Grown on Long Island Day is August 5th!

Copied from the Long Island Farm Bureau:

CELEBRATE GROWN ON LONG ISLAND DAY 
Farmers Market, Activities for Kids, Roasted Corn

Date: Friday, August 5, 2011  

Location: Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank   

Time: 12pm to 5pm.  

• Large Farmers Market
• Meet Local Farmers
• Activities for Kids
• Educational Animal Yard
• Roasted Corn & Wine and Food Tastings

Admission to the event is FREE.  

The First 500 visitors to donate $10 of produce to Island Harvest, a food rescue organization, will receive a FREE Grown on LI T-shirt.  

For more information about the event, please call 631.727.3777 or visitwww.GrownOnLongIsland.com    

Top Ten Reasons to Buy Food Locally

The list below is copied from With an Ear to the Ground, a collection of essays about sustainable agriculture by Vern Grubinger (available at UVM bookstore):

Ten Reasons to Buy Local Food

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

as found here.

And I'd add that...

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. 

How to Find Health Food Stores in Your Area

[ updated Nov. 20, 2011 ]

Although I'll try my best, it's impossible for me to visit every health food store on Long Island -- but the good news is that this is because there's so many!  I want to post a few tricks for how you can find health food and natural food stores near you.

A moment on shopping...  while chain stores can be easy to find and shop in, smaller family-owned businesses often have much better customer service.  You can feel more comfortable asking questions about products and get more experience-based answers.  You also know that the money you spend on groceries is going directly toward the owners, their employees, and their business, rather than the CEO's of huge conglomerates.

So, how to find health food stores...

[EDIT: Since revamping this blog in the summer of 2011, I've decided to focus exclusively on Nassau County resources. You'll find a listing of Nassau health food stores on the right of this page, under the heading "Local Links".]

1.  Word of Mouth
          Probably the best way to find stores near you is by asking around.  This way, you can get a review of the store from someone you trust.  Ask someone whose diet you admire, or maybe a personal trainer at your gym. 

2.  Yellowpages.com

          An old-school method brought into the modern day, the Yellow Pages' website can list some stores in your local area.  However, not all stores have chosen to be listed in the guide and may not be included.  It can still be a good resource if you don't know where to look.  Googling your city and "health food stores"/"natural food stores" may also work.

3.  Local Publications
          Skim the advertisements in your local newspaper, magazines, Pennysaver, or religious bulletins.  Small businesses sometimes chose to use these local services instead of a larger-scale advertising.

4.  Downtown Areas
          Does your town have a downtown area with lots of shopping and stores?  You may want to browse through those streets one day to see if there's a natural food store. 


Keep your ears and eyes open, and continue reading Locally Long Island!  I'll be posting about my visits to natural food stores on the online throughout the blog.

Rockville Center Farmers' Market

Last Sunday, I visited the Rockville Centre farmers' market at the intersection of Long Beach Road and Sunrise Highway.  The market is open Sundays from 7am-12pm from June through mid November.

I'm always astounded at the variety of fruits and vegetables that show up at this market, AND that this variety is from New York!  There was everything from the standard fall favorites of pumpkins, gourds, carrots, and apples (of every variety) to uncommon foods like Swiss chard, radishes, and bok choy.  I was especially impressed by the peppers selection - there were green, yellow, red, orange, spicy, mild, grilling & snacking peppers...  "The Pickle Man" was there with another impressive selection of standard sour and half sour pickles plus their own unique mixes like horseradish, mustard, and sweet red pepper (my favorite).  There were even treats for hungry canines - vegetable doggie treats, mints, and accessories!  You could also find a stand of local selections of meats and fish.  And last but not least is the stand I hold dear to my Italian heart - fresh, handmade pasta!  I picked up some smoked mozzarella, asparagus ravioli, and meatless rice balls.... mm mmm...



Check out all my pictures from the market.

And here's my shopping list of what I bought there that week:

• emperor, red delicious, and  honey crisp apples (the orchid's own variety - you'd never find THAT at a grocery store!)
• New York honey sticks
• apple pie
• apple cider
• veggie and pumpkin dog treats
• yellow tomatoes (make a great, creamy sauce)
  
• radishes
• carrots
• sweet red pepper and horseradish pickles
  
• smoked mozzarella cheese
• asparagus ravioli 
• meatless rice balls
• a pumpkin

Just walking around that market makes me want to cook!  Everything is so fresh and juicy, and there's such a large selection that excites & inspires you to put things together.  Be sure not to miss out on this market before it's gone until June!




[EDIT]:  For more information on farmers' markets and how to find one near you, see this post.

Looking for recipes to plan for when you go shopping at the market?  The New York Times has recently posted this article with veggie-packed pasta recipes.  You can pick up the vegetables and pasta at your local Long Island farmers' market. 



Please comment on my blog posts and take this survey so I know if I can use this as my senior thesis project!

Farmers' Markets on Long Island

If you've been curious about farmers' markets on Long Island, it's not too late to visit one!  Harvest time is perfect to check out New York's selection of squash, zucchini, gourds, tomatoes, apples, apple cider, and other veggies.  You can also find fruit, homemade pies, fresh pasta, cheese and sometimes fish.  Most markets are open through November, so you can even have a local Thanksgiving.

Here's a quick list of markets for Bayville, East Meadow, Garden City, Glen Cove, Long Beach (Kennedy Plaza), Locust Valley, Port Washington, Rockville Centre, and Roslyn.  If you don't see your city listed, try your town's website or Googling your city and "farmers' markets".


Farmers' markets are usually open one day a week, often on the weekends (Kennedy Plaza in Long Beach is open two days).  At the market, farmers from a local radius, which varies from market to market, set up stands and sell their produce.  Usually they will invite guests to try their food and are eager to talk about their produce and practices.  Markets become much more of a community than just a store - there's "regulars" that come to the market every week, the same vendors all season, and a welcome for newcomers.  You're also always invited to BYO Bag and reduce disposable bag waste!

Happy Harvest, and enjoy the local bounty!