Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms
Finding local food is definitely getting easier — finding *groovy* local food is a bit trickier. The good news, growers and farmers are getting the word out about their meats, cheeses, veggies, fruits, yogurt, seafood and even vinegar.
There also was After visit screening of the movie “Fresh,” which explores factory farming and alternative farming methods like Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm in Virginia.
So there are plenty of choices, the trick … finding people you like, who get their hands dirty and follow good farming practices, whether for weekly or occasional farmers market trips or CSAs.
It’s really all about building a relationship, which makes it so different than your local grocery store.
At a recent event in Annapolis, a couple of dozen purveyors — growers and restaurants — came out for a meet-and-greet — hat tip to my friend Kc for inviting me and friend Robin for joining in the fun.
Eggmobile
Like a farmers market, the event gave me a chance to size up another group of local folks from around the extended D.C. region. Local communities are definitely trying to provide guidance on buy and supporting local farming. A great step forward.
This blog obviously emphasizes local food but there are the good guys who stand out — it just takes a little time to figure it out.
My friend Tiffany has a great rule — if you’re at the market and you stop by a vendor with dirt on his/her potatoes, you may want to take a closer look. We’re so used to seeing shiny, waxed veggies and fruits in the grocery store that when we see a little dirt at the market, our reaction is “ewww, it’s dirty.”
Water does a nice job on that dirt. Kinds works the same on veggies and kids. Pretty shiny veggies pop up so just ask around. Good vendors will tell you who’s good. I can tell you that my grower Matt isn’t cleaning the veggies because he picked them then packed them on the truck at 3 a.m.
Back to the movie — if you haven’t read about Salatin — who was the speaker at the Annapolis event — he’s smart, sharp-tongued and opinionated … but hard not to like for his unique farming talents. He rotates cows, chickens and pigs (mostly) around grass fields to work in harmony — no pesticides or antibiotics. Salatin is featured in the book “Omnivore’s Dilemma.”
The movie focuses on problems with large factory farms — the cocktail of pesticides, poor treatment of the animals and threats to our health. It definitely makes you think about your food choices.
Will Allen
It also takes a glimpse into the 3-acre farm of Will Allen in … urban Milwaukee. Yep. Allen is a burly guy who delivers a easily palatable recipe for growing a garden just about anywhere. He’s convincing and provides a hands-on experience.
The key — keep on researching and learning about food — we get a lot of different messages but there are great choices out there … stay health