Real People Eat Local

The following local farms will be delivering meat to the area in the near future:

Garden Mountain Farm of Burke's Garden in southern Virginia, will be making their quarterly delivery to the DC area on June 23, including stops in northern Virginia, DC and Bethesda and University Park, Maryland. Garden Mountain's beef is hormone- and antibiotic-free, and it's 100% grass- fed (i.e., no grain). The family-farm also offers pork, lamb and chicken products, although they can not deliver chickens outside Virginia (due to laws governing slaughter). For more info, contact Mike, Rebecca, Meredith and Calvin Hubbard at (276) 472- 2511, rhubbard@gardenmountain.com, or www.gardenmountain.com.

Springfield Farm of Baltimore County, Maryland, will be making a delivery to the University Park buying club on June 21. Orders must be in by Monday, June 10. To place an order for naturally raised, hormone-free and antibiotic-free beef, chicken, pork, lamb and eggs, check the farm's web site and price list at www.ourspringfieldfarm.com, then email Renee (reneecatacalos@verizon.net) for instructions on payment and pickup.

Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is taking orders for its Spring Beef Sale. Clagett sells natural grass-fed beef in lateral quarters at bulk prices twice a year. They generally sell out early. Orders must be placed by June 11 for pickup at the farm on July 7. For more information and pricing, contact Michael Heller or Rob Vaughn at (301) 627-4393 or email Michael at mheller@cbf.org.

Fava beans are well-known in Italy as a right of spring, but they aren't as common around here. Still, I've seen them in restaurants and, occasionally farmers' markets, so I decided to try them in our garden. The bean pods are starting to swell now, so we harvested our first mini-crop. To prepare them, you break open the pods and parboil the beans inside, then pop the tender fresh inner bean out of its outer skin as well. With two protective layers, the beans are harder to access than some foods, and surely aren't for the "dinner-in-under-30-minutes" crowd. But the flavor is indeed delicious. You can just eat them like that, sprinkled with salt, or toss them with other spring veggies, garlic and olive oil, and serve over pasta. They can also be made into a spread (although I haven't tried this personally). Either way, they're worth a try!

George Klimes, a realtor in the College Park area -- pictured here in front of his fig tree -- buys local food in part because he's hoping that, as more people demand this kind of food, it will become more widely available at a more affordable price. In his own words:

"Being a biology major in college, I learned just how dangerous pesticides can be. There still is no real long-term data which shows they're safe. People said DDT was fine. The fact of the matter is, it's now banned. The tendency is for companies to lull the public into thinking products are safe without extensive research. A lot of people turn a blind eye. You have to do a risk analysis, and, in terms of synthetic pesticides, I don't think the benefits outweigh the costs.

"People are getting food that's been sprayed or genetically modified. A lot of people are involuntarily ingesting this stuff. You might say they have a choice, but it's far cheaper to buy regular food at the supermarket, and dollars matter. I grew up in Southeast DC, and I know a lot of lower income people are buying junk food and processed food.

"I started thinking about this when I was 14 years old. I read things. I watched a lot of science shows on PBS. Clearly you could see the trend. Even a 14-year-old could see it. Things like steroids and factory farming of chicken bothered me. I've been a vegetarian for 27 years. Now, I prefer, as much as possible, organic food. I prefer to get it from local sources. I don't necessarily mind having my strawberries not look perfect so long as they're safe. It arrives fresher, and you're supporting the local economy. I don't mind paying a little bit more for that.

"Over time, as the public becomes aware of issues with the regular food, and as larger food producers respond to market pressure, the price of organic will come down. By buying local organics, I get something I think is better. But, with the economies of scale involved, it gets cheaper and cheaper to produce. Healthcare costs will also go down, and our tax dollars won't have to pay for major health problems that are caused by ingesting artificial substances. Ultimately, everybody wins, because they're getting a better product at a price where they can afford it."

When Renee went to the annual meeting of all the publishers of Edible magazines in January, one of the highlights was the screening of the short film, Eat At Bill's. A non-fictional look at the history and "backstage" stories behind California's Monterey Market and its second-generation owner Bill Fujimoto, this engaging film goes right to the heart of how individual buying decisions really have made a difference in local food communities. Click here for a short clip.

Renee brought back a copy of the film and will hold a free screening on Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Laurel Branch Library, 507 7th Street, in Laurel, MD. As an added treat, "Chesapeake Chef" John Shields, host of several PBS series and a regular contributor to Edible Chesapeake, will be on hand to talk about his experiences shopping at the Monterey Market during his years living and cooking in California.

After the 1-hour film, John and Renee will talk and answer questions about innovative approaches to retailing in our own local food community. Everyone's invited to this fun and informative evening.

Our metro region, like most others around the country, is filling up fast with sprawl. One place this is apparent is in Anne Arundel County, off Route 50, heading to Davidsonville, where Kristi went this week to check out the nursery plants and llamas -- yes, llamas, which you can visit! -- at Homestead Gardens. Along the way, folks were out in the fields picking strawberries at the Mt. Airy U-Pick Farm. But the idyllic farms that drew the well-heeled urbanites to the area in the first place are disappearing fast. In their stead are enormous homes on lots barren of trees.

While new homes can be very nice, some of the new construction that's taking place is out of place, and it's taking over farm land so fast that we may not realize it until it's too late. I can't blame the farmers selling their land, either. For many, after decades (generations, even) of toil and pinching pennies -- and often loving their land -- they are only able to retire in a reasonably secure way by selling their land. Too often, they just couldn't make it on the income from their crops and animals alone. This failure was not bad business, but the result of a twisted agricultural system that rewards and subsidizes gigantic farming operations, like those producing commodity crops such as corn, soy and wheat.

As consumers, we can show we want to retain green spaces and pay farmers respectable prices for their hard work by buying their products. So, when you go the the farmers' market next time, or see that "locally grown" label at the store, you can rest assured that -- even if you're shelling out a few extra bucks -- you're doing much more than just serving yourself some high-quality food. You're supporting your farmer-neighbors, the fabric of your community, and the environment.