One Habit at a Time – Eat Local Foods

Think globally, but eat locally!  The summer is a great time to concentate on local, in-season produce. Knowing exactly where your fruits and vegetables come from is a wonderful way to feel closer to the earth.  

According to www.thegreenguide.com/blog/tow/kw/small_farms  “In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table.  Buying fresh, local food is not only environmentally sustainable but also preserves flavor and nutrients.”   Consider the environmental costs of transporting and possibly refrigerating food for all those miles.  Do you need 10 more reasons to support local farms? Visit www.mariquita.com/articles/10reasons.local.htm

Here in the “Valley of the Heart’s Delight” we have many options for obtaining fresh local produce:

Look for produce marked “locally grown” in your grocery store. Try produce-oriented stores such as Milk Pail, DeMartini’s, Webb Ranch, Ardenwood or Sigona’s for the best selections. Country Sun prominently labels their local products.

Visit a Local Farmers’ Market.  Almost every town has one. Palo Alto’s is held behind the downtown post office on Saturdays from 8-noon;  it will open again on May 12. A year-round market is held on Sunday mornings on California Ave. Menlo Park and Mountain View have year-round markets on Sunday mornings. Los Altos has a seasonal market from 4-8pm Thursdays.

Join a Community Supported Agriculture group (CSA). Details vary, but generally members pay a fixed fee to a local farm group in exchange for a weekly share of the harvest, often delivered to a location near your home. My friend uses Mariquita Farm (www.mariquita.com ) which has pickup locations throughout the South Bay.  Hidden Villa requires you to pick up at their Los Altos Hills farm (www.hiddenvilla.org//csa.php )

    To find other farmers’ markets or CSAs, visit www.localharvest.org

Pick it yourself. Farms such as Phipp’s Ranch (www.phippscountry.com ) in Pescadero and Coastways Ranch (www.swantonberryfarm.com) along Hwy 1 offer berry picking. 

Grow it yourself at home or in a community garden. Even in my shady yard I am able to grow a few tomatoes and herbs, some in the ground and some in my window box. I love being able to walk outside and pick my own! There are many tomato varieties available, but I’ve had good results with San Francisco Fog and Early Girl (round red tomatoes), Roma and Mamma Mia (plum tomatoes) and Sweet 100 and Sun Gold (red and yellow cherry tomatoes).  Chives, Italian parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are all easy to grow and last through the winter.  Mint is so hardy that you can’t get rid of it – be sure to plant it in a container!  Citrus trees thrive in the ground here and can also be grown in pots.

    To find a community garden, consult your local parks department or try www.communitygarden.org 

Become a locavore!

First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto
www.fprespa.org/coolplanet
May, 2007