We want LOCAL! Now what?

Let's start with the premise that those of you reading this want LOCAL food. Not food trucked or flown in from thousands of miles away. Here is a good link: http://www.localharvest.org/

Check out all the tabs on that home page- Farmers Markets, Farms, CSA.

Wait. CSA? What is CSA you ask? Community Supported Agriculture. Usually a small farm that sells "shares." CSA members pay a fee and receive a share of the yield of the farm. Some are purely produce- fruits and vegetables- and you would get a box or bag of whatever comes ripe throughout the season. Some have meat and dairy. But always worth the look. Early in the season you might get lettuces, peas, onions, spinach and other cold season crops, mid summer you might see tomatoes, green beans, herbs, summer squashes and towards the fall you could see the winter squashes, beets and perhaps the cold season crops again.

Be sure to check with the individual CSA's to see what they plant and how often you receive a box or bag. Each one will have a different schedule and you should look for one that will fit for you.

Meat is of special concern to me - and should be to all who care about what you are putting in your body. I am fortunate enough to have access to locally grown meat through our 4-H program. The kids have an auction at the County Fair in August every year and lamb, beef, pork and most recently, meat goats, are auctioned. All of these animals have been individually raised under strict rules that prohibit growth hormones and drugs. Each animal is a 4-h project- and raised with kindness and love. You may not have this kind of program in your area- but you can find humanely, safely raised animals with a little research. Some of the CSA's do meat animals as well. You may not be able to get all your meat locally, but do try. The pork and lamb we buy each year are so much better than what is available in the grocery stores we could never go back to factory farmed!

And don't forget the free foods out there! Some kind of berry grows wild in just about every location in the United States. On our place we have wild blackberries and raspberries. (Which of course come ripe in the hottest days of the summer lol- which means jeans and long sleeved shirts for picking- but the sweat is worth it! I pick and pick and pick- and make jam and jelly and freeze what I can not process or eat immediately. I have not purchased jam or jelly in years!) In my old home grounds of Massachusetts, blueberries are all over the place. There were huge patches of wild blueberries- both high and low bush- in the woods behind the house I grew up in. Same thing in Miles Standish State Park - heck - all over the Cape too! Pick em, wash em, eat them, freeze them, make pancakes, muffins, pies....... YUMMY! CAUTION! Do NOT wash berries before freezing. Berries should be laid on a sheet pan and frozen, then transferred to zip lock bags.

Local is the way to go. The big agra companies are putting poison on their fields- which means poison in your food. And in our water. Check out what is available locally. Ask your local farmers if they use pesticides or herbicides on their crops. And do ask if they use GMO (genetically modified organism) - avoid GMO wherever you can and deny Monsanto your money and your health! Early spring is the time to investigate and plan! Even if you can not get a membership in a CSA this year- plan on hitting the farmers markets and ASK QUESTIONS of the vendors.

And plant your own too! Even apartment dwellers can have a pot of herbs or a tomato or two growing! - Submitted by Mel Whitener