Buying local is more than just a marketing phrase and it should matter to you.
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The phrase “Buy local” is used so often in our society it holds little importance to us as consumers. Not unlike the marketing campaigns touting products or services claiming to be green, sustainable or regenerative.
But what does it mean to truly buy local? Does this matter to you? It should. In Worcester County, we have 1,568 farms. They grow fruits, vegetables, grains; raise chickens, cattle, sheep; produce milk, cheese and harvest fibers for clothing and blankets. They work on Christmas morning, during hurricanes and while kids are home sick from school. They do this to produce the highest quality for you, your family and community. They are superheroes.
Farmers markets are one of the most widely recognized opportunities to buy local, but how can you support your superhero farmers in January or in the fall when your child’s soccer practice takes place at the same time as your beloved Saturday morning market? Local food is everywhere; and you can be a champion supporter of your local farmers.
Sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, program produce and protein farmers offer to help buying local food become a habit. In the winter months, you reserve your share of the harvest by paying for roughly 10-20 weeks of vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and herbs. Once the program begins, usually in May or June, you visit the farm stand or designated pickup location weekly to collect your share of the harvest. Some farms will have a box packed and ready for you. Others may put out a selection of foods, and you get to pick what your family will like best. Each share is valued at a certain dollar amount, equaling in total to the amount you invested in the farm when you reserved your share. The benefit to the farmer is two-fold: They use the early season revenue to purchase seed, equipment and labor before the harvest; and the sale is guaranteed. They are not at the whim of weather patterns if their usually busy Tuesday market is rained out.
Buy in bulk. During harvest, farmers offer price discounts on large quantities. Green beans in August can be purchased for prices similar to, or less than, the grocery store. When combined with a few hours of your time, freezing, canning or drying these foods can provide a year-round supply. Similarly, protein producers will offer whole, half or quarter animals for one per pound price. Buying in this manner removes the argument that local food is expensive. It simply begs the question, how big is your freezer?
Eat at restaurants your farmer sells to. Restaurants buying local value their relationship with their farmers and have seasonal menu offerings. Their local purchasing does not stop when the first freeze settles in mid-October. Restaurants are proud of this accomplishment, and will happily list on their menu, in social media or while the server is sharing the specials which farms they are supporting. Many do this because they value investing in their local economy, but also because they recognize local foods make the best ingredients. And to a superior chef, this is paramount to none.
Mackenzie May is the executive director of Worcester nonprofit Central Mass Grown. To learn more, visit www.CentralMassGrown.org.
