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Omnivores, carnivores, herbivores … oh my!
So, most human beings are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and other animals. While, carnivores, like many wild cats, eat only other animals; and herbivores only eat plants.
Today, there’s a new eating style going around called locavore.
To take the definition directly from Wikipedia: A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles (240 km). The locavore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to produce their own food, with the argument that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locally grown food is an environmentally friendly means of obtaining food, since supermarkets that import their food use more fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.
For those of us already psyched about eating locally produced and raised foods, the term locavore might be considered old hat. But for many, it’s a new way to phrase it and a new concept all together.
There are several resources in Central Ohio where you can learn more about eating local. To name a few:
Also, a group from the San Francisco Bay Area, and owners of Locavores.com, share these tips for living the locavore lifestyle. (And they’re pretty in-tune with what most other sites share as well.)
- If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic. This is one of the most readily available alternatives in the market and making this choice protects the environment and your body from harsh chemicals and hormones.
- If not ORGANIC, then Family farm. When faced with Kraft or Cabot cheeses, Cabot, a dairy co-op in Vermont, is the better choice. Supporting family farms helps to keep food processing decisions out of the hands of corporate conglomeration.
- If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business. Basics like coffee and bread make buying local difficult. Try a local coffee shop or bakery to keep your food dollar close to home.
- If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Terroir, which means ‘taste of the Earth’. Purchase foods famous for the region they are grown in and support the agriculture that produces your favorite non-local foods such as Brie cheese from Brie, France or parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy.
- Hit the farmers’ market before the supermarket. Plan your meal around local ingredients you find at the market.
- Branch out. Maybe your usual food repertoire could use some fresh ideas. The farmers’ market provides a perfect chance to try a new ingredient when it’s in season, and lets you talk to its grower to find out the best way to prepare your new food. Flirt with your food producer!
- Feed the freezer. Can’t cook every night? Worried about your fresh produce going bad? It’s easy. Make lasagna with local tomatoes or a soup packed with fresh veggies and freeze it! You can also make personal size meals for a brown bag lunch.
We tried a co-op for the first time this summer and never ate so many fresh vegetables. We left a cooler on our front steps weekly and would come home to find it full of corn, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, kohlrabi, potatoes – whatever was ripe that week. We loved knowing exactly where our vegetables were coming from (Tim & Christy Cook’s New Century CSA in Circleville, OH http://www.newcenturycsa.com/index.html). Thanks Tim & Christy!
The Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association is another great resource that helps connect consumers with farmers in their area. OEFFA offers a Good Earth Guide–a directory of local and organic farmers in the state, a yearly conference (this year’s speakers will be Joel Salatin and Chef Ann Cooper), hands on workshops, farm tours that allow locavores to shake the hand of the farmer that feeds them, an apprenticeship program, and much more. For more information, go to http://www.oeffa.org.
Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I forgot to list OEFFA. **red-faced**
I was definitely thinking about you guys. Sorry about that!
Good food for thought. And it’s hard to list all of the organizations around that have something to do with local food, in part because the concept seems to mean different things to different people. The most stark illustration of this point is Frito-Lay’s new “Local Lay’s” potato chips, made with local potatoes — an example of a product that will likely divide locavores. (A few musings on such issues here, but really just a start.)
The Clintonville Community Market at the corner of Crestview and Calumet has been a key resource for my attempt to put money into the hands of local growers, instead of putting that money into the hands of the big players in the food industry who need to clean up their acts, socially and environmentally.
I live near Whole Foods on Lane Avenue but I prefer the Clintonville Community Market. Whole Foods has a lot of organic produce and grains but they don’t seem to be working as much with local growers as the consumer co op in Clintonville. Whole Foods may also define ‘local’ more loosely than the co op.
If more and more of us divert our money away from purchases at big food retailers such as Giant Eagle, Meijer, and Kroger and into the hands of people with small to medium, more ecologically sound farms, it could make a difference.