Local, Seasonal and/or Organic Produce
January 29, 2012 – 9:54 pmHappy New Year! 2011 was an eventful year, with earthquakes shaking across the pacific ocean, currency losing buying power, and immortal leaders dead. Many hope that 2012 will bring improvement, disregarding Emmerich’s prediction of California breaking away and three Friday the 13th spaced 13 weeks apart (2012 is a leap year).
As we strive for stability in this world, our health also demands stability. We want to make sure whatever we put into our mouths are sourced ethically and preserved wholesomely before delivered to our doorstep (okay, the local grocery store). We want to know the contents and source of our processed food. Recently, Tropicana was found to use oranges sourced from Brazil containing U.S.-banned fungicide carbandazim. There was a hurricane of comments online, urging Pepsi Co. to turn back to locally (Florida) produced oranges.
While locally grown produce may ensure quality control to a certain extent, awareness and caution should be exerted while buying local, seasonal, and organic produce.
Where to get local, seasonal and organic produce?
Local, Seasonal and Organic foods are largely available at your local farmer’s market. Some grocery stores sell store brand organic produce, and may have a “local” section. The CSA (Community Support Agriculture) is a great way to get relatively inexpensive local, seasonal and/or organic produce delivered right to your doorstep or available for pick up at a location near to you. Starting a community garden is also a great way to cultivate fresh herbs (JHU has our own herb garden behind the CSC, and has another community garden at Eastern Campus).
Why eat locally and seasonally?
The vegetables you bought from the big grocery store which you’re steaming for dinner probably traveled over a thousand miles to get to you. The average fresh produce item travels 1500 miles to get to its consumer. Besides reducing the number of miles your food travels, local and seasonally produce is generally more flavorful, as they are transported to consumers shortly after harvesting. By eating locally and seasonally, you are also helping to support local farmers.
Tips for buying
Besides (obviously) noting the appearance and aroma of the produce, there are also other things to consider while buying produce.
1. The source of produce
Where is the produce grown? How many kinds of produce are grown on the same land? How long is produce harvested before appearing in stores? At the farmer’s market, farmers are usually willing to answer those questions, especially if they own the farm and are proud of it. Farmers are also generally honest about the source of their produce. A farmer once told me that her garlics were from China while most of her other produce were locally farmed. That helps buyers make decisions.
**Side note: I tried the garlic from China, and it turned out to be much fresher than those from larger grocery stores… makes me wonder how old those garlic were…**
2. Know what your local and seasonal produce are
Did you know that strawberries are not grown all year long – not even in California. During the winter months, strawberries are imported, mainly from Mexico. It’s important to know what is seasonal in your region. For Maryland, a few helpful websites are:
http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbyregion/a/marylandseasons.htm
http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/agripro.html
3. Learn what “organic” means
You may have already noticed that not all organic produce are created equal. What is the real “organic” stamp? Who is it approved by? What are the requirements for organic? You might find out that something that isn’t certified as “organic” might be even more wholesome than something that is certified as “organic”.
The USDA maintains a definition of “organic”. Based on the USDA website, ”the USDA organic seal verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used.” The full regulations are available here. Products that satisfy at least 95% of the requirements for “organic” are stamped with the following label:
Many produce can be grown ethically and healthily, even if they do not compile with USDA’s definition of “organic”. A farm may utilize the same methods as described as “organic”, but its products might not be at least 95% organic (a vague number to define). Consumers are encouraged to read what organic really means, and ask critical questions regarding the handling, growing, cropping etc of the produce marked as “organic”.
4. Ask if you can visit the farm
Some CSA farm owners biannually invite their members to visit the farms. If you purchase from a farmer regularly, you may also ask if you could visit the farm and volunteer for a day or two. You get to escape from your hectic schedule, plunge into nature, and witness with your own eyes how the squash and eggplant you love are grown.
Other notes
Lastly, many farmer’s markets in Baltimore, Maryland have summer and winter markets. Usually, local produce are only sold in summer markets, while farmers import produce from warmer states during the winter season. If you live in a tropical climate, your farmer’s market might offer local produce year-round.
Here’s a toast to a healthy new year!
