Friday 26 June 2009

There is "local" and then there is local

So what are the benefits of eating local goods anyway?
After all, from what I have seen so far, I'm often paying more for regionally produced products and there is the loss of convenience of having everything in one place.

On the other hand, it is so much more adventure to travel around hunting down the best of the best Island and Mainland produce and meat. Thinking back to life in Switzerland, there has been a nostalgia remembering bike trips into the local village, picking up a chicken from the butcher, bread from the baker, cheese from the dairy and so on. Besides getting a product that owners KNOW about- freshness and quality- there is truly a sense of community built around this small town lifestyle.

I wonder what life would be like if all those new housing developments were built up around little village squares:


















plus









to make this:

(no one said I was a realist)

So, the benefits of buying local goods?

- knowing where your food comes from
- knowing what your food is make from (including additives, presicides, etc)
- creating a genuine sense of community
- getting in season/ fresh products
- becoming creative with how you cook!
- supporting small business/farms

Today's finds:

Maddocks Farm house-made meats: gluton-free smokies (.99 each)
SaltSpringIsland chocolate bar (I know that the cacao comes from abroad--France and Belgium--, but I am not sure that we are going to get cacao on the island any time soon!).
local farm eggs
Island Farms milk/butter
Fraser Valley butter
U-pick berries, flowers and rhubarb on Old Field Road

Looks like someones making pie tonight ;)

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