It's never easy to say "goodbye" to a Christmas tree, but when its time has come, you can make sure it goes back to the earth in a sustainable way.
Each village in Nassau County has its own yard waste & sanitation pick-up procedures, and many have special days for Christmas tree pick up & drop offs. These trees are used as mulch in landscaping. Some villages even offer this mulch for free for residents.
You can also put your tree to use as a birdfeeder in your backyard, or as a soil erosion barrier on a hill. You may also want to consider a rooted or potted tree for next year that can be planted at the end of the season. For more ideas, you can visit this site.
With Simple Shoes taking a creative break, the search recycled materials shoes had to get a bit more creative! Although many companies offer a style or two of shoes with recycled materials, it can make a much bigger statement (as a fashionista & a consumer) to buy from brands that consistently stick with the values you believe in.
The best-known online brands for recycled materials are soleRebels, for all types of shoes, and Okabashi, for recycled rubber sandals. soleRebelswas founded in 2004 by Bethlehem Alemu to create jobs in her community in Ethiopia. They now carry WFTO/IFAT Fair Trade Certification & make literally hundreds of styles of shoes, from flip flops to sneakers to ballet flats & slip-ons, all with options to customize colors. Okabashi shoes are made in the USA from recycled materials, creating jobs & vegan styles since 1984. They also have a recycling program, where you can send in your worn out shoes to be recycled at their factory.
On Long Island, you can find new & lightly used shoes at many resale & thrift shops, to reduce and reuse footwear. Homegrown Boutique, a new store based in Babylon Village, creates handmade garments, bags & accessories from repurposed materials; they're made in the USA by Long Island artisans.
New York City is the home ofMoo Shoes, a vegan accessory store that sells cruelty-free shoes, bags, belts & accessories. They also have an online store if you'd rather not make the trip to the Lower East Side. Moo Shoes isn't its own brand, but offers the vegan selections from other well-known brands (like Big Buddha & Madden Girl).
Luckily, many of today's brands offer vegan, fair trade & recycled options that don't look much different than mainstream shoes, so you can chose to stand out, speak up, or blend in as much as you'd like while still putting your dollars toward sound choices.
Great news! Friends & Farmers just announced that Kennedy Plaza Farmers Market in Long Beach will have extended winter hours this year!
Kennedy Plaza Farmers Market
Long Beach City Hall Lobby
1 W. Chester Street, Long Beach, NY Open: Wednesdays from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
December 14, 2011 - February 29, 2012
The Kennedy Plaza Farmers Market always has a great selection of food & plenty of vendors available so you can find everything on your grocery list at one stop. And, if somehow something's still missing, there's always Bob's Natural Foods across the street. Another reason to love this farmers market is the accessibility through the LIRR -- the Long Beach station is directly across from Kennedy Plaza.
This Wednesday, you'll find:
Apples (Red Jacket Orchards)
Root veggies (Madura Farms)
Mushrooms (Madura Farms)
Salad mix (Madura Farms)
Pickes (Horman's Best Pickles)
Eggs (Millport Dairy)
Bacon (Millport Dairy)
Breakfast Sausage (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)
Eggnog (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)
Ice Cream (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)
Yogurt (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)
Pies & baked goods (Bread Alone)
Wine - $2 off every bottle (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)
There are two big Long Island sustainability events this week, starting tomorrow morning! For those interested in small- and mid-scale agriculture on Long Island, there will be a planning meeting for the 2nd annual Long Island Small Farm Summit. And for energy-minded residents, Food & Water Watch will be hosting a rally against hydrofracking in Manhasset, right next to the LIRR station.
Both events are sure to be great networking opportunities with other Long Island citizens concerned about sustainability. You may also happen upon chef & Slow Food Huntington co-founder Bhavani Jaroff of I Eat Green, who shared these Nassau events in her weekly newsletter & radio show.
Tuesday: Long Island Small Farm Summit Planning Meeting
9:30 AM at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, NY
"Sold out in advance, the first Small Farm Summit held April 15, 2011 at SUNY College Old Westbury was attended by more than 600 people interested in locally sustainable agriculture on Long Island.
Organizers of the 2012 Summit are expecting to bring together an even larger, more diverse group of educators, farmers, parents, children, municipalities, land trusts, not-for-profits, community leaders, restaurant owners and chefs, and concerned citizens focused on strengthening the local food system and increasing community awareness of and access to more locally grown food."
Thursday: Rally Against Fracking with Food & Water Watch 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM at Mary Jane Davies Green
"Long Islanders will be directly affected by hydraulic fracturing. Fracking upstate will increase our air pollution, and could send millions of gallons of toxic and radioactive wastewater to treatment facilities on Long Island. That is why this coming Thursday, December 15th, at 3:30 PM, Food and Water Watch, Grassroots Environmental Education and Reach Out America will be holding a rally to show that Long Islanders care about hydraulic fracturing. The rally will take place at the Mary Jane Davies Green in Manhasset- the small park right on Plandome Road, near the train Manhasset train station. Come, and bring as many friends and family members as possible!"
Even though we're starting to feel the winter chill here on Long Island, it's still a great time to get outside & explore the natural world. Did you know that squirrels make nests? Ever see animal tracks or their winter homes? Watch migrating waterfowl over a harbor?
Bare trees and clear skies can show many of the homes & processes in an ecosystem that are usually invisible, and a guided tour at a nature center can help you identify these things year-long with your children.
Here's the nature centers you'll find in Nassau County for some outdoor, kid-friendly winter activities:
Organic Corner, the newly-renovated health food store in Massapequa, will be hosting a "Survive the Holidays" workshop with Letitia Fowler, founder and nutrition & health counselor at Personal Best Health and Wellness.
Organic Corner writes:
"As the holiday season approaches we wanted to help each of you navigate thru the never ending parties/celebrations (aka: season for binge eating) !!! On Saturday December 10th, Please stop by and learn some pointers to not only survive the holidays, but also enjoy them without all the stress and guilt that goes along with it."
The event will take place this Saturday, December 10th from 2:00 - 3:00pm in Organic Corner's lounge, 37 Broadway, Massapequa NY 11758.
Last night, I was excited to attend the LI HomeGrown Open House at The Congregational Church of South Hempstead -- even the building that hosted the meeting is taking green initiatives!
LI HomeGrown is a proposed project of LI Launchpad, a business accelerator that works to start up sustainable social enterprises on Long Island. LI Launchpad is headed by Chuck Schwartz of LI Green, Rev. Patrick G. Duggan of Abundant Communities Together, and Francis Fragola of Collaborative Energy Group.
LI HomeGrown will collaborate with local growers on Long Island to facilitate the production, market development, distribution, and sale of local foods. They would also like to establish commercial kitchens, so that growers can add value to their produce by canning, jarring, prepping, and freeze-drying their fruits & vegetables. Kitchens could also provide a space for cooking classes, healthy food access, and value added processing for entrepreneurial residents of LI. Marketing these locally grown foods will also encourage educational programs about the existence and benefits of small-scale agriculture in Nassau County and western Suffolk.
This kind of venture is just beginning to be recognized nationally & internationally as a "food hub". A food hub, according to the USDA's working definition, is "a centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products." These facilities have an amazing potential to make small- and mid-scale agriculture a competitive option for the average consumer in the marketplace.
Usually, if small-scale farmers want to sell their produce, they can do so through a farm stand, CSA, or co-op. However, these methods can often be an inconvenience for both a busy, small-scale farmer and a potential buyer, who might have to travel far out of their way to support local agriculture. Food hubs can solve this problem by making locally-produced food more convenient for both farmers & buyers. Food hubs' services can include picking up produce from farms to cities, sorting & grading produce, marketing and advertising, and coordinating sales.
This weekend marks the first of G&G's Winter Farmers Markets on Long Island for the 2011/2012 winter season. G&G Winter Farmers Markets offer three locations: Melville, Garden City, and Northport. On December 3rd, the Melville location will open, with live music & regional vendors. For a full list of vendors, you can visit their website.
Melville G&G Winter Farmers Market
Sweet Hollow Hall
West Hills County Park
98 Gwynne Road
Melville, NY 11747 Open: Saturdays (8am - 12pm) & Sundays (10am - 2pm) in December
December: 3rd, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th
Garden City G&G Winter Farmers Market
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
223 Stewart Ave (corner of Stewart Ave & Nassau Blvd)
Garden City, NY 11530 Open:Sundays in January, February and March from 1:00pm - 5:00pm
January: 8th, 15th, 22nd
February: 5th 12th, 19th
March: 4th, 11th, 18th
Northport G&G Winter Farmers Market
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
270 Main Street
Northport, NY 11768 Open:Sundays in January, February and March from 1:00pm - 5:00pm
January: 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
February: 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th
March: 4th, 11th
Although Nassau County-produced food might be slim pickings over the winter compared to the summer, there are always the stores listed under Local Links (on the right side of the page) to supplement your conscious cold-weather food shopping.
Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and now... Small Business Saturday! This Saturday, November 26th, people nationwide are pledging to shop at local small businesses for their holiday shopping. Shoppers will avoid the crowds at the malls, participate in stores' Saturday Sales, and get to know their neighbors who own & shop at these establishments.
Check out the Top 10 Reasons to Shop Local from the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, or the Malverne-West Hempstead Patch's online article for more information.
I'd also highly recommend taking a look at Think Long Island First for really local, Long Island-made gifts (they also have a great 10 Reasons to Buy Local list). Think Long Island First offers unique, hand-made goods created on Long Island by local artists, craftspeople, authors, and chefs. They have a store in Oyster Bay within the Buckingham Variety Store (36 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay NY 11771), which I am very excited to visit later this month & share on Locally Long Island.
You can check your community's Chamber of Commerce website for a listing of local stores, but I find that the easiest way to find small businesses is to drive around your community & stop in the small boutiques you may have drove by without notice in the past. I'm also attaching some of Nassau County's Chamber of Commerce links below for lists of local businesses:
At this time of gratitude, I felt it was appropriate to post why I'm glad I live and grew up in Nassau County, Long Island:
We're only a 40 minute train ride away from the Greatest City in the World -- New York City! And then we get to go back home to the suburbs to sleep! You're never more than half an hour from a beautiful beach, to the north, south, or east
The LIRR may have its moments, but for the most part, it's one of the most reliable & clean train systems
Our wonderful, free parks: Massapequa Preserve, Eisenhower Park, Tanglewood Preserve, etc.
Long Island specialties, like Ralph's Italian Ices & La Bottega
Our abundance of festivals -The Strawberry Festival, Fall Festivals, church festivals, etc.
Diners!
What makes YOU thankful for living on Long Island?
Long Island is finally approaching its peak leaf-changing display of the season! The I ♥ New York website issues a Fall Foliage report each week to map which areas of the state are experiencing the most colorful leaves, and Long Island is due to be next.
With this in mind, I wanted to share some of my favorite places in Nassau County to view the fall's colors in the next few weeks. It's nice to be able to put a name to the leaves you'll see, and I'd recommend this brief Leaf ID page or a more comprehensive field guide to take along with you. There's also easy art projects to do with children, like creating animals and people with the leaves you find, or doing leaf rubbings with paper and crayons.
Tanglewood Preserve hosts 2 very short & level loop trails: one around a pond and one through the woods. The Center for Science Teaching and Learning is also on this site, offering the Amazing Animals exhibit from 10:00am - 4:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. The ease of the trails and exhibit make it a great place to bring children. I've seen red ear slider turtles, woodpeckers, and swans at this park.
There are great trails all over this 423-acre parcel in Massapequa. My favorite places to pick up the trail are on Linden Street immediately off of Exit 31S of Hecksher State Parkway (all woods trail), from the baseball fields & parking lot down Lakeshore Drive & Walker Street (woods and streams), from Van Buren Street and Lake Shore Drive (pond and woods), and from Veterans Boulevard and Parkside Boulevard (pond and woods). The Bethpage Bikeway runs north and south throughout the park, and Brady Park offers a playground for kids.
I'm not sure I remember exactly where I picked up the Eisenhower Park trail, but I believe it was Park Boulevard going towards the picnic area, because there were lots of park benches and picnic tables to sit under. What was most impressive about this spot was the super smooth pavement (for my new longboarding skills); would definitely be a great spot to rollerblade or bike too.
Open Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm [ Google Map ]
Leeds Pond Preserve overlooks Manhasset Bay and is home to the Science Museum of Long Island. This hike offers great woods, as well as a historic Victorian mansion (which hosts the Museum).
Where are your favorite spots to see the leaves change colors? What are your favorite fall activities for nature walks?
Water for Long Island:
Defending Long Island's Water Supply Forum
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Cold Spring Harbor Library
95 Harbor Road (Rt. 25-A)
Cold Spring Harbor, LI
*Free*
Presentations by US Geological Survey, Suffolk County Department of Health Services & NYIT Center for Water Resource Management
Who would've thought these "weeds" could be so pretty? I had a lot of fun combining the textures, shapes, and heights of these grasses that I pass by everyday, and putting them together into these native grass bouquets.
This Saturday is Moving Planet's worldwide day of action, calling for urgently needed climate change solutions & immediate responses from governments. Already, 168 countries (out of 195) are participating, making this a truly global event for our planet & our future.
There 2 events in Nassau County, 2 events in Suffolk County, 1 major event in Manhattan, and 1 major even in Brooklyn. For a complete list of events, see Moving Planet's event finder page.
To highlight Nassau County's events, there will be a demonstration in Elmont and at Jones Beach. On Sunday, the day after the worldwide day of action, Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's in Malverne will be hosting a potluck dinner & farm tour with tribute to 350.org & Moving Planet.
As is the case with demonstrations, numbers matter most! Showing up for as little as 15 minutes can help these events become successful rallies & send a strong message to our government to lead fossil-fuel-free energy initiatives [see: the recent Tar Sands Action protests in Washington, D.C., Tar Sands Action's October 7th follow-up, the 2010 documentary Gasland]. There is plenty of momentum for clean, renewable energy - now it's just a matter of showing up.
Tar Sands Action Protest: Over 1,250 people traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this month, risking arrest to peacefully protest the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama will be deciding this fall whether or not to approve the 1,900 mile pipeline, stretching from Canada to Texas to bring tar sands (a low-quality, unrefined fossil fuel) to the US's Gulf Coast.
Featured as the first speaker in this video is Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and the Moving Planet events, including this Saturday's worldwide demonstrations.
Gasland Trailer: a 2010 documentary about hydrofracking or "fracking," a process used to extract oil & natural gas by injecting highly-pressurized water and chemicals into the ground. Fracking is often advocated by politicians as a "solution" to the energy crisis.
This Thursday through Sunday, the Old Bethpage Village Restoration will host the Long Island Fair, a 166-year-old tradition began by the Queens County Agricultural Society in 1842. This is the 41st fair at the Old Bethapge Village Restoration grounds; the fair was held in Mineola from 1866-1950's, at Roosevelt Raceway from the late 1950's through 1970, and at Old Bethpage Village Restoration since 1970. The Old Bethpage Village Restoration is a great location to provoke images of the past and inspire the agricultural tradition today.
Images from www.lifair.org/history.htm
The Long Island Fair features children's games & shows, a corn husking contest, bluegrass bands, and of course, delicious food! There are also traditional showcases for vegetables, fruits, crafts, hobbies, and baked goods from Long Island. New this year are the Think Green Awards, classes for teens and adults in needlework, cooking, and hobbies, and a wine department for adults. For more details, visit the Long Island Fair's webpage and Long Island Fair's History.
A new vendor has been added to the Local Links (on the right of this page) -- 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe in Rockville Centre. Their restaurant was recently featured in a Rockville Centre Patch.com article by Judy Griffin, certified holistic health coach at NourishingSolutions4Life.com, for their extensive and delicious vegan menu.
To view 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe's website, click here or on their link in the Local Links menu.
Local Links lists farmers markets, restaurants, and health food stores in Nassau County by town. Do you know of a great Nassau vendor not listed? Email Locally Long Island at locallyli@gmail.com to include it!
Today's the first day of NOFA-NY's NY Locavore Challenge! It's not even 10:00am, and I'm realizing just how challenging this month is going to be if I don't set some ground rules for myself. I've always wanted to see just how locally I could source my food, and the Challenge is the perfect opportunity to push me into a full-blown locavore. So, here goes nothing!
Melissa's NY Locavore Challenge:
When I must go out to eat, I will choose only local restaurants & franchises - this means going to La Bottega instead of Olive Garden, Brew 7 instead of Starbucks, Speakeasy instead of Applebee's, etc.
I will try my best to replace the products I would buy from chain stores with locally-produced goods. So, I'll be having Papa Pasquale's ravioli from the Long Beach farmer's market instead of Trader Joe's.
I will incorporate a locally-grown, organic fruit or vegetable into at least one meal a day. Ideally, I'd like to have at least one meal a day of entirely local food.
I will try canning tomatoes, cooking fresh tomato sauce and foraging.
Breakfast this morning is already a challenge! I'm out of organically-fed, pasture-raised chicken eggs from Garden of Eve - I'll have to pick up more at Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's in Malverne today. Instead, I'll have Polka Dot Pound Cake's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, a delicious, albeit sugary, start to my day. I also brewed a pot of coffee for myself - a sticky locavore subject, since the beans are grown outside the US - but I will only be buying from Gentle Brew from now on. These 4 young friends source Arabica beans from fair-trade growers, and roast & grind them right here in Hicksville, NY. I never "got" quality, fresh coffee until I tried their Columbia Sierra Nevada blend, and I'm never going back!
I'm sure lunch on Day 1 will be equally interesting...I'm wishing I stocked up on local goods before the month began! But this is why it's called a Challenge, right? And I'm looking forward to seeing just how local I can go...
Today, I registered for the NY Locavore Challenge, a program by the Northeast Organic Farming Association's New York Chapter (NOFA-NY). Registrants pledge to eat locally for the month of September at their own choice of commitment level by participating in different activities. Luckily, the end of summer & beginning of autumn is an especially abundant time for local farms, so I doubt I'll go anywhere close to hungry!
To chose your level of commitment, you select which activities you'd like to do in 3 their categories: "Grow, Cook, Eat", "Join the Movement", and "Take Action." The amount of challenges you chose determines whether your pledge is "Bite-Sized", "Meal-Sized", or "Feast-Sized". Registration is free, and participating helps show just how many of us are looking for local, sustainable options - an especially important statement in a suburban county like ours, only just beginning to offer these resources!
The categories & challenges are as follows [I've added links & my own notes in blue brackets]:
"Grow, Cook, Eat" -Take a 250 Mile Challenge - for a day (counts as 1), week (counts as 2), or month (counts as 3)
-Shop at a Farmers Market, Farm Stand or U-Pick [for Nassau County farmer's markets, see this post]
-Dine at a Locavore Restaurant
-Join a Winter CSA or Join a Food Co-op
-Eat (at least) 5 Servings of Local, Organic Fruit & Veggies per Day
-Cook with Local Oils, Grains, Meats & Cheeses
-Sip on Local Milk, Juice, Beer, Wine & Spirits
-Swap Sugar for Local Honey & Maple Syrup
-Try Food Preservation (Canning, Freezing, Drying)
-Go Foraging! ["Wildman" Steve Brill hosts foraging tours in the Northeast - he'll be in Kings Park, LI on September 3rd & Brooklyn and Manhattan mid-September!]
-Make Your Own Butter, Yogurt, or Ice-Cream [a great activity to do with kids - and you can use milk from Long Island Dairy Farms!]
-Grow an Herb Garden
-Plant an Indoor Winter Garden-Plant at Cover Crop in Your Garden
-Compost Your Kitchen Scraps [I keep mine in the freezer to prevent odor & drop off at nearby gardens]
"Join the Movement"
-Like NOFA-NY on Facebook and/or Follow NOFANY on Twitter
-Blog About Your Challenge Experience (and send us the link!)
-Become a Member of NOFA-NY
-Attend a Locavore Event [there's a film screening event this Thursday at Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's, Garden of Eve's Garlic Festival, and plenty others I'll post in September ]
-Host a Locavore Potluck on Sept. 25th (Counts as 2) or Attend a Locavore Potluck (Counts as 1)
-Read a Locavore Book, and/or Host a Locavore Book Discussion (Counts as 2)
-Participate in a Crop Mob[contact a local farm - Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's, Restoration Farm, etc. - for similar volunteer programs]
-Lobby Your Food Store to Include More Local Product
-Ask Your Representative to Support Organic Farming
-Speak With Your School About Local Sourcing [check out Garden City's Waldorf School & Long Beach's NIKE School for local inspiration]
-Start a Garden in Your Community or School
-Volunteer at a Farm or Community Garden [check out all the farms & farmstands on the right of this blog for a project near you!]
-Donate to the NOFA-NY Farmer Education Fund
I, somewhat ambitiously, chose a Feast-Sized challenge (gulp!), and for the sake of being publically encouraged to follow through, will share my experiences here on Locally Long Island throughout the month of September. Please consider joining me in seeing just how local you can get (and, pretty please, mention you heard about it through Locally Long Island!):
Want Long Island corn on a Tuesday? Looking for local tomatoes on a Thursday afternoon? Well, it's my pleasure to present to you a calendar of all the farmer's markets for the 2011 growing season in Nassau County, for your week-long local food shopping needs:
Believe it or not, that took a lot of work - phew! If I missed a market you know of, please leave me a comment or send an email at locallyli@gmail.com.
You can use the links to the right of this page for more details about each town's market; the links are arranged alphabetically by town. You'll find health food stores in the list, too (like Lynbrook's Yogi & Tea cafe', now serving bubble tea - a hard-to-find treat in Nassau!).
[ EDIT: If you're looking for winter farmers market in Nassau County for 2011 & 2012, check out this post]
Now, I've been known to push myself through a challenging hike (willingly or otherwise...), but I'd been looking for a guide to easy trails on LI. This book includes maps, park hours, facilities & suggestions for what to bring, and the low-impact nature of these spots makes them accessible to any age. There are so many ecosystems here on LI - the marshlands of Jamaica Bay, the rocky beaches of the North Shore, the woodlands of central LI, and historic former estates - that I can't wait to explore with the help of this guide.
Local food tastes better. The crops are picked at their peak, and farmstead products like cheese are hand crafted for the best flavor. Food imported from far away is older, has traveled on trucks or planes, and has sat in warehouses before it finally gets to you.
Local produce is better for you. The shorter the time between the farm and your table, the less likely it is that nutrients will be lost from fresh food.
Local food preserves genetic diversity. In the modern agricultural system, plant varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen uniformly, withstand harvesting, survive packing and last on the shelf, so there is limited genetic diversity in large-scale production. Smaller local farms, in constrast, often grow many different varieties to provide a long harvest season, in an array of colors and flavors.
Local food is safe. There's a unique kind of assurance that comes from looking a farmer in the eye at farmers market or driving by the fields where your food comes from. Local farmers aren`t anonymous and they take their responsibility to the consumer seriously.
Local food supports local families. Wholesale prices that farmers get for their products are low, often near the cost of production. Local farmers who sell directly to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food, which helps farm families stay on the land.
Local food builds community. When you buy direct from a farmer, you are engaging in a time-honored connection between eater and grower. Knowing the farmer gives you insight into the seasons, the land, and your food. It gives you access to a place where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture.
Local food preserves open space. When farmers get paid more for their products by marketing locally, they are less likely to sell their farmland for development. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive to preserve our agricultural landscape.
Local food keeps taxes down. According to several studies, farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas most other kinds of development contribute less in taxes than the cost of the services they require.
Local food benefits the environment and wildlife. Well-managed farms conserve fertile soil and clean water in our communities. The farm environment is a patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds, and buildings that provide habitat for wildlife.
Local food is an investment in the future. By supporting local farmers today, you are helping ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow.
11. Local food inspires new recipes & seasonal eating.Farm stands can introduce you to a variety of fruits & vegetables beyond the standard potatoes & carrots you can find in the store. Ever cook with a garlic scape or use celeriac instead of celery? Local farms can introduce you to new crops as they come up, and many farmers are even willing to let you sample unfamiliar items.
12. Local food gives a sense of place. I know that "fertility" and "abundance" aren't the first things that come to mind when I imagine my suburb's landscape, but seeing a productive farm emerge in my community makes me proud of where I come from & happy to be a part of this place. Reconnecting to the towns we grow up in can restore those feelings of community & home.
13. Local food introduces new friends. With regular local shopping, you're bound to start seeing familiar faces, and chances are that many of those faces have something in common with you. They may be neighbors, members of local organizations, or fellow locovore/vegetarian/gluten-free/all organic -eaters like yourself. Many people shop locally simply because they prefer the friendlier environment of farm stands.
14. Local food helps sync bodies with the seasons. As reported in this Grist article, our bodies have been eating seasonally for hundreds of years, until the recent phenomenon of industrialized agriculture in the last few decades. Although these adaptations may not be necessary anymore (ex: stocking up on fats before a cold winter in the forest), it can still have effects on our hormones.
Alright, Internet, I'm back! After some inspiring & rejuvenating locovore experiences, I'm revisiting this blog to post Nassau County resources for green living on Long Island. More posts to come ASAP, but in the meantime, check out the Local Links to the right for this season's farmers markets.
