How to Avoid Eating Jet-Lagged FoodThe Secrets of Buying Local Revealed!

Presented By: Mary Pysnik, AmeriCorps VISTA

What qualifies as “Local”?

You

Town or Village

State

Region

• There is a wide variety of definitions. The most common is the 100 mile rule—anything produced within 100 miles of you is “local”

• For some parts of the year or for some products that thrive in the local climate, it may be possible to buy closer to home. At other times, or for less common products, an expanded reach may be required.

• In general, it is best to eat as close to home as possible when you can.

Why buy local?

Local Food…•Builds community•Is better for the economy•Is better for you•Looks and tastes better•Is safe•Supports local families•Keeps taxes down•Preserves genetic diversity•Is an investment in the future

Ok, so how do I buy local?• “Buying Local” is all the rage, but it is easier said than done!

Here are the well established ways that people get their local fix.

1. Farmers Market2. CSA3. Buy directly from farmer at their farm4. Buy at a Natural Foods store

• There are also new ways of buying and utilizing local starting to emerge

1. Online ordering2. Winter shares3. Grocery Stores4. Restaurants

Farmer’s Markets• This is the most traditional and simplest way to buy local. And

if you are just starting out, this is probably the best way to get your feet wet.

• Cornell Cooperative Extension has a listing of the farmers' markets Delaware County on their website. You can see when the markets start and what times they run.

• There are a few cons to Farmer’s Markets. You don’t really know what products to be there, it is hard for farmers to know how much to bring, and they sometimes run at inconvenient times.

CSAs • “CSA” stands for “Community Supported Agriculture.”

• How it works: • At the beginning of the growing season you pay a certain amount of money for a

“share” of the farm’s harvest. • During the harvest season, each week you pick up your share of what was

harvested that week on the farm. • It is a great way to learn about seasonality and try different products, but you

also don’t have any control over what you get.

• How do I join a CSA?•“Pure Catskills” (part of the Watershed Agricultural Council) has a great website where you

can search farms and what they have to offer. Under the farm description, it will tell you whether they offer a CSA or not. From there, joining is just a phone call or email away.

•Pure Catskills Website

•However, not many farms in Delaware County offer CSAs•Lucky Dog Farm (Hamden)•Mountain Dell Farm (Hancock)•Spruce Hollow Farm (Walton)

Buy directly from Farmer• A lot of farmers sell products directly from their farm. While it

can be inconvenient to drive out to a farm, it is a great way to develop a close relationship with the farmer and your food.

• You can use the Pure Catskills website to find farms in your area and to see what products they offer. Another great search engine website is Local Harvest.

• What to expect: Farmers are very busy during the harvest season, and may be hard to get a hold of. But keep trying. Also, try different modes of communication. No response to your email? Try calling. Most farmers are more than happy to talk with you about what products they offer and price.

Buy at a Natural Foods Store• There are stores that sell farm products. Here is a list of some

in Delaware County:• Good Cheap Food (Delhi)• Lucky Dog Farm Store (Hamden)• Catskill Harvest Market (Liberty)• Masonville General Store• Tremperskill Country Store (Andes)• Pepacton Natural Foods (Downsville)• The Marketplace (Walton)

• The stores are good because they are convenient and have regular hours. However, they tend to be more expensive than buying directly from a farmer.

Can’t I buy local at the Grocery Store?• It depends. Some grocery stores carry more local products

than others. If a grocery store does carry local, it tends to be value added products: jams, honey, bread, etc. But I have seen local fruits and vegetables in a grocery store once or twice. • The Price Chopper in Delhi doesn’t carry much that is local. Look

for “Handsome Brook Farm” jams and preserves.• The Hannaford’s in Oneonta carries some local products. They do

a great job of labeling them as “local” so they aren’t too hard to find.

• Big M grocery store in Walton• Wegmans in Binghamton has a lot of local. But that is a long way

to drive for groceries.

• Ask your grocery store to carry more local products.

Are there any other options?• Many places in the country are starting “online farmers markets” where you pre-order

online and then your order is either delivered to you or you pick it up. There isn’t any such thing in Delaware County, but depending where you live you may be able to take advantage of CNY Bounty. Check out their website here.

• Another good option is to eat at restaurants that have all-local or semi-local menus.• The Andes Hotel (Andes)• The Hidden Inn (Kortright)• The Hamden Inn (Hamden)• Quarter Moon café and catering (Delhi)• Bluestone Grill (Hancock)• Cross Roads Café (Delhi)• The East Branch Café (Roxbury)• Fabels (East Meredith)• Midtown Grill (Delhi)• Danny’s Restaurant (Walton)• The Shire (Delhi)• Binnekill Square Restaurant (Margaretville)• Lucky Dog Farm Café (Hamden)• Tay Tea Bar (Andes)

What about in the Winter?• As we all know, upstate NY has a short growing season. But there

are some things you can do to have local food in the winter months. 1. Dairy , Poultry and Meat products are in season all year round. If

you buy a large quantity all at once, the farmer will probably give you a discount. Then, you can freeze what you’re not going to use right away.

2. Learn how to preserve food. There are lots of books on this topic. Also Cornell Cooperative Extension has a lot of very useful workshops. Go to a U-pick place in the summer and pick lots of berries and then freeze them for the winter. It takes some planning ahead, but with a little creativity you can enjoy summer bounty all year round.

3. Winter Sun Farms has a winter share. This is similar to a CSA except all of the produce is frozen. They serve the Hudson Valley and NYC. The closest pickup points to Delhi are Saugerties and Kingston. There is only 1 pickup per month (December-March) so the drive may be worth it.

I have some concerns…• Is local food regulated?

• Local fruits and vegetables do not get “inspected” by anyone except the farmer. But, since they are dealing with much smaller quantities than big producers this means they can keep a closer eye on everything. Also, Local farmers aren't anonymous and they take their responsibility to the consumer seriously. This creates accountability.

• Most local meat and poultry is processed at a USDA slaughterhouse. If you have any questions, ask the farmer.

• I don’t know what’s in season when.•Check out this Harvest Calendar published by NYS Dept. of Ag. and Markets. Here is

another seasonality guide.

•How do I know what chemicals the farmer uses?• If you are concerned, just ask the farmer about their growing/feeding practices. If the farm

has a website, that should tell you as well.

• Do local products have a shorter shelf life?•Typically, yes. Since they do not have added preservatives, the food will spoil faster.

What about cost?• Ah, the big question…with really no solid answer.

• Local fruits and vegetables can get pretty close to the price in the grocery store, and they are higher quality (more nutrients, fresher) The price fluctuates weekly, based on how much the farmer has and how badly they want to get rid of it.

• Local Meats, Poultry, and Dairy are definitely more expensive than in the grocery store. But just how much more expensive all depends on the growing practices (organic vs. non organic, grass-fed vs. grain-fed, etc.).

• Remember: buying in bulk will save you money. If you’re willing to put in the time and energy, U-pick is a great way to get a lot of produce for not too much money. Some vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and other root vegetables can stay good for a long time in cold storage (like in your basement) so you can buy a lot at once.

How do we make local affordable for everyone?• There are a lot of initiatives out there that seek to increase access to

local food for those on a lower income.

• State programs such as the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (WIC)

• NYC Greenmarkets has a project called YUM. They buy wholesale from the farmer and then volunteers pack these into smaller quantities to sell at the wholesale (lower) price.

• Other groups have done what is called “gleaning.” Sometimes, a farmer has such a surplus they can’t even harvest it all and it rots in the field. Gleaning groups ask permission from the farmer to go harvest the surplus—and then donate this surplus to Food Banks.

• Utilizing “Seconds.” Farms typically have products that they don’t put out for sale because they have a lot of blemishes. These could be made into a value-added product (such has soup) and offered at Food pantries, etc.

Questions?