The Clean Plate Club

So you've signed on to the Utne manifesto for local food. Now what? Is it still okay to shop at the grocery store? Do you need to move next door to a farmer? Can you still eat bacon? Eating responsibly doesn't have to be a chore, but it does require that you become an educated consumer. These resources will get you started. Clip this page and stick it on your fridge for future reference.

Buy from farmers

Localharvest.org: Search by ZIP code for nearby farms, community-supported agriculture projects, and farmers' markets.

Eatwellguide.com: Find local purveyors of meat, poultry, and eggs.

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The Community Farm Newsletter: Devoted to community-supported agriculture ($20/yr. [4 issues] from The Community Farm, 3480 Potter Rd., Bear Lake, MI 49614; csafarms.org/csaresources.asp).

Learn about your food

The Cornucopia Institute: Provides a ratings system for organic brands, including dairy (www.cornucopia.org).

certifiedorganic.bc.ca: Want to avoid big corporations altogether? Follow the links to 'corporate ownership' and check out this diagram.

eco-labels.org: A guide to labels currently in use.

Work for better farm policies

Organic Consumers Association: Maintains a news feed with action alerts and updates (organicconsumers.org).

American Farmland Trust: Protects farmland from suburban encroachment, with a strong pro-organic stand (www.farmland.org).

Land Stewardship Project: Promotes sustainable agriculture and communities (www.landstewardshipproject.org).

Love food

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Slow Food: An international organization devoted to gustatory delights whose Web site offers extensive links to other food sites (www.slowfood.com).

chowhound.com: Community forums, tips, restaurant reviews 'for those who live to eat.'

Grow your own

Organic Gardening: The first and still the best magazine for organic growers ($23.94/yr. [6 issues] from Box 7320, Red Oak, IA 51591; www.organicgardening.com).

Small Farmer's Journal: A delightful quarterly for small-scale farms ($30/yr. [4 issues] from Box 1627, Sisters, OR 97759; www.smallfarmersjournal.com).

American Community Gardening Association: Resources for community gardens as a hobby or a business (www.communitygarden.org).

The Organic Broadcaster: A bimonthly newspaper for organic farmers ($20/yr. from Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767; www.mosesorganic.org).

Cookbooks

New in 2005

Fields of Plenty (Chronicle)
La Dolce Vegan (Arsenal Pulp)
The Real Food Daily Cookbook (Ten Speed)
The Real Food Revival (Tarcher Penguin)
The Soup Peddler's Slow and Difficult Soups: Recipes and Reveries (Ten Speed)
Vegan with a Vengeance (Marlowe & Company)

Old friends

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets (Broadway, 2002)
Your Organic Kitchen (Rodale, 2000)
Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home (Fireside, 1994)