Joyce Houston/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 07/22/2009 01:30:23 AM PDT
What does "buy local" mean when talking about vegetables and fruits? It may mean different things at different times of the year. At this time of the year, when we can celebrate a wonderful variety of Humboldt County produce, buy local means growing food at home or focusing on choosing vegetables and fruits that are grown in our immediate communities.
At other times of the year, we may stretch the definition to cover first California, then region, and finally, country. When you use vegetables and fruits grown and harvested at home or in our immediate communities, there is a greater opportunity for maximizing your nutritional benefits, and our health is worth it.
The Community Alliance with Family Farms is best known in Humboldt County for its Farm to School program. It connects teachers directly to local farms through field trips, educational activities and nutritional awareness of fresh fruits and vegetables. This year the alliance has launched a "Buy Fresh Buy Local" campaign. From June to August, it is promoting local restaurant partners that serve creative dinners using Humboldt County produce. Each partner restaurant will highlight items on its menu that are locally produced, so consumers can easily choose to support local farms.
The first "Buy Fresh Buy Local" dinner was at F Street Café in Eureka on June 19 and celebrated the cuisine of Chef Dan McHugh. The next dinner is this Friday at Wildflower Café in Arcata. It will feature vegetarian options, with mixed baby greens from Little River Farms tossed with raspberry honey dressing, kale greens from Wildrose Farms sauteed with garlic, canario beans from Warren Creek Farms, and a local blueberry cobbler for dessert. These samplers will be side dishes served family style after
5 p.m. Seating will be first come, first served. Local wines from Briceland will be available by the glass. To complete the picture, Wildflower Café will present the artistry of our abundant produce through the work of local photographer Chris Wisner.
In August, "Buy Fresh Buy Local" dinners will be served at Avalon in Eureka, which will showcase a summer menu created from local producers of grass-fed beef and goat cheese, as well as local organic vegetables and beans from Warren Creek Farms and G-Farm.
On Aug. 26, the "Buy Fresh Buy Local" dinner will be hosted by Larrupin Café. Chef Tamara Tafoya is designing a fixed price menu for an evening in Trinidad.
Supporting the local restaurants that purchase from our local farms protects our Humboldt County food system, secures our agricultural lands for the future, strengthens our economy by circulating money locally, preserves the culture of agriculture and brings together our community to celebrate the abundance of our region.
Last September, at the height of our growing season, Community Alliance with Family Farmers also launched "Local Food Month." It celebrates the great variety and quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables available in our region and at our farms.
This September, Local Food Month events will provide opportunities to enjoy and learn about local foods and the people who produce them.
Local Food Month is a countywide celebration of local food, local farmers and local abundance, intended to raise awareness of agriculture and healthy food systems in Humboldt County. Each event brings people together to share food and fun in support of Humboldt County agriculture. A full calendar of events can be found at http://www.caff.org/humboldt, or by calling the alliance at 444-3255. The alliance works to promote Humboldt County agriculture, provide nutrition education and support market development for local farmers. The chapter is part of a statewide organization building a movement of rural and urban people in support of family farming and sustainable agriculture.
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