Published July-August 2006 issue of The Metchosin Muse

Have you ever heard of the two-mile mesclun mix? How about the backyard bouquet? Or the local lunch? Well, you've heard it here first, folks and it's growing in popularity. Fresh, local, naturally grown produce and livestock are taking over. More and more people are realizing what many chefs and farmers have always known: fresh is best and local flavour can't be beat. Nutritionists know that the vital life force in food begins to drain away as soon as that plant is picked. Backyard gardeners experience the unparalleled satisfaction of literally eating the fruits of their labour. The prohibitive price of certain exotic items reflects their travelling distance and makes home grown produce all the more appealing. Think of New Zealand lamb or organic tropical fruits, especially when out of season. For all these reasons and more, the trend toward local food is on the rise.

Here in Metchosin we are fortunate to have our very own Farmer's Market, every Sunday 11am-2pm from May until October. There you can find produce, plants, seeds, flowers, eggs, sausage and a variety of other goods grown and made locally. These items are nutritionally superior to those found in the grocery store mainly because of their freshness. Water-soluble nutrients become depleted with age, processing and cooking. Whole organic foods are what our ancestors ate for practical reasons and these reasons are still valid today. One such reason is that eating food from the surrounding area of one's home increases the power of the immune system. Beneficial soil conditions make minerals and other nutrients available to the roots of plants and therefore in the food. Proper storage and preparation of food can vastly increase the amount of nutrients available.

Besides nutrition, social and cultural benefits are also inherent in a local food supply. Sharing the work of harvesting and weeding and enjoying a meal with one's neighbour can be cause for celebration. Being in rhythm with the seasons nourishes the spirit and links us closer to Nature, a connection which has been broken in many ways, including the TV dinner and fast food outlets. Getting to know the person who grows your food helps establish community. Many of the producers at the Metchosin Market can be found with a joke and smile, helpful planting tips or even a good recipe. These people are often very informed about local politics and environmental issues. Many are known to be %&!# disturbers too, and I'm not talking about stirring the compost pile!

Eating locally contributes to the economy and supports soil based farmers, the ones who know the value of well treated earth. Many commercial fertilizers are petroleum-based, making conventional agricultural crops oil-based. With the recent rise in gas prices and all the discussion of peak oil, it seems obvious that oil-based agriculture is coming to an end. Locally grown food saves energy in transportation, processing, packaging and its associated waste. Traditional farming methods and fertilizers are what worked for millennia before World War 2. These practices continue to show themselves to be the most nutritious for humans and healthiest for the earth, after all, we are inextricably linked to our environment. Our air, soil, and water are all we have to live on. Once they are poisoned, so are we.

Economically speaking, money cannot buy health. Nor can it buy fresh air, clean water, or good soil. It can buy, however, a 3000-mile Caesar salad, avocadoes, or fine French wine, at least for now. While some big box stores have cheaper prices than local farms or shops, these are low in part due to the volume discounts provided to the buyers. The artificially low price tags are also due to the greater subsidization of conventional agriculture over small organic and family farms. These prices are not a true reflection of the cost of the food produced, because environmental costs are not considered. Nor are the social implications measured when large agribusinesses take over previously family owned farms. Low prices at the grocery store at this point in time generally reflect low nutritional value. While on the surface it may appear like a good deal, in reality it is a rip-off. The majority of conventional produce today is devoid of nutrients. It is simply not worth the energy spent on its production. Sadly, it creates a deficit; of energy, of resources and also of nutrition in the person who consumes it. It's better to pay a lot for something with nutritive value than a little for nothing. Depositing blank checks in our savings accounts will not bring us wealth any more than eating an empty harvest will bring our bodies health.

Recently some health-oriented organizations have made videos full of humour and popular culture characters in order to get their message across to a wide audience. Check out http://www.themeatrix.com for videos on the livestock industry featuring animal versions of characters from the movie The Matrix. These videos are part of efforts by the Sustainable Table organization to promote sustainable food. The Organic Trade Association made a fantastic spoof called Grocery Store Wars using vegetables as Star Wars characters. Find it at http://www.storewars.org/flash/. These videos are accessible to all ages and are great educational tools.

For all of the above reasons and more, eating locally is a wise choice. Check out the Farmer's Market every Sunday from 11am-2pm On Sunday July 2, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor Kathryn Kusyszyn, will be offering free 15-minute consultations. Kathryn can help guide individuals wishing to improve their quality of life in the selection, storage, preparation, digestion and assimilation of foods. This is an opportunity to learn how to get the most enjoyment and nutrition out of food. To book your time, please call 391-9604. If you have a favourite recipe using locally grown produce, eggs, or meat, please bring a copy to share or e-mail it to present@telusplanet.net. Kathryn is organizing a cookbook of local recipes for sale, with proceeds to the Farmer's Market.

For more information on topics discussed in the above article, see the book The Empty Harvest by Dr. Bernard Jensen and Mark Anderson or check out the following websites:

• The National Health Federation
• The Weston A. Price Foundation
• The Sustainable Table

"Our culture is profoundly disconnected from the earth," Prentice says. "When you eat food grown locally, it brings alive your connection to your place, to the people who grew it, to the seasons, and to the cycles of life. You realize just how interconnected we really are."

Supporting local farmers protects genetic diversity, too. Corporate farms (even of the organic persuasion) generally grow dozens or even hundreds of acres of a single crop, and they only plant produce for which there's wide demand. In effect, distributors decide what farmers grow—and that means only a few rugged varieties of the most common fruits and vegetables are planted in any given year. CSA farms, though, have a captive audience and can take more chances growing unusual crops and heirloom produce. One farm might plant crops like kohlrabi and purple broccoli, or might cultivate a dozen hard-to-find varieties of tomatoes over the season.