Real People Eat Local

Most of us have probably forgotten that the first Thanksgiving was, more than anything, a celebration of local foods. One way to recapture that spirit of local bounty is to choose a free-range locally raised turkey to grace your Thanksgiving table.

Local farmers raise a limited number of free-range and heritage turkeys for the holidays, so if you haven't already placed an order, you should do so as soon as possible. The flavor of turkeys that have lived a normal, active life on a farm, eating wholesome food and enjoying plenty of sunshine and fresh air, has made them much sought-after and many farms sell out early. Here are two farms we know of that are taking orders now:

Springfield Farm, Sparks MD - For those who are members of the UP buying club, David Smith will be delivering turkeys with our regular order on Friday, November 16. Call the farm to reserve your bird, don't wait until the November 5 deadline for placing your regular order. You can also pick up your birds at the farm in the rolling hills of Baltimore County.

Smith Meadows Farm, Berryville VA - Forrest Pritchard is taking orders now and will deliver turkeys to the Takoma Park Farmers Market on Sunday, November 18. You can place your order at the market this weekend, or call the farm directly.

Local stores like Roots Market in Clarksville and Olney, and My Organic Market in College Park, Rockville and several other locations, will also be taking orders for organic, natural and, in some cases, local turkeys for pick-up in their stores.

Three significant figures in the local/organic food movement recently urged eaters in Washington, DC, to pay close attention to what they are eating, rather than prioritize food with a certain label such as "organic."

When faced with choosing between local and organic food, "the most important thing is to be conscious," said Sam Fromartz, the author of Organic Inc., at a tasting of local foods at Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC, sponsored by Edible Chesapeake magazine.

"We like to say, 'Face your food'," added Tracey Ryder, who co-founded the Edible Communities magazines -- of which Edible Chesapeake is one -- with Carole Topalian. While organic food may be available at Wal-Mart, that food may be grown as far away as China, she noted. Meanwhile, New England orchards are on the wane, she said. "If there's an apple grown in your area in the fall, eat it!" Ryder said.

Fromartz, Ryder and Topalian (next to Renee, left to right in the photo above) discussed the current state and future of the burgeoning local food movement and the U.S. food supply. The food we choose has far-reaching ramifications, they noted. Some of the things to think about include how the food's production affected the environment and farm workers, the implications for local land use, and the energy it took to transport it farm-to-plate.

Ryder noted that author and organic farmer David Mas Masumoto has concluded that if all of us ate just one meal in ten of local food, we could save every farmer in America. "We can all do one meal in ten," she said.

To learn more about Organic Inc., click here.

Now, just before Halloween, is one of the best times to try pick-your-own. Most people love apples, and pumpkins serve all kinds of purposes: to decorate the house or yard for fall, to make jack-o-lanterns, or even to provide the basis for a delicious soup or pie.

Two great places to visit for picking in Howard County, Maryland, are Larriland Farm (www.pickyourown.com) and Sharp Farm (www.sharpfarm.com ). At Larriland, you'll find apples and pumpkins, as well as other pick-your-own produce like beets, broccoli and raspberries. Sharp Farm doesn't have apples, but they do have goats! Both have hay rides and corn mazes and other fun things to do and see.

Plenty of other pick-your-own pumpkin patches abound in the area. These events are great fun for kids, but don't be fooled. Grown-ups get a lot out of a day in the fresh autumn air too. And you can't beat the taste of a crunchy apple right off the tree.

During a trip to Virginia's Eastern Shore a couple of weeks ago, Renee was delighted to take a tour of Quail Cove Farms in Machipongo, VA. Bill Jardine and his family grow a wide variety of produce on their certified organic farm, but the stars are sweet potatoes and peanuts, two iconic Eastern Shore crops. Although the drought has affected the Shore's sandy soil as much as anywhere else, the Jardines still pulled in a respectable harvest this year. Renee came home with bags of delicious white and orange sweet potatoes and a tin of the farm's roasted and salted peanuts.

The really good news is that we can get these and other products delivered to our area. Quail Cove maintains a natural foods store and warehouse on the farm property, and it delivers natural and organic products, from the farm and other sources, to food buying groups all across the Mid-Atlantic via 11 scheduled refrigerated truck routes weekly.

Visit Quail Cove Farm's website for details about ordering. There are currently two delivery stops in Prince George's County, in Bowie and Upper Marlboro. There are also stops in Gaithersburg, Frederick, Annapolis and Easton in Maryland, and several locations in Northern Virginia.

Farmer Jail Time?: Farmers Richard Bean and Jean Rinaldi, of Double H Farm in Virginia, are facing potential jail time for allegedly selling meat improperly labeled certified organic. Read about them in the Washington Post's page-one story entitled "Bitter Harvest for Small Farms," published Oct. 20, 2007, byclicking here. This article is important because it highlights various challenges facing small farmers today. As those challenges put more small operators out of business, our food choices are increasingly limited.

Laughable Lunches: Many folks have asked us what to give kids for school lunches. Well, one funny mom was lucky enough to get personal advice from renowned chef and local-food guru Alice Waters, as described in "A New Lease on Lunch," in the New York Times Magazine, Sunday, Oct. 21. Find out why the author was "terrorized by the upside-down cake" and felt like a Laura Ingalls Wilder character, but also had moments of "genius" and managed to end her teenage boys' addiction to microwave popcorn by clicking here.

As always, thanks for reading and spreading the news about local food.

Until next time,

Renee and Kristi