Regional Food Systems

Recently I attended a meeting at the Great Valley Center (http://www.greatvalley.org/) about regional food systems. We discussed local food and how it moves through the system, and also the quality of food available in the Central Valley for purchase. We also discussed the definition of local, something that most people agreed was the area of California.

The best place to find locally grown produce is The Modesto Farmers Market, which takes place behind the Stanislaus County library. The 2007 season is May5-Dec5. It's a great place and has delicious produce.

Life is busy, and it's difficult to make healthy food choices. This is why I do try to buy locally grown produce when possible. My main motivation is taste. I grew up eating fruits and veggies from my grandfather's farm. If you've grown your own carrots, then you know what a REAL carrot should taste like. You aren't fooled by the dry, wilty substitutes found in most markets that have been trucked many miles.

I can't say this is a study I've conducted, or verified research, but from my own tiniest point of view in the food web, the fresher the food, the better the taste. Therefore, it makes the most sense to buy locally grown food. But how do you know what is local or the most local if you can't visit a farmers market?

Here's a familiar story: a man goes to the supermarket today and buys some peaches. He has no way of knowing the local season for them is long past. He gets home, eagerly bites into the fruit, but finds it is dry, mealy and inedible. Disgusted, he throws it in the trash can and vows never to shop at that market again. Or that he doesn't like peaches.

I imagine this scenario happens frequently, with the sad consequence of less people consuming fresh fruits and vegetables.

A truly tasty peach is picked at the height of its ripeness (June-August in our area). One bite causes a large amount of juice to dribble down your chin. A peach grown south of the border may be in season there, but it's from a variety chosen for it's durability.

And here's the sad part: local farmers are tearing out peach orchards because there is no longer a market for them. They can't sell their peaches fresh or canned. This all has to do with economics, availability, the world market, changes in consumer desires and the price of land in California. It's a sad cycle, but I think it's one we can slow down somewhat.

If you're interested in fresh produce, start by learning a little bit more about the seasons (check out the link below), then, ask your grocer for local produce. Chances are, they may be able to find something you are looking for, and other people will be interested in, too.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_produce_guide/

When you shop, think about geography. An apple from Washington will taste fresher than one from NZ or Chile. And I think that's something worthing paying a few extra cents (or dollars) per pound.