Buy fresh, buy local - here's how

Local food. In this world of global trade, what exactly does it mean? What is the importance of local foods in our daily lives? Local food is food grown within a radius-maybe 50, or even 100 miles, from home. “Local” today tends be farther afield than in the past. With the decline in agricultural lands in our region over the past 50 years, coupled with the ability to go farther, faster, it is easier but necessary to travel farther for local foods. While the farms which used to dot the landscape throughout Bergen and eastern Morris Counties just a few decades ago are mostly gone, residents of Susexx County are fortunate to find local Jersey grown food at area green markets or farms. It might no longer be possible to find a cheese maker just down the road, but there are still a few scattered in Morris, Warren and Sussex Counties. Chickens, lamb, beef and pork are all raised by local farmers who sell meat directly to consumers. Honey and even minimally-processed products such as jams and syrups can also be found. Baked goods made with local produce- especially without the additives found in processed foods on supermarket shelves- are also a local food. A restaurant quiche made with local farm eggs, herbs and vegetables is a local food as well. Local foods are available seasonally, but that season is longer than many realize. Field crops here in northwestern New Jersey begin around late April and continue through frost. Some, such as kale, can be harvested right through the snow! Others, like carrots, potatoes or onions store with just a little care. Some meats are available year-round. Others run on a seasonal schedule. “Season extension” techniques such as cold frame or greenhouse growing, or using row covers or high tunnels, extend the harvest a few extra weeks on either end of the season. Local foods can play a primary role in our diets, with just a little change in attitude and a bit of effort. Good farming enhances soil health and water quality, provides wildlife habitat and preserves vistas for the benefit of all. It also provides fresh, nutritious foods without cross-country transportation, which can be picked at the peak of freshness and sold the same day, and which provide far more variety and flavor than the trans-continental supermarket produce lining our supermarket shelves. Locally-grown crops are grown for taste, not shipping and packing ability. Tough skins travel well, but don’t taste good. Some foods, like raspberries, don’t store well under any conditions. Chemicals to prolong shelf life might be present in foods which come to us from afar. Not so at the local farm. Local berries- or any other crops- are fresh-picked, not shipped, and sold to the consumer within days- not weeks- of harvest. Biodiversity is an important concept in local farming. Commercial agriculture has given us icebox tomatoes and iceberg lettuce, but local farmers still give us heirloom varieties like the purple Cherokee tomato, and endless varieties of lettuce or other produce. Local livestock farmers grow heritage breeds, which have become endangered as large industrial farming has bred animals for quick growth, calm dispositions and the right amount of fat in their meat, rather than for unique characteristics. Northwestern New Jersey continues to offer a rich diversity of local foods with nnumerous farms, complete with on-site stands or pick-your-own offerings. Many farmers use biodynamic or organic methods, where no chemical are used. Some sell food shares to subscribers - commonly known as CSA’s - while some sell at farmers’ markets or roadside stands, or to area restaurants. The key to finding local foods is to stop - at the stand, the farm, or the farmers’ market- and to purchase from the grower. Ask where the food was grown, by whom and even how, and get to know local growers. It isn’t “one-stop shopping” or “open 24 hours,” but farmers are making their products more accessible. Farmers’ markets bring many together, and many now offer web sites and online ordering. A resource is the Foodshed Alliancev at www.foodshedalliance.org Or call 908-362-7967. Find farmers at: www.buyfreshnwj.org.