One of our shoppers reminded us that local food was one of the best
things about this time of year. "There's nothing like your own
tomatoes or pesto from homegrown basil." Many of our shoppers agree
that they love buying locally grown food:
* It's fresher.
* It tastes better--sometimes incomparable.
* It honors local farmers and family farms.
* It supports alternatives to processed foods.
* It promotes biodiversity.
* It's green, reducing traffic from long haul transport.
* It keeps money in the local economy.
The idea of honoring local farmers crystallized for me at a gourmet
trade dinner featuring the faraway foods and recipes of Lombardi--the
northern, Milano region of Italy. The food was almost haute cuisine, at
least as good as it gets at a trade dinner. The thing I found most
surprising was the introduction of growers: "A round of applause
for the man who grew the wonderful rice in our delicious risotto."
I have a hunch that we may be seeing and hearing a lot more about
specific growers. Imagine having to choose tomatoes the way we choose
wines!
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