Alternative perspectives on the alternative food: What we should keep in mind

So far, I've had success eating mostly local foods, bringing produce with me and shopping at farmstands and farmers markets to complement my weekly CSA share. With what I know, I'm able to strategically use what I buy, saving some for later, and just generally making the most of what I have. (Seriously, try getting a whole share of mostly curly endive, the most bitter green imaginable. But we manage, we manage.)

While that's great, and promising for those hoping to be part of a CSA come fall, eating locally - or simply eating healthily - is not always a feasible thing. There are factors involved, including time, money, transportation, and just general priorities. It's easy for me to talk about eating local because I can afford it, I have time to learn about and cook and preserve some of these items, and I am within reach of local markets. Basically, the odds are in my favor. What happens when this isn't the case?

It's too often that direct-market agriculture and "localism" go hand-in-hand with elitism that brings with it a sort of trend that is limited to only those lucky enough. Farmers markets and CSAs turn into a romanticized indulgence that emphasize the individuality of the consumer's choice to opt-out of big box stores and transnational corporations. Ok, cool. Good choices, but when we think of the long run, and the maintenance of this exclusivity, it doesn't look like any substantial change will be made within our food system, especially if the gap between those who enjoy local agriculture and those who simply can't, continues to increase.

One of my favorite food systems and social justice researchers is Julie Guthman of UC Santa Cruz, with whom I had the opportunity to speak with this past semester. Guthman researches the shortcomings of alternative food systems, along with various topics and discourse surrounding what she calls the "paradox" of the organic farming industry in California and the rise of obesity in our country. Her two books include Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California and Weighing in: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism. 

Noteworthy articles include "Bringing good food to others: investigating the subjects of alternative food practices" and "If they only knew: color blindness and universalism in California alternative food institutions," both in which Guthman points out and deconstructs accepted norms within the local food movement and the backwardness of alternative food advocates' goals. She points to market places as "white spaces" and their "double-edged sword" containing on one side color blindness that "erases the privilege that whiteness has brought" and on the other side universalism, or or the assumption that values held primarily by whites are normal and widely shared ... In other words, when particular, seemingly universal ideals do not resonate, it is assumed that those for whom they do not resonate must be educated to these ideals or be forever marked as different."

Criticizing various food advocates, Guthman writes, “Their presumptions are that these institutions shorten the social and economic distance between producers and consumers, build community and participatory democracy, and otherwise serve as sites of contestation against a globalized food system.” According to Guthman, these presumptions coincide with alternative markets that “cater to relatively well-off consumers, in part because organic food has been positioned as a niche product … With some exceptions, farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture (CSA) tend to locate or distribute to areas of relative wealth.”

That said, these are just things to keep in mind for those who deem themselves as locavores and food justice advocates. Increasing food access isn't only about knowledge and getting others on board with local markets and practices. While those initiatives like urban gardens and farm-to-plate programs are awesome, Guthman points to the main culprit as the "unfettered drive for profitability at the costs of everything else" that big food companies stand by, and says that what's needed is not necessarily food system reform, but federal and state intervention in the form of tax, labor, and immigration reform, that will first decrease the inequality gap, which will ultimately provide for local markets that are more accessible, substantial, and feasible.

Just some food for thought.

Localized coolers

Being a CSA shareholder or avid farmers market and farmstand fan rules, especially when you can proudly say that you know where every ingredient in your meal comes from. To that I say, right on! The challenge lies in continuing local munchies on those weekends and summer days off when we're going places, seeing things, and just doing a lot of activities that probably don't involve roasting beets for 45-50 minutes, or until piercable by a fork.

For me, I looked at the giant bag of veggies in my fridge with a pang of guilt and a gnawing pressure before I left for a Massachusetts road trip on Friday. I couldn't leave them, both because they take up a lot of precious fridge space, and because they would probably be wilted in their own tears when I came back. Keeping in mind that I had about eight pounds of greens to go through before Tuesday, I headed down to Mass with a cooler of garlic scapes, kale, lettuce, spring mix, and strawberries. With just a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette, a plate, and a fork, I was set for a weekend of CSA enjoyment. It wasn't until Sunday, when all of the ice had melted, that I had to get rid of just the remnants of soggy spring mix; everything else made it.


That said, it's not always feasible or worth it to lug a cooler of vegetables across New York, and not everyone enjoys produce like kale and spinach in their rawest of states. Luckily for those in the northeast, this time of year is prime for roadside farmstands and city/town farmers market that offer all sorts of goodies. New York is fertile with small farmers selling their produce, and it's absolutely guaranteed that you'll come across at least two offerings of fruits and veggies on your road trip. Bring wads of cash and your own bags, and you'll be all set. If you download cool smartphone apps (search Locavore/farm/food), you'll find yourself set with everything you need to support farmers across the state.

Oh yeah, and I was that guy who brought her/his own garlic scapes into a diner, just to add flavor. The things are really good, you know! Our neighboring table noticed. (In a good way. He thought I was cool, and talked about how much he loved fried garlic scapes, but said that one time his wife made garlic scape pesto that was too strong for him. I understood.) But like, they were a necessary addition. I've never had a less flavorful egg sandwich in my life.

Moral of the story: If you buy local F&V, don't abandon them, and don't be afraid to stop for local goods. Tis the season!

Number one share

It's here! The first week of the summer CSA share with the Good Food Collective is upon us and it looks like I'm going to be eating a lot of greens. Check this out:

What we've got here is beets, Swiss chard, kale, romaine lettuce, garlic scapes, scallions, and strawberries. There's nothing too exotic in there, except that they gave me like, 18 million garlic scapes. They're good though, if you're into garnishing every single thing you eat like a contestant on Chopped. Or something.

Pretty exciting, and I took this photo below from the Good Food Collective's Facebook, showing shareholders where their produce came from that week. I also purchased an optional bread share, that conveniently provides a hefty loaf every week from Rochester's Flour City Bread Company that uses all organic flour and sources locally as much as possible.

Old Ridge Farms is Certified Organic while Raindance Harvest and Lagoner Farms use sustainable practices, but have not been certified. More information about each farm that provides to the GFC and its practices can be found here.

What's also cool about the GFC is its Food Manuel  that gives information and tips for any fruit or vegetable you'll encounter during the season. It makes things easier, but no one should stray from exploring on their own! C'est la vie: Like a CSA share, you never know what you're going to get. And when you do get it, you have no idea what to do.

Right?

Traditional CSA vs. multi-farm CSA

Direct-market agriculture (think farmers markets, community-supported agriculture, sometimes co-ops) has kind of exploded in these past five years. Perhaps Food, Inc. and Michael Pollan were super influential, or maybe the romantic DIY-Pinterest-blogospheric-masonjar farm-to-table (unrealistic) lifestyles has us all drooling, wrapped in twine around their fingers. Too much?

For those who don't know much about local food systems, I'll provide a miniature lesson on community-supported agriculture, although I would suggest further research, I mean like a Google search, as the idea has so many variations, interpretations, and traditions.

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) has been a growing (heh) practice since its first U.S. introduction in the 1980s and has especially expanded in the past 10 years, increasing almost tenfold since 2002, a growth that reflects a rising consumer awareness that pines for localism, healthy whole foods, and even food and social justice.

While many variations exist on the CSA structure, it always involves a farm, shareholders, and a season-long agreement between the two, either through subscription payments, labor on the farm, or a combination of both to some extent. Shareholders or workers then receive produce and goods from that farm throughout the season, most often on a weekly basis. It's kind of like a magazine subscription... but better. Can you eat magazines?

CSA is centered on the idea of "sharing the risk" with farmers, with paying members providing stability for farmers, who can now farm without concern for weak profits due to poor weather, disaster, or unreliable markets. Most also see CSA as a community enhancer, with shareholders benefiting from the bountiful local harvest and farmers often receiving better prices for their goods. CSA is one of the easiest and most feasible ways to support local farmers while eating seasonal, and often organic, produce on the way.

However, as Elizabeth Henderson (of the Genesee Organic Valley CSA) writes in her book Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture, keeping up with CSA may often add more burden on farmers that pulls them away from their role as growers and providers as fresh produce. This can include CSA membership management, budgeting, marketing, and advertising - all tasks that are necessary in the overseeing of a CSA, and also time-consuming. Further, CSA is not as feasible for small-scale or beginner farmers who may want to sell their produce on a subscription basis but cannot provide for full shares for many people.

That's where the idea of multi-farm, or cooperative CSA, comes in. Multi-farm CSA involves many farms coming together for one share service, often managed by someone (or a team) who provides marketing and management for the CSA, leaving farmers with as much time as needed for farm care and upkeep. Smaller farmers now have a chance to be a part of CSA, as they have a more reliable consumer base, supported by larger farms with more products.


Rochester's Good Food Collective is a multi-farm CSA that collects produce from farms, most organic, surrounding the Rochester area and divides and provides it in shares for paying members. With over 1,000 shareholders for its current summer season (including me), the GFC carries its shares by the truckload to various distribution points in the Rochester area. Its extensive website includes a "Food Manuel" that gives tips on cooking, preserving, and freezing each fruit and vegetable, farm and farmer profiles, and options for share distributions such as season, location, and additional shares like bread, eggs, honey, meat. etc.

While multi-farm CSA does not provide for the same local community experience as traditional CSA, it is a strategic and sustainable option for increasing local consumption and providing fruits and vegetables to people across a large region. Geneseo students and community members will have the opportunity this fall to be members of the GFC fall share, that will run for 10 weeks immediately following the close of the Geneseo Farmers Market. Get excited!

What is Geneseo Eats Local?

Summer 2013 is here and it's time for all things green - the glorious offerings of upstate New York being one of them. Bring out your reuseable bags and market hype, folks, it's time to eat seasonally! Luckily, I have the opportunity to provide one Rochester-area community, Geneseo, NY, with a local food program.

The State University of New York at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo) provides grants, what it calls ambassadorships, to a few lucky students who put together projects involving "independent learning and innovative results," according to the grants' website. Lucky me, I was a recipient for my project, Geneseo Eats Local! As a Campus Auxiliary Services Ambassador in Entrepeneurship, I will attempt to increase local consumption in the town of Geneseo while enhancing the college-community ties, attempting to transcend the boundary, both physical and nonphysical, that lies between the student body and the Geneseo community along the way.

Working with the Geneseo Farmers Market and implementing a community-supported agriculture fall share program for off-campus students, college faculty, and community members, it is my hope that Geneseo will benefit from these green initiatives.

The project involves three core aspects:

- Working with the market and the Good Food Collective, a Rochester-based multi-farm CSA, to provide local food through December, and if successful, year round. This work will involve promotional outreach, via communication and distributional material and providing incentives (giveaways, free samples!)  for student and community participation in the market and the CSA. I purchased a summer share with the Good Food Collective and I hope to use my first CSA experience to provide advice for those also taking it on for the first time in the fall.
- Organizing a calendar of events including college-community dinners, local food cooking classes, and welcoming speakers at the college. This will also include the community's participation in the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York's Locavore Challenge, held in September.
- Implementing a local food council, comprised of members of the Geneseo campus and community, that will oversee the activity of these events and food systems to ensure their sustainability. Beginning in fall 2013, the council will meet on a monthly basis.

There are always ways to increase participation in these events, and that will be my main question throughout these coming months. The market and CSA will be most sustainable and lasting with participants who choose these alternative food systems to conventional food systems.

It is my hope that the market will see increased attendance and that the first year of the CSA will be successful. With the Geneseo Farmers Market opening June 20, my work now will be focused on student outreach for the market and putting together material to prepare students and community members for their fall CSA share. Thanks for following, if you are; feedback rules!