Happy New Year!

Louise Fry and I wrote this article for the MtnL League of Women Voters...

Most of the food Americans eat travels over 1500 miles to reach the plate. Produce from California travels over 2000 miles. For every California calorie we eat, 87 calories of fuel are used trucking it here. Food is shipped out of convenience with little consideration for distance. At the height of apple season here in the Northeast, a local organic co-operative received a box of apples from their supplier, shipped all the way from New Zealand. Its not even apple season down there.

There are certain things like the import of bananas, chocolate and coffee that we simply can’t grow here, so we just try to eat less of them. But the apples could have come from New York State or even Washington State. Barbara Kingsolver in her book – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – states that the US exports 1.1 million tons of potatoes and imports 1.4 million tons of potatoes.

There is a growing movement of people trying to consume mostly locally grown and produced food. They call themselves “Locavores”. As the idea catches on their are more local farmer’s markets each year, as well as other ways to buy locally like CSA’s. Also, keeping your own kitchen garden is theraputic as well as a solution to the problem. Not to mention a great learning experience for your kids. There is nothing more local than your own backyard.

In New Jersey alone there are about 100 farmers markets. (See www.buy-freshnjwj.org) There are also 150 pick-your-own farms in New Jersey. (See www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh). The CSA, Community Supported Agriculture farm, allows a family or a group to buy a share of the harvest throughout the season. Often, the client is asked to participate in one or more days of farming activities, which, again, can be very educational for the children. (Visit www.localharvest.org/CSA).

Of course, not all produce is available throughout the year. Locavores learn to be content with consuming/shopping for seasonal foods. Some foods that can be harvested locally in the fall and keep into the winter are: wild mushrooms (Know what your picking!), squash and hazelnuts even in Mountain Lakes! Ask your grocer to carry more local foods and to label what is local too. Some food stores are committed to labeling the country or state of origin for their fruits and vegetables.