The word has been out on the locally grown farming culture for many years now as to the advantages of buying fresh produce, fruits or meats from a source close to your area. What encourages people to choose this method over simply dropping by your nearby retail grocer and sorting through the seemingly fresh variety of product is likely a different reasoning for each of us when choosing to buy locally.
For me the decision to select when feasible, the local products is the sense of delight and knowledge that you can acquire by visiting a grower's market. Taking a minute to talk with the farmers as you decide what ingredients might go best in the next several nights of home cooked creations can add ideas to your preparation in the kitchen. The growers provide those added perks like they might introduce you to a rare vegetable that is hard to find at a local grocer and will win applause from those for whom you are cooking. Or, in the spirit of the non corporate style of most vendors they may cut you a deal in exchange for you having expressed the interest in what these folks do for a living. The passion and hard work that goes along with many of today's independent farmers is a commendable attribute that should be supported by those of us who appreciate good, healthy food.
Whether it be some ripened heirloom tomatoes, exotic shiitake or morel mushrooms, nutrient rich greens like kale, spinach or chard or any number of the vast assortment of edibles that are found at local farm stands usually provides a consumer first dibs on a harvest. Therefore, taking some time in person to mingle with some of those who are spending their hard working hours tending the fields and overseeing all of the essential elements that go into putting great quality food on the table is really an enriching experience.
The locally grown label has moved beyond just being novelty to a true revolution in how many of us perceive our food buying habits. So what is it that makes such a difference from a quality or taste standpoint? Well 'wholesomeness' is the first word that comes to mind. Knowing that you are getting a product that is free of harmful chemicals like the insecticides, growth hormones, or plant disease retardants that can potentially pose health risks but also cause damage to the soil should help persuade one's opinion.
An argument made by green advocates is that the carbon emitted by batches of crops particularly ones that have collected substantial nutrients over their growing period pose a larger global warming effect when the fruits and vegetables are transported long distances. Additionally, during the transport process for those commercially harvested crops, the susceptibility of exposure to airborne bacteria poses a larger risk for consumption although it's hygienically concluded that proper rinsing and cooking at a temp of greater than 160 degrees should offset short term illness.
It makes sense for a conscientious shopper as most of us tend to be, to think for a minute about the raw natural products that we consume. The thought of relying upon a distant source for something as invasive as the food that goes into our bodies, detracts from a simple piece of mind that can come from just knowing the locality of your food's origins. The existence of long term illness and disease still is something that science hasn't really been able to provide an answer for but certainly fact based arguments have been persuasive that regular consumption of chemically adulterated food can lead to life shortening diseases.
But enough with the heavy stuff, the sheer enjoyment of food is a product of the environment that surrounds it. Like when you go to a restaurant, the food should taste good but also the uniqueness of what you order, the proper paring of a good beverage, or the insight of a staff member makes for a more satisfying eating experience. So it also goes for a better restaurant experience when the food has a story such as it came from a local farm. An example of improving the moment might be ordering well prepared vegetable dish that is explained to have been brought in earlier in the day from a local grower who takes pride in purveying the highest quality product. Or take a salad for instance maybe thrown together with fresh gardened arugula topped with organic beets and a pasteurized goat cheese all topped with a pressed sesame and peach vinaigrette that traveled a short distance from just the next town over. Knowing that an all grass fed ribeye has been carefully packaged and delivered from a rancher who may operate several dozen acres of land to bring well cared for livestock to the restaurant nearby where his farm operates is an advantageous alternative.
The care and attachment that the small farmer incorporates into their trade shall always be a far superior component to that of which the mass producing competitor from half a world away is capable of offering. So my argument goes that for the reason of knowing more about the environment of where the natural foods that we eat, either in restaurants or when prepared ourselves have come from, we can feel happier about it.
So what sparked this cluster of thoughts on the subject? Well fortunately on a recent morning as I set out to attend what had been for months an anticipated fun little Friday event turned into more that I had expected that offered an inspiring presentation by a local co-op farmer. Originally, I intended to set out on Friday morning to attend what’s called a "coffee cupping." For those who don’t know it's like a wine tasting but for java enthusiasts. It's a neat, casual experience to better understand coffee cultivation and taste characteristics. So as that demonstration ended for the hour long cupping session, the class's presenter said that a special guest had come by today to talk about the local farm that he and his team of four others operate.
The guy's name was Joe. He appeared as a young, genuine intellectual who as one might have assumed worked something like in a biology or philosophy and as it turns out anthropology was his college major. He had slightly long hair with denim and comfortable khakis that projected an honest sense of credibility of a man who'd done a good bit of learning, working and possessed a strong love for what he does. Sharing the business of being a farmer is something that I was intrigued to hear more about and gain some insight towards an often overlooked trade by most of us busy Americans. To encourage what ever doubts that might have passed through my mind about staying to hear him speak were quickly dispelled upon seeing the colorful mix of fresh fruits that had been put on a table for everyone to snack on. Biting into the piece of ripened pair was a sweet, enjoyable pique of flavor after having just finished an artisanly prepared double espresso from one of the other attendees who happened to work as a barista.
Farmer Joe led the discussion with a quick bio of how he got started. It began as a yearning to travel to a foreign, Spanish speaking country that offered some nostalgic revolutionary ties such as Peru, Brazil, Chile or Venezuela. And suitably he found himself getting an opportunity in El Salvador on a what was a voluntary cultrualization exchange in a small town. Some misunderstanding of his specific affiliation within the exchange program worked to his advantage from the start as it was assumed that he was acting as a representative of the university he had attended not simply a volunteer free lancer. So he said that he was treated from the get go with a greater respect than maybe otherwise would have been the case. The work that he would perform in exchange for his provisional living involved assisting with the harvest of local lettuce, root vegetables and fruits on a well cared for farm. The opportunity was just the type of ticket for offering a way to get down to an interesting part of the world to add some real life field work to an anthropology degree.
After graciously fulfilling the three month assignment, he looked for other opportunities that would pay adequate wages to keep him there for an extended period of time. A position came about with another farm that aligned with his new found interests in the farming process. That lasted for nearly two years before the decision was made for Joe to return back home and take the experience to hilt near an area close to where he is from. Within several months of being back near Atlanta he began meeting some of the local farm producers who managed small lands who had a need for someone with a genuine interest and experience being on a farm. So he fell in with them for a period of time. After a year of working with the first small collective of farming veterans upon returning home, he began scouring ways to venture into a more unique method suitable to his own personal interest in sustainable, ecological methods of agriculture. That's when he discovered the concept of "landless farmers’ and the Community Service Agriculture or the CSA. The arrangement works great for many small, low budget farmers. Essentially it’s entails a lease from a property owner who has the available land and wants to see it utilized but doesn’t want to take on the responsibility themselves. So leasing to someone with a genuine desire to operate a cared for crop producing environment provides a suitable agreement. As he explained, the relationship between owner and farmer consists of a bond and mutual respect that encourages input from both parties on what can be done to garner the best results.
As for the first 'landless farmer' opportunity that Joe encountered, was working three years with a small established group who had worked the land of a local owner for several years. It was the full hands on, type of experience that epitomized the care that Joe associated with in progressive farming whereby rotating crops across many fields each season kept life busy and creative.
The scientific foresight to balance the environmental needs involves many factors as he explained including preserving soil nutrients and eliminating the problematic plant infestations, insects or inclimate weather affects. Keeping away intruding microorganisms that will adversely effect the quality and quantity of a crop yield means keeping a close eye on what grows in a particular space and using a ‘cover crop" like sprouts or rye grass in the offseason to help keep the soil fertile until the next planting.
Gaining exposure to this more ecologically friendly approach with this new group took place on a five acre farm owned by an older couple who had for most of much of their lives, tended farm but they became too old to sustain the labor. That type of situation of retiring owners often provides an ideal arrangement for someone like himself with the devotion and the good blessing of the owners to operate the land for an exchange fee.
Some of the struggles that confront a small operating farm like the several that Joe has worked is the limitation of capital. For example, the startup for each growing seasonal is costly when having to pay for seed, initial equipment investment and labor. To offset some of these items, the small scale growers will market themselves under the Community Service Agricultural program. The concept involves getting interested subscribers who might include individual households, local markets and restaurants to buy an up front purchase that will secure their product come harvest time. By doing this, the participants are expecting to get the best quality of what's harvested as well as helping support the local grower in their community. This arrangement has worked extraordinarily well with Joe for the six years that he has been offering the plan.
Having worked with the small entity that was running the five acre land owned by the elder couple, a decision was made by the owners to sell the property. So those of whom Joe was in on the business with began to seek out another viable contract for a new land to farm. That led to the most recent location that Joe and his partners have happily worked for the last three years. The land is near an area of homes that collectively owns six acres of vacant land that's within the suburbs of Atlanta but removed enough from the developed areas to make for an attractive location to farm. Since taking this opportunity, the knowledge that he has been able to devote to his style of growing is fascinating and offers means of collaborating with others about using smart methods to optimize results.
Hearing him describe the process of alternating crops was very intricate, that involves replenishing nitrogen into the soil by means of natural fertilization, tilling, cover crops and planning optimal times to begin and end each growing season. Their seemed to be no limit to the type of crops that he is able to grow on his farm. A large mixture of different vegetables and fruits are usual for his rotational pattern that will sometimes include an experimental whim of a crop. Eggplant, butternut squash, peaches, tomatoes, wildberries, kiwis, strawberries, beans, asparagus, corn and many other delicious fresh natural foods have found a place on the farm.
The process of organic certification was a topic that he discussed in significant detail. It wasn’t until this last farm that he got the official accreditation as an all organic producer. The reason for not getting it sooner he said, is a result of the bureaucratic process involved once one chooses to market with an organic label. Whereas before when asked whether or not the farm's where he worked were organic he would explain, 'officially no however the process that is used is consistent with the concept of organic farming.'
The organic guidelines include no chemicals of any kind which for traditional growers normally consists of any number of genetically modifying additives to spur larger and faster growth and insecticides to ward off factors like disease or bugs. Organic on the other hand conceptualizes the process through many intelligent methods that support natural sciences to best saturate the soil with nutrients and preserve the rich, fertile environment that's most beneficial for each growing season. It’s certainly a more labor intensive process doing it organically requiring weeks of tweaking factors that provide the best conditions which would likely be overlooked on a chemical treated traditional farm. Cost considerations are a part of going organic too. An agency fee based on the number of acres farmed is assessed each year of about $1000 dollars for about the size of his current farm which is named 'Love is Love.' Also, the business is audited each year by an agency companies to inspect the procedures and examine written documentation of soil samples, planting dates and many other processes of the business. It seems to offer Joe said, 'a stronger incentive to take greater responsibility throughout the whole process when knowing that an auditor is privy to the operation.'
The new methods that are gaining popularity these days include "no till" farming which does a better job at preserving the nutrient rich top layer of soil by not plowing the land to airify or churn plant remnants back into the ground. The traditional method releases carbon back into the atmosphere which green conservationists aim to avoid as much as possible. Alternatively, a heavy machine press is used to crush down on top of the harvested area which quickly kills and breaks apart the stems or petals of old crops that then serve as compost for the field. After several weeks this will attract moisture, introduce some worms or grubs to the soil and commence a new cycle of rejuvenating the enrichment of natural minerals and elements.
Thus taking these factors into consideration should be important in determining when to buy from the clean, friendly processes of locals agriculturalists like Joe versus the mass production consortiums often based outside of our own country.