Eat Local, Not Loco!

A STEER NAMED LEROY HIS BARRIER-BREAKING EFFORTS TO GAIN ACCESS TO LOCALLY GROWN FOOD –

You may have heard the term locavore, meaning someone who eats local.

But what does it really mean to eat local?

Where do you start?

Eating Local as a State of Mind

It seems to me that it’s more a state of mind than anything with clearly defined boundaries.

For me, it starts at the pasture about 100 yards from my farmhouse that is home for a couple of beef cattle. Sheep graze in their own space nearby. Deer live just around the corner in a patch of woods. And I know that someday meat from any of these animals may end up on my table.

During this time of year, the steers love to eat the pumpkins left over from the fall harvest.  The pumpkins will impart a certain sweetness to the meat, but more important, the pumpkins don’t end up in the compost pile.

In fact I know a lot about the steers: what they eat; how they are cared for, and by whom; what happens when they are slaughtered.

But my situation is hardly that of the average consumer.

Ways for You to Eat Local

How can you “eat local” if the nearest farm is miles away?

• Know who grows your food – For me, eating local has everything to do with knowing who grows your food and how they care for the land. Sure, if you live near a farm those questions are easy to answer. But what if you don’t? Start at the store where you shop. Look for signage that describes the produce and where it was grown. If you still have questions, ask the manager where the potatoes are from, or where did the pigs grow up. If they can’t answer those questions, find a store where they can.
• Shop your local Farmers markets – In the San Francisco Bay Area, farmers markets continue to thrive in both the big cities and smaller communities alike. They are a great place to meet the person who grows your food. If the farmer can’t be at the market, maybe the person selling the farm’s goods has been to the farm and can tell you about it. Learning a little about the farm gives you a stake in its success, and lets the farmer learn about you.
• Grow your own food – Look for a community garden in your neighborhood or start a garden in your backyard. You may not be able to grow everything you need, but you’ll get to know every step in the process, from soil to seed to plant to harvest. It’s a thrill to feed yourself and those you love with something you grew.

The Story of Leroy

The other evening just after sunset I was sitting in my living room, having a drink with my young cousin, Danny. He’s the kind of person who is aware of everything, and he was watching the wildlife just outside, in the darkening gloom. The quail had settled down for the night, and a handsome buck with big antlers strolled by, headed for his dinner on my lawn. Suddenly Danny jumped out of his chair. “Leroy is out and he’s coming up to see you!”

Danny loves to joke a lot, but I stepped outside to have a look around anyway. Sure enough, good old Leroy, the longhorn steer, was bounding up the hill toward my house. He usually shares the pasture on the other side of the county road with two other steers, but a gate had broken down and now he was loose. Leroy is a pet and will never end up in the stew pot. He was happily tasting freedom of a limited sort. After half an hour of herding with flashlights, car headlights and horns; with the help of cousins, neighbors and passersby; and lots of shouting and hand waving; we managed to steer Leroy back to the pasture and secure the gate. He was eating local once again.

Alan Tangren is DooF’s Director of Food Operations