Growing and eating local, sustainable agriculture
Farmers markets, community supported agriculture, or CSAs, and local food cooperatives are making it easier for communities to have food grown close to home.
Local farms are good for the land, and food grown locally is fresher and more nutritious. Who knows how long that lettuce from the grocery store was on a truck and then in the vegetable bin before you took it home. At the farmers market, you know that bright yellow squash was picked within the last day or two. You might even get a recipe along with it.
Farmers markets are generally open a few days week, and some are held right at the farm. At a CSA, you can buy a subscription to receive a box of seasonal produce every week or two in the growing season. Food coops operate the same way, but provide food from more than one local farm and may offer other items with group discounts.
When you buy food from your local farmer, you help preserve open space and you can get to know the people who grow your food.
News
July 24, 2009
Market to menu
State agriculture program links farms, farmers markets and restaurants. Read full Austin Business Journal article here.
July 11, 2009
Well of Controversy: Water Hogs Threaten Farm
Local organic grower Tecolote Farm may be forced out of business if the current climate – political and meteorological – doesn't change soon. The farm needs water, and when it doesn't come from the hot skies, it must be pumped from the ground. Unfortunately, the state's lack of water management is making that option nearly impossible. Read full Austin Chronicle story here.
June 27, 2009
Cultivating much more than edible harvest at Austin's Urban Roots
On a recent outing to Austin's Farmer's Market, Several tasty meals later, I returned to buy more and learn about the hands that grew and harvested those incredible fruits and vegetables. They weren't the typical farmers who set up there. Rather, it's a group of Austin teenagers who are working a 1.5-acre patch of organic crops close to downtown. Read full Statesman.com article here.
June 23, 2009
Farm-egg sales in Austin take a hit
AUSTIN - At her Farm to Market Grocery , Peg McCoy gets most of her products directly from local growers. But the four-year owner of the business is selling a new batch of eggs lately after a City of Austin health inspector recently said she sold the wrong kind. Read full KXAN story here.
Read more Local Agriculture news and find upcoming events
Helpful Links:
Edible Austin - Promoting local food in Austin and Central Texas.
Bountiful Sprout - Member owned and operated food buying community committed to making quality organic food available closer to home.
Local Harvest - Use this website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.
Sustainable Food Center - Creating opportunities for individuals to make healthy food choices and to participate in a vibrant local food system.
ThrivingPlanet.net - A place to imagine how we can create a way of living that helps us thrive as human beings, and cooperate with nature in a way that sustains the natural balance of life on Earth.
Holistic Management International Texas - Working toward improving the health and productivity of the land by working with nature to help land managers create sustainable enterprises that keep them on healthy land for the good of the whole.
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