If you've a mind to in your community visit your farmer's market, talk to the farmers/brokers find out which are which...
Where the produce, meats etc are coming from....then make a deal to take what you can use at the end of market so they go home empty. Or do cooking demos at your market...only takes a couple of burners (you know the omelet single propane jobs) and then whatever your making...have the farmer talk with you....ask questions about their farms....like do they have pastured animals, do they use growth hormones or antibiotics.
Do they foster birds and bats? do they use chicken tractors? What do they feed their critters
Go visit the farms, take your kids you'll love I guarantee. It will make you apprecite what an organic sustainable farmer does and the effort that goes into his products. I was on a radio show yesterday where the chef opposite me took 1/2 his crew to a farm for a morning to work and see what goes on...they talked about it for monthes and didn't waste as much.
Have picnics on the farms and invite other chefs
Ask farmers to do a special grow for you.
Do a Farmer Dinner.
Take a class out to a farm and do alittle cooking demo
Get involved with the farmers and involve any publicity you can, it will only increase the "coolness" of buying local organic.
If your doing demos or classes talk about your new farmer friends and the differences in their premium products....tell why the price may be higher than brokers selling seconds or mass produced flavorless food
How the farmer hand picks and doesn't stack heirloom tomatoes cus they'll burst.But the shelf life and general lack of initial waste makes it fiscally a better buy.
Or just Buy local sustainable....$$$ is an action that keeps them in business.
Ummm think I'm supposed to be typing schedules and beverage forms...gotta go...glad your interested...talk it up...chefs have clout now, people will follow your lead.
[ May 08, 2001: Message edited by: shroomgirl ] |