Localvore: A localvore (local = place, vore = to swallow or devour) is a person who is committed to eating foods grown within the local area (foodshed) often defined as within a 100-mile radius.
Last year I attended a marketing workshop at the annual NOFA summer conference. The presenter geared his talk to small local farmers. He drew a standard Bell Curve graph on the board to illustrate what has happened in the organic foods movement in the past 30 years or so. Those of you familiar with Bell Curves and also old enough to remember 30 years ago will know that the starting point of this Curve dates to approximately the late 60's when organic food began to get some attention from consumers. Decades pass and organic sales begin an upward climb towards the peak of the curve. The peak we are told is the point at which we have both a very successful and lucrative product as well as increasing amounts of competitors looking for their slice of this profitable market niche. In the presenter's estimation, “organic” as a lucrative brand name is at peak or even slightly past peak. Keep in mind, he told us this does not mean the product is no longer worthy or viable, it simply means that from a marketing standpoint it maybe time to find a “new” product.
For small farmers the new product is local food. Local food is in fact a very old product. In actuality the products offered by the small farmers in the room that day remain unchanged. We are still offering assorted vegetables, free range eggs, pastured beef, fruit and more. But, the time has come for the progenitors of the organics movement, the small farmer, to separate him and herself from present day organics.
Local is the New Organic
For a very large percentage of small farms organic hasn’t disappeared. For various financial and philosophical reasons organic certification isn‘t as important as it once was. What still remains is local, and from my readings this past winter, local seems to be becoming a bit of a phenomenon. It's a few clicks up a new Bell Curve and steadily rising. The 100 Mile Diet, Localvores and The Eat Local Challenge are some of the names individuals and organizations have given themselves as they search for local foods.
The commitment to local eating runs the gamut from occasional farm stand purchases, daily or weekly local meals at home and in gatherings, to full year commitments. Further distinctions can also be made. Will one eat only local products or make exceptions?. Exceptions can include salt, dried spices and foods that would cause you to cancel the local challenge and run screaming to the nearest Super-Mart if you weren't using them. They include coffee, tea, chocolate and olive oil for example.
Why Local
I posed this question to some of my CSA. Most sited various readings as the catalyst for their increased interest in local food books such as Holy Cows and Hog Heaven by Joel Salatin and Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan . These books illuminate the harm done to the environment, the inhumane methods of animal rearing and the unhealthful food produce by the industrial agricultural model. CSA members also expressed a desire to see farmers be fairly paid (no money to middle men) and reduce fossil fuels. They are aware of the large amount of climate-changing fossil fuels used in factory food production.
One of my CSA members put it this way: “My reasons for wanting local foods seems so obvious and simple. What I wonder is why I didn't pursue this before now. Local food is fresher and more flavorful, tends to be less processed and travels less. Green Hill Farm has opened my family's eyes to the wonder and joy of a local farm and local produce. Having been invited by a friend to a talk at Holy Cross (College) on the politics and morality of food, I found it was quite an eye opener. I never gave a whole lot of thought to how the meat I was eating was handled when it was still alive, and in the slaughterhouse. It's appalling to me, and I would much prefer to know just where my food is coming from!! The whole monocropping thing is just gross to me. For example, look at how poor the air and water quality are in Iowa due to monocropping and insecticide and herbicide use. It makes absolutely no sense, as I think diversity in all things in life is a good thing.”
Good Taste
Most localvores will begin their local food journey for the various intellectual and emotional reasons mentioned above, but they stay because the food tastes not good, but great. Not a summer goes by when I don’t hear “That was the best _____ I’ve ever tasted. One woman worded it this way: “One only needs to feel and taste the difference compared to that found in the local grocery chains to know why it’s (local food) superior”
Challenging
I think the term “Local Food Challenge” is appropriate. It is challenging to leave the 24/7 availability and convenience of the grocery store. Some of the foods that present the most difficulty include grains and flour, and proteins - especially vegetarian proteins such as dried beans. The speaker in a NOFA workshop I attended was so dedicated to eating only Connecticut products that she set aside her vegetarian diet when no plant-based proteins could be found but local chicken could be.
All vegetables in the winter can be a challenge to find. In some locations meat and animal products can be difficult to find. Increasing numbers of animal products are being marketed within the CSA model. As with vegetable CSA it benefits both the farmer and consumer, with a steady income and steady supply respectively.
Opportunities
These difficulties afford CSAs and other local farms opportunities to connect with the increasingly numerous localvores. Fill the niches. Begin growing some of the sought after items. My seed order this year includes the following new (to me) items: garbanzo beans, lentils, and grains including hulless oats and wheat. I’ll also be planting a larger stand of dry corn. In the past I grew it only for its decorative purposes and as a treat for my chickens.
Give season extension a try and offer late autumn and or winter CSA shares. I attended a workshop on wintergreens at this winter’s NOFA Mass conference. The growers used unheated greenhouses. While I learned a few tips such as planting dates and the use of row cover within greenhouses to give more cold protection, what I really learned, was what I already knew, one must simply practice. The presenters stated varieties were abandoned or added after initial trials due to poor or successful growth. Now after a few years they have a repertoire of varieties that works for them.
Many CSAs in warmer areas of the country are offer winter shares or operate year round a localvores paradise. Some CSAs even in the colder parts of the country offer winter shares. Pete’s Greens in northern Vermont is one of those farms. Having invested in a root cellar and other cold storage the farm is able to offer vegetables like beets, carrots and cabbage in winter months. For an additional fee beyond the present session’s share, a member can opt to have “localvore items” added to their share selections. The items include Pete’s Greens farm products such as: vegetable soup base, pesto, frozen spinach and other greens, frozen salsa, and sauerkraut. Products from other local farms and businesses such as cider, butter and bakery items can be included. Partnering with local farms could allow you to market the produce remaining in your gardens after your CSA season has ended.
Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, runs a CSA from September through December. That is when the student workforce and client base are available. Planting are planned so that crops are ready to be harvested in September. The produce that ripens before the CSA opens is utilized by the College’s summer population.
Locally produced, value added products are prized for their yearlong availability. Perhaps your farm could produce maple syrup, honey, jams, pickles, beverages, and bakery items. The more local ingredients included in your offerings the happier your localvores will be.
For farmers in proper climates I suggest researching the production of the products most difficult for localvors to find such as oil, coffee, tea, and salt.
Do As I Do
Don’t forget yourself. What better example however for our clientele than to eat local foods beyond what we ourselves produce. I began my own foray into increasing my local food purchases this past summer. I too have become increasingly concerned with the present state of our modern American food system. I’m finding the search difficult . This past January I bought my first five pounds of local wheat. It was purchased at the winter NOFA Mass conference and was produced by a small farm 60 miles north of me. I participated in a local raw milk coop this summer and autumn (they dry their cows off in the winter), purchased local veal, and I’ve resolved to purchase milk and cream at a local store that carries milk from a dairy 15 miles away.
I was able to concoct a very nice almost all local corn chowder this winter from my frozen corn, my stored onions, and the above mentioned local milk. Ingredients that weren’t local but could have been were some herbs, celery and pork.
I’ve had a couple CSA member express interest in exploring increased local food purchases beyond their great CSA. Recently, a CSA member emailed that she’d like to organize an eat local meal to help educate others. I said count me in and promised to bring local food. Two out of 30 CSA members may seem trivial but I see it as “the tip of the iceberg” and quite possibly the birth of a movement.
Embrace this new (actually old) local movement and see how your farm can reach out to all those searching localvores. Remember too dear readers, all of us growers, small farmers and backyarders alike are all glorious members of the zero mile diet!