Did Your Shopping List Kill a Songbird - The New York Times

Here's a sad tale of what our demand for out of season fruits and vegetables does to other species -- specifically, the beautiful songbirds that we take for granted. Eating locally, in season, means that our food doesn't require the massive amounts of toxic pesticides that those berries in the winter need to make it up to our cold region.

This year, I made it to about January on the frozen peaches and berries I bought at the farmer's market and saved from last season. This just means I'll have to stock up more next summer!

Eating Locally on a Budget

I've often heard of concerns about eating locally through a farmer's market because it can cost more than the food at a conventional supermarket. This can be true, but one reason for this is because small, local farmers aren't receiving the same subsidies as industrial agriculture.

This blog post on Wise Bread talks about this further and gives great tips on how to save money at the farmer's market. Many farmer's markets, such as the ones in Boston and in my current town of New Haven, also take WIC and food stamps so that local food can reach a wider audience.

Some tips that I would add are:
1. Browse the entire market before buying -- often, some stands have cheaper produce than others.
2. Eat in season -- the most abundant fruits and vegetables will often be the cheapest. The more you buy out of season, the more you'll pay.
3. Buy in bulk -- along with eating in season, you can find good deals if you're willing to buy a few more carrots or tomatoes. This is also a great time to stock up on fruits and vegetables to can or freeze to have local produce available throughout the year.
4. Befriend your local farmer -- I'm not suggesting scamming our beloved farmers, but those who I have gotten to know and been loyal to have very generously given me deals on their produce. They know, too, that this business is all about relationships (well, that and good food).

Philanthropy through your food!

Here's an interesting way of thinking of local foods: as a way of spending your money wisely.

Those with philanthropic tendencies can use the local food market, through shopping farmer's markets or demanding local foods in grocery stores, as a way of giving to their community and supporting healthy neighborhoods. This has the added bonus of helping philanthropists eat better, too!

This is one of many ways that shows that you don't have to be rich to be a philanthropist -- it's all about the choices you make in life. For more articles about philanthropy and areas we care about, visit www.philanthromedia.org.

Recap of Local and/or Organic Potluck(with pics!)

We recently held our second event of 2007: Local and/or Organic - a potluck with a discussion of CSA's, Farmers Markets, local agriculture and the implications of buying from factory farms or from places outside of the region.

There were over 30 people in attendance to hear Mark Smith(Brookwood Community Farm and FarmAid) and Danielle Andrews(The Food Project) talk about their work specifically as well as all of the issues in general. The attendees were quite interested in the subject so a lively Q&A session followed the presentations. There were brochures and sign-up forms for various CSA's as well as a guide to buying local(including farmers markets) that is published by The Food Project.

Thanks to Doerte for taking pictures at the potluck! To see all of them, visit our MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/consciousconsuming