LocalHarvest.org

LocalHarvest Newsletter, February 24, 2009

Many times each month, people ask us exactly how they can begin to eat locally. Thequestioner invariably understands the 'whys' of the proposition, but is daunted by the'how.' So this month we offer a short primer on eating local food, with emphasis on thenotion of transition. Let's start there. The first thing to remember is that eating locally isa continuum. If you allow yourself to get drawn into an all-or-nothing mindset, the proposition will seem impossible. You will get derailed by the list of the imported foodsyou think you can't live without. Bananas. Coffee. Chocolate-covered yum-yums. Don'tstart with those things. Don't even put them on the table the first year. Eating locally isabout doing what you can. It is about making the most of your region's agriculturalstrengths. It is about beginning to pay attention. Where should you start? Focus onwhole foods first. Highly processed foods are made with many ingredients that areshipped from afar, processed, and shipped again. It is simpler, not to mention healthier,to put your efforts into simpler foods. Start with one or more of these food groups: produce, meat, dairy products and eggs. In many cases, you can buy these foods directlyfrom farmers, which is often a highly satisfying experience in and of itself.A few years ago, a friend whose family loves chow-mein hotdish and Cheez-its askedme what three things she could do to better her family's diet without triggering a lot of grumbling. She was clear: she was not ready to take on the whole pantry, and neither was her family. Sound familiar? She knew that if she felt overwhelmed, the changeswouldn't stick. But three things seemed reasonable to her. After talking more about her food buying habits and priorities, we came up with this: Buy high quality chicken. Getorganic milk. Shop at the farmers market when you can. Now, we live in Minnesota,where small-scale farmers make good meat and quality milk readily available, but thegrowing season is short. Other places in the country will have a different list of logicalfirst steps. My LH colleagues, for example, live on the Central Coast of California,where gorgeous fresh veggies are available almost year round, but meat and dairy fromsmall farms is a little harder to come by. For people there, just committing to shop at thefarmers market or to join a CSA would bring local foods into their diets much of the

year. Another regional difference concerns food preservation: neither my colleagues inCalifornia nor my friends in the South spend much time canning and freezing. Here inMinnesota, we do, because that is the way to enjoy local produce in the long winter.Getting to know what grows well in your state - and when - is a valuable part of your education as a locavore.As you begin to dig more deeply into your region's specialties, you will find that someof these cost more money than their anonymous counterparts at the supermarket. If youare one of the many Americans experiencing real financial distress, this may dissuadeyou from choosing them. But it is important to remember that there are ways to work around price if you have some flexibility in your food budget. For example, you mightchoose to buy high quality meat and cheese, but eat it less often, and instead eat morelower-cost whole foods like grains, beans, and in-season produce. Check out theLH blogfor a close-up look at the home economics of my family's local foods-based diet.Finally, it pays to remember that for most human beings, change is difficult. Food is sofundamental to our sense of well-being that changes in that arena may be met with a lotof resistance. If that is the case in your house, go slowly and look for small windows of opportunity. For example, enjoy lots of local strawberries when they are in their glory. If you can, go out to the farm and have fun picking some of your own. Really pay attentionto how good - and how different - they are. Acclimate your taste buds and over timeyour family may decide that the local ones are worth waiting for. You may even decideto throw a few bags of berries into the freezer for later. And you're on your way...In sum: Start with whole foods. Don't make it too hard. Study your region's agriculturalstrengths, and play up to them. Look for ways to be creative with your budget. Be gentlewith your self and your family as you try out new habits. Do these things, and you willset yourself up for a highly satisfying adventure in local eating, and a deeper connectionto your food.Erin BarnettDirector, LocalHarvest

Native Americans rediscover native foods for better health.

By Edie Jarolim, for

EatingWell,

November/December 2008For southern Arizona’s Tohono O’odham tribe, the desire to return to the past is more than nostalgia:it’s a matter of life and death. “Fifty years ago, when we ate native foods rather than white bread andMcDonald’s, we weren’t obese and didn’t have diabetes, but now they’re rampant,” says Terrol DewJohnson, a member of the tribe, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 12 years ago. Because many Native Americans are genetically predisposed to developing diabetes, the current American diet, rich in processed food, has created a health crisis among the Tohono O’odham nation.In 1996, Johnson co-founded Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA) in an effort to reacquaintmembers of the impoverished tribe with disappearing native foods—such as squash and tepary beans.In the heart of the Sonoran Desert, 60 miles west of Tucson, he successfully re-established two workingfarms to grow and sell traditional native foods in the community and also teach O’odham membershow to harvest and prepare them.

But habits are hard to break and Johnson worries: “We’re on a time schedule. The elders are dying.We’re working hard to get as much information from them about their traditional culture as we can.”For details on all of TOCA’s programs, go to tocaonline.org."Super foods" are foods which have a significantly higher nutritional value than most others. I've listedfive such foods, native to the Americas, which appear on almost all these "super food" lists. If you wantto eat a healthier diet, start including these delicious foods in your meals. To get you started, I've linkedin a recipe for each food.

Blueberries

Blueberries are native to North America and were an important food source for the Native tribes for centuries. These Native Americas used the blueberries in something called

pemmican,

which was driedmeat pounded with blueberries and fat. Since you may not have any dried bison meat around, I'velinked an old fashion blueberry crisp recipe for you to try. Blueberries are full of flavor and nutritional goodness, yet at the same time are very low in calories.They are very high in vitamin content, fiber and most importantly, antioxidants. In recent studies blueberries were found to be at the top of the list of fruits in their ability to destroy free radicals. Manyconsider this an important factor in preventing various types of cancer. Red wine has been touted for itsantioxidant benefits, but blueberries have almost 40% more antioxidants than red wine.While the best way to enjoy blueberries is raw, they're great used in all kinds of recipes. Besides fresh,they can be found frozen and dried, so you can enjoy them year round.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are another American "super food" that the Native tribes prized for its culinary andmedicinal value. They probably didn’t make pumpkin seed pestorecipes out of them, which is the recipe I've linked for you here.High in fiber and protein, these seeds are also a rich source of minerals including magnesium,manganese, iron, and zinc. Pumpkin seeds are believed to be beneficial for things like prostrate health, bones strength, and arthritis. Pumpkin seeds also contain compounds called phytosterols, which are believed to reduce levels of harmful cholesterol and also improve the body's immune system.Pumpkin seeds can now be readily found at health food stores, or higher-end grocery chains. They aresold, raw, roasted, shelled, and unshelled. Try them in this pumpkin seed pesto recipe, which uses thetoasted seeds. It's a delicious, and easy way use this nutritious food.

Avocado

The delicious and nutritious avocado has been cultivated in Central America for over 5,000 years. TheMayans believed the avocado had magical powers and was an aphrodisiac. We can't confirm thoseclaims, but what can be confirmed is that the avocado is clearly one of the world's healthiest foods.Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, the avocado is also very high in oleic acid. Oleic acid is a