Food Revolution

Food is personal. But it’s also a community-building tool.

I’m learning! I’m really interested in food, especially local food, and finding ways to make it accessible to people is something I’m developing an interest for as well! That’s part of the reason why I started the blog…to connect the people who grow food with others, and to show my journey with growing my own food!

One of the first things I recommend is looking for a farmer’s market, a Community Shared Agriculture program, a natural foods store, and a cooperative share program.

This site is great for locating those tools
http://www.localharvest.org/

Some items at the Farmer’s Market can seem more expensive. The reason for that is because most of the farmers growing food are also selling to larger companies — Whole Foods, ACME, Giant, etc. — at very low rates. I believe that if the demand for local food increases, the cost will decrease, but only if the right number of people in an area create a tipping point. It’s happening in Chestertown, slowly.

However, the items at the Farmer’s Market may just be a more expensive up front cost, if you consider freezing some of the vegetables to use in the winter.

I look for items that are high in stock — cucumbers, squash, eggplant, zucchini — these produce quickly and, as a result, will be cheaper than most produce at the market.

Have you ever joined a CSA? It might be too late this season, but you can join one for a low cost…we have 8 shares a week for 16 weeks for $450 each season. Most CSA programs also offer work-share, where you spend x amount of hours each week to earn your share of the crop yield.

I’ve found it’s relatively inexpensive to grow food at home. I purchased 5 tomato seedlings at the farmer’s market for $10 in May, planted them, and now have harvested almost 300 tomatoes so far this season. The Roma tomatoes are just starting to come in, and the “big boy” beefsteak are starting to turn red, too. They require some attention, with watering, mixing good soil, etc. but once you get them started, they’re pretty good to go!

Have you considered buying bulk food items from a Sam’s, CostCo, BJs, etc.? I don’t personally do this, but it can be a great way to get bang for your buck, especially for dry good items such as pasta, beans, nuts, etc.

My basic food staples include beans (great northern, kidney, chickpeas,black) , pasta (elbow macaroni, angel hair, penne), nuts (almonds, sunflower seeds and kernels, cashews, pecans), various grains (quinoa, millet, bulgur, brown rice, couscous), eggs (always free range, and only local), bread (sweet breads that I bake, and whole grain that we receive from a family farm). I’m investigating the co-op idea; purchasing these items in bulk from a local farm in PA. I can purchase 25 lbs of flour at once, which will last the whole year.

Stir-fry options, salad, pasta dishes, and raw cut-up veggies are my “go-to” meals. I supplement with the CSA share items, and items we pick up at the Farmer’s Market. I only use money at the market that I’ve earned from Zumba teaching – that’s how I control what I’m spending. That’s an idea, too! A budget. Creating a budget and sticking to it. For us, that means less eating out, less take out (which is super friendly to the waistline, too!).

It’s all a matter of balance.

A few more questions to consider:
1) Do you like to cook/prepare food?
2) What’s the time you’re looking to spend on food?
3) Do you have any backyard space and/or windowsill spaces that receive lots of light?

I think that’s a lot to read, haha! I’m happy to pinpoint ideas further for you…where are you living these days? I can help with local farm searches, etc. What makes your local farmer’s market expensive? Are there a lot of options?