Buy from the Local Global Village!

originally posted by Joe Dressner:
I've calmed down.

I'm calm in my renewed commitment to the large carbon footprint.
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Fair enough.

In the global world we now live in, evaluating carbon footprints is just another marketing scheme, much like organics, IMO.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:

You're more than welcome, though I doubt my opinion will get you out of dutch with people who use the words "carbon footprint" more than say once a month.
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As the term appears prominently on the Eurostar website, I am fairly sure that I've used the words at least a few times in the past month. As part of that demographic, I will voice my opinion that Mr. Dressner is free to disport himself with that pig free of concern about any possible contribution to Global Warming. So there...

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Bill Averett:
Ever tried Smithfield Ham? That's VA big guy.
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Different kind of ham, but equally impressive. My mother comes from Concord/Appomattox Courthouse VA, so I'm familiar with the idiom. Our own Johnston County country hams here in NC are in the same vein. The ham Joe is writing of was done more in a French style. The fat was amazing.

I buy local because it means that stuff is more fresh.

I head of lettuce bought from my local farmer lasts for 10 days in the fridge if necessary. Ditto for butterbeans, field peas, etc.

I love roast chicken, and while I would prefer some of the nobler breeds of France and Belgium, I buy that locally as well, there is no substitute for fresh. Eggs? Iridescent orange yolks, rich and flavorful.

I don't care of they're organic or whatever. I like buying my food from big ol' rednecks, it makes me feel part of the community.

I also buy from former college professors who have started organic farms with pasture raised animals. This is a surprisingly large demographic.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Averett:
Ever tried Smithfield Ham? That's VA big guy.
Click to expand...

Different kind of ham, but equally impressive. My mother comes from Concord/Appomattox Courthouse VA, so I'm familiar with the idiom. Our own Johnston County country hams here in NC are in the same vein. The ham Joe is writing of was done more in a French style. The fat was amazing.

I buy local because it means that stuff is more fresh.

I head of lettuce bought from my local farmer lasts for 10 days in the fridge if necessary. Ditto for butterbeans, field peas, etc.

I love roast chicken, and while I would prefer some of the nobler breeds of France and Belgium, I buy that locally as well, there is no substitute for fresh. Eggs? Iridescent orange yolks, rich and flavorful.

I don't care of they're organic or whatever. I like buying my food from big ol' rednecks, it makes me feel part of the community.

I also buy from former college professors who have started organic farms with pasture raised animals. This is a surprisingly large demographic.
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I buy my food local as well, when it comes to vegetables, seafood, pork, beef, chicken, and fruits when possible. I love our local farmers and I am willing to pay more to a local farmer than I am to something from South America or Indonesia, like we see in the grocery. But for one reason only- IT TASTES BETTER! Not because of the carbon footprint. If local tomatoes didn't taste better than the Dole tomato, I wouldn't buy it.

I buy olive oil from Europe, cheese from Europe, wine from Europe and elsewhere because THEY TASTE BETTER. Some one brought up cars, I think. I will buy a Toyota or Honda before a Ford, because it does get better gas mileage and they don't break down, therefore a better product for me.

Advocates of fixing the global warming problem would better be served to focus on the cause of the problem, not aggravating self-professed hedonists. No, I'm kidding. But seriously...

However
 
I try to support local for produce because it's usually fresher, thus it usually tastes better and also because I like farms to stay farms and not be turned into more dull houses, or malls. It depresses the hell out of me whenever I drive down to my old college town of Lancaster, PA because a lot of the great Amish farms along rte. 30 have sprouted souless housing. That soil is so red and rich and had some of the highest yields in the country due to the low cost method of farming the Amish employ/ed. It's a real shame.

That said, as much as I'd like to support local cheese makers, I'm having a hard time doing so because their pricing model is, frankly, outlandish. How is it I can get much better cheese shipped from 3,000 miles away for a fraction of the price? Some of it from folks that are just as small and "artisinal" as the locals.
 
In the global world we now live in, evaluating carbon footprints is just another marketing scheme, much like organics, IMO.
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Ahh yes. Nothing finer than poorly thought out backlash. There are benefits to organics and considering carbon footprint. Should these be the only considerations when buying a product? Of course not.

I agree with Joe's larger sentiment. Take it all into consideration. Make an informed choice.
 
I think that one of the benefits of buying local, or more specifically, eating local agricultural products, is not reducing one's carbon footprint as much as it is becoming in tune with one's environment. When one eats local, one eats seasonally. When one eats seasonally, one gets weirdly excited about the coming mushroom season or spring asparagus or strawberries or what have you.

And since this is a wine board: I enjoy European wines immensely. To me, French and Italian wines age better, match food better and just drink better than most of my domestic choices (not to say there are not delicious domestic wines - I'm speaking broadly here.) But when I do drink domestic wines they are usually sourced from my local area, made by people I know. In this I'm lucky, as the local wines are quite good. But the additional benefit is a sense of connection I feel to the wines. I don't read about hot vintages, I sweat through them; I don't hear about rainy summers, I watch them ruin my plans...

So I buy local, but not for reasons of dogma or because of "marketing". I buy local wine and food because the things near me are worth buying - they are part of my home and part of me. I also buy imported wine and food products. I like to think I do so because they are part of where they are from and connect me to those places.

Hmmm. I just had a thought. I don't buy local as much as I buy things from locations.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
The logic behind the demand to buy local is not because local production already does constitute a culture but because it only ever will if there is a base of support among the people in the community.
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In my opinion, this is the more important point.
Locally grown produce is not de facto better, but it's important to support quality, and encourage it - let's take the previously cited example of a Michigan Pineapple...

My grandfather was a farmer in Mid-Michigan - his parents immigrated from Ireland and set up shop south of Mt Pleasant in the late 19th century. They grew food for their family and for the market. By the time I was born in the early 70's, the fields that my grandfather farmed (and those of my uncle and cousin) were used solely for the production of soy beans and feed corn.
From the end of WWII through the 70's Michigan was confident that the auto industry was their future and there would be jobs for everyone - then came the riots in the 60's and the fuel shortages of the 70's, etc...

Now, the economy in Michigan is in the shitter and a large majority of the food consumed in the state comes from CA or other countries. That means that consumers in MI are paying for the cost of transportation (not to mention getting shitty produce), and their money is leaving the state.

Their are farmers markets popping up all over the country now. If people don't buy this produce, then these small farmers will likely stop what they're doing. But, with support each region can fine tune what works for them (I'd rather sweet corn and strawberry's from Michigan over CA any day).

Basically, if we don't support our local farmers (especially when they do a good job) then how are they going to stay in business? If we don't support local farmers markets, how are we going to know what works and what doesn't in our region?
 
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