It finally happened: privileged consumer-guilt descended upon me while grocery shopping the other day, where I simply gave up on the produce available, in the very shop I used to champion to all my friends as the best vegetable/fruit source in Kensington Market. Perhaps I’ve read one too many books on the whole “locavore” movement, but it seems that the discourse about eating locally and sustainably has grown from a dull buzz to a loud roar — thanks in no small part to food writers like Michael Pollan, personalities and chefs like Mark Bittman and Alice Waters and films such as Food Inc. Mainstream audiences are increasingly being forced to reckon with the consequences of the globalized food industry, and the realization that we have little connection to where our food actually comes from anymore.
I’m in no position to preach; items that travelled thousands of kilometres to get here, like bananas and oranges, are still staple items on my grocery list. However, I’ve certainly become more conscious about where the food I buy comes from. It finally all culminated in this one moment where I realized that not a single piece of produce in my favourite fruit and vegetable market came from Ontario farms, and I left empty-handed.
While few of us are committed enough to go the route of the 100-Mile Diet, there are easy ways to ensure you are supporting local and sustainable farmers: keep an eye on labels and choose foods that come from Ontario; get your food from local farmers’ markets, try to buy meat that you know comes from a nearby farm (some butchers, like Sanagan’s Meat Locker, exclusively source their meat from small local farmers); and, finally, contribute to a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) co-op. I finally decided to check out Kawartha Ecological Growers (KEG) [Ed. Note: KEG is know as Kawartha Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)] this year, and I don’t think I’ll be back at the market anytime soon.
CSAs are different from the services that bring a box of organic produce to your door. For a set fee prior to the growing season, you receive a share in the produce created by the farm, picked up (and in some cases, delivered) on a weekly basis. Some, like KEG, gather produce from a number of participating farms and offer a wider variety to members. Many CSAs now operate in urban centres, setting up temporary, market-style stands in convenient locations where you can grab your weekly share — and, in many cases, chat with the farmers themselves. Produce varies, but in general, you get the benefit of incredibly fresh, just-picked produce, grown locally and sustainably (and often organically), and you assist local farmers with cash flow and maintaining a viable business by sharing in the risk of each growing season. You also get a chance to try new produce you may not normally use, and many CSAs will donate any unused portion of your share to food banks (if, say, there’s no way in hell you’re going to eat that celeriac). In addition, many farmers will often offer meats, honey, herbs, eggs, grains and other special items that can be included in your share or purchased with extra discretionary “credits.”
This week, my first pickup (pictured above), I scored asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce, baby salad greens, popping corn (on the cob!) as my “core” share (i.e., items that you have to take that were harvested that week); and tiny, ruby-red strawberries and a big hunk of bacon with our credits. Resulting adventures in food: I’ve already made amazing BLTs on toasted sourdough, a beautiful simple salad and a strawberry rhubarb pie since Friday. Still on the menu this week: grilled asparagus, maybe a rhubarb jam, and I’m going to figure out how one actually makes popped corn on the cob (apparently you can just chuck it in a paper bag and throw it in the microwave). Check here to find a CSA near you — you may still be able to get in on this growing season!
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column appears every other Tuesday here on lawandstyle.ca.