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.
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
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)
