to go. (Or try typing http://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/?gclid=CL3mmv-RkJECFQQjPAodUBotGg.)

 

On-line epicures can contact Janet Majure and Neil Salkind at oepicure@....