This year seems as good as any to be the year of local food; conditions are ripe for this expectation: local is the new organic in the media, people are realizing the importance of supporting their community growers, and we’re becoming increasingly conscience of the need to modify our eating habits.  Local can be a big part of the health of our ecosystem — it has been interesting watching British chef and advocate of local, organic, and healthy Jamie Oliver’s struggles on his TV program Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution; click here if you’d like to sign his food revolution petition.  The community he picked was the least healthy in America, and it was startling to see how fat people were; I am not sure if this was staged in some fashion for TV, or the reality of the community.  That being said these people in general were good people trying to better themselves, and in this economy that is admirable.

The difficulty we face in the local movement — is compassion; let me say that again, we, the people espouse, champion, and shout for local often lack compassion for people.  It is easy to laugh at someone who is less fortunate, and wonder why they can’t figure out that chicken nuggets are often bad for you.  Knowledge is power, and often we forget that people are less fortunate — no one wants to live shorter, be fat, or ridiculed for their choices.  I don’t think that Jamie did that, but we have to remember — every small action towards the goal helps.  Ignorance is the enemy not people or companies.

Its easy to take potshots at Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, etc. for not doing enough.   In reality they are part of our economic and social ecosystem we should applaud any and all efforts they make towards sustainability, eating local, and providing healthy and nutritious food at affordable prices.  Local Dirt is a partner to anyone and everyone who wants to make local, nutritious, and wholesome food available to anyone who wants it.  We’re here to listen to our partners, learn, and hopefully be a better partner.  A lot of exciting new features are coming out in the coming months.  In the meantime the Local Dirt message has been picked up in the press.

Reynolds Journalism Institute photo by Karen Stockman

Local Dirt’s founder Heather Hilleren was featured as the lunch speaker at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, and was selected as the most innovative idea at the conference.  Local Dirt will also be featured in the April issue of Inc. Magazine.  Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter, and that we can all remember to help those less fortunate, and support those who are trying to make a difference.

I was born and raised on the south side of Madison. My grandmother always had gardens, and I grew up spending time with my family planting, weeding, and harvesting produce. After I served in the Vietnam War, I developed food allergies. I only trusted myself to grow and prepare my food!

Describe Half the 40 Acres Farm.

In 1982, I decided to become an organic farmer. I leased 20 acres of land off of Fish Hatchery Road in order to be able to help provide healthy produce to people in low-income areas. I grow a variety of produce free from nonorganic pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides.

How did you become involved in farmer’s markets?

For the first ten years, our farm participated in the downtown farmer’s market. Then in 2002, I became a vendor at the South Madison Farmer’s Market and began managing it the next year. We now have five markets at four locations, including the Labor Temple, Villagers Mall, Rimrock Road, and Gilbert Road. I’m committed to serving diverse neighborhoods, which can often be food deserts. These people need to have access to safe, affordable food just like everyone else. Many of them grew up with their parents and grandparents having gardens, and they know the taste of real food.

Describe your partnership with Growing Power, founded by Will Allen in Milwaukee to promote urban agriculture.

We have the Market Basket Program, a CSA-style food distribution program that features a weekly delivery of ten to fifteen various vegetables from our Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative. In cooperation with Growing Power and the Center for Resilient Cities, we’re trying to turn the former Badger School into a green charter school. Our vision includes having it run on solar and wind power, establishing green houses, focusing on agriculture, and even having an onsite Boys and Girls Club.

How else are you involved in the Madison community?

I’m really committed to community education. For instance, on July 2-3, 2010, I’ll be offering a workshop on aquaproducts and greenhouses. I also established the Program for Entrepreneurial Agricultural Training (PEAT) as a way to teach today’s youth how to grow and market healthy food. Not only does PEAT show kids the importance of eating fresh produce and whole foods, but it gives them a chance to run their own business and take pride in their work. Kathleen Falk has endorsed this program, too. It’s incredible to see their enthusiasm – these kids really blossom through PEAT.

How has Local Dirt helped you?

I want to support Local Dirt – it’s a great resource for farmers and customers. I hope to use it more for the farmer’s markets and to get word out about the Rainbow Cooperative and the workshops.

Another fact, I’m a locavore. If you are wondering how these two facts could both possibly be true you aren’t alone. A recent NYT article (found in the business section, why?) claimed that it simply isn’t possible to eat local in the wintertime.  What?  Did he attend US history classes?

I would love to throw stones but, hey, I was in his shoes once myself.  It was three years ago when I decided to join the only 100 Mile Eat Local Challenge, which just happened to be going on in California during the first week of March.  Can you guess what is growing in Wisconsin during March?  My lawn.  And even that isn’t growing much.

That week taught some valuable lessons about how to eat local.  They were learned the hard way, through a lot of desperation and a little hunger. Hopefully the five tips below will help you avoid the same weight loss and caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Eating Local 101

1. When in Rome…

Find out what is local to your area. Look at state food & beverage reports, go to a farmers’ market, and look at cookbooks from 60+ years ago.

The NYT article pointed out that wine is a common break in philosophy for locavores, who will ship wine from overseas to eat with their local salad.  Through research I realized that 100 years ago every small town in Wisconsin had its own creamery (for cheese) and its own brewery.  Prohibition shut down all the breweries but the past 20 years have seen a comeback in microbrews.  Just like wine, there are so many varieties of beer it is hard not to find one that appeals.

2. See past the produce section

Go beyond fresh produce.  Beef, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, wheat, beans, nuts, and many other items can be found year round.  That said, many farmers around here have storage facilities able to keep products such as potatoes and squash fresh all the way into February.

3. Preserve the summer

A hard lesson for myself and the first pioneers to learn was “think ahead”.  Freezing, canning, drying, and processing are all ways to preserve local food.  Some of these can be found at farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

Planning is a rule not just for the year but for the week.  If meals are planned and thawed, ready to cook, there is less temptation to order out or pop in a sodium-licious microwave meal.

4. It’s not all or nothing

Start small.  So, maybe your morning coffee isn’t local.  That doesn’t mean you can’t still have a big impact on the environment and local economy by substituting a few items in your meals, or asking your favorite restaurant to make a few changes.

Just being aware of where your food comes from is a big step in the right direction.  Someday all food will have to identify its farm of origin, eliminating dangerous national food recalls.  Ah, yes, there I go dreaming again…

5. Adjust expectations

Find recipes for the local foods you have instead of the other way around.

Recently we tried to source local food for a Wisconsin school cafeteria.  When asked for a short list of products to search for, the cook listed kiwi, oranges and bananas. No joke.