What Counts as "Local"?

With the growing popularity of eating locally produced and sourced food, this has become an increasingly important question: what is "local"?

If you look up the word “locavore” in the Merriam Webster dictionary, the definition reads “one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible.” This doesn’t actually give a clear meaning of the maximum (or minimum) distance needed to be "local", however. The locavore movement started in San Francisco based on an idea of a 100-mile diet, meaning that the food they eat is within a 100 mile radius of where they live. Other people define local a little more loosely, though, and think it means anything that they can drive a reasonable distance to get. What is "‘reasonable" is also up for debate.

I found my favorite description in the book “The Locavore Way” by Amy Cotler. She defines local this way: “as close to home (or wherever you are) as possible, the closer the better". This really struck me as the most unpretentious and easily accessible definition of local that I’ve come across.

My personal definition of local fits along the same lines as Cotler’s. I really try to eat locally, but I eat seasonally as well. During the summer months in the Boston area, I constantly buy my fruit and vegetables from the farmer’s markets around the city. I also harvest from my own garden and, starting this year, will have a CSA share. However, eating this way is not completely possible during the winter when the markets have stopped and most produce is not in season here.

When I can’t get produce locally, I buy it from places that are as close as possible and where the food is in season. More and more, supermarkets (even big chains) are labeling where food is actually from. Whether products are from Vermont, California, or Mexico, it's nice to see their origins noted and be able to make an informed decision about where I'm getting my food.

Certain foods, however, can be hard or nearly impossible to get from a local source, such as coffee. Coffee beans will not grow in New England, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a bit of a local touch. There are a few places in Boston, such as Flat Back Coffee Company, which roast their coffee beans in house. This keeps the beans fresher for a longer period of time.

The bottom line when it comes to the meaning of local is that it is up to you! Don’t be intimidated by the “100-mile” locavore definition, or think that if you don’t get it from your region that it can’t be considered local. Make your own rules, don’t be confined to one "definition", and enjoy eating good, fresh food, wherever local means to you!

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA Shares)

As you know from some of my previous posts, I wholeheartedly support getting your produce (and meat for that matter) from local farms as much as possible. So far, I've mainly purchased these from farmers' markets in the city. This year, however, I've decided to go a different route: a CSA share.

CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture". What exactly does this mean? Basically, you purchase a "share" of a farm, investing in its farming season. This gives money up front to the farm, prior to the growing season, and gives them income when they need it the most. In return, you get a share of their harvest each week. Several farms now have pickup locations at Boston farmers' markets.

Once you've purchased a share, you go to the designated pickup spot each week and get your box of produce! Along with your vegetable share, you can even get fruit, flower, and meat shares from certain farms. CSA shares are often priced on a sliding scale, and farms usually have different sizes available. There is a suggested price per share, but if you have a low income you can pay less. You can also opt to pay more, helping lower income folks to get shares. It really is a win-win situation all around!

Of course, there are risks involved in purchasing a CSA share (if you can call them risks). Since you are taking the same risk as the farmers by investing in the crops, you are at the mercy of the growing season. Having started my own garden last summer, I know all too well how the weather can affect the success of the harvest. However, I think the rewards of a CSA program far outweigh the risk of receiving smaller baskets of produce.

I will be posting updates as soon as I decide which farm to purchase a CSA share from. Then, throughout the season, I will be writing about some of the interesting and wonderful produce I receive.

I really hope this inspires you to go one step further than farmers' markets, and help local farms with their upcoming season by purchasing a CSA share yourself.

For more information on Boston area CSA programs, visit the Boston Localvores site or the NOFA/Mass site.