Applying the “Think globally, act locally” credo gets a little easier this time of year. Local farmers are bringing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy and other products to market, offering consumers a variety of tasty and wholesome ways to help the planet and themselves.
The farmers’ market season has already started in Bothell, Edmonds, Everett and Snohomish, and others are opening soon. Farms throughout Snohomish, King and Skagit counties are selling couldn’t-be-fresher produce directly to the public. It’s a fun and fulfilling shopping trip that doubles as a meaningful cultural experience. One visit is all it takes to get you hooked.
You’ll come home with a bag or two of healthful freshness, along with the satisfaction of knowing your food didn’t travel hundreds or thousands of fuel-burning, carbon-spewing miles. You’ll be helping to keep local farmers in business, preserving a critical resource that for too long has been undervalued or taken for granted.
Regional and local efforts have improved the visibility and viability of area farms. The Cascade Harvest Coalition has worked since 1999 to preserve and revitalize local food systems in Western Washington by uniting the agricultural community and giving it a stronger voice. Snohomish County government has worked to make farming more sustainable by hosting major conferences that have put regulatory and other key issues on the table for action.
But none of that matters if farmers can’t sell what they grow. So marketing has also improved, with programs that encourage support of local agriculture, even at large grocery stores and local restaurants. Farmers’ markets have proliferated in recent years, along with farms that feature their own retail outlets and family-friendly events like corn mazes, pumpkin patches and hayrides. They’re one more thing that makes this such a great place to live.
If you’re looking for small but important steps to take against global warming, start in your own kitchen. Food grown at a nearby farm is a lot more planet-friendly than something that was transported halfway across the country – or the world. Chances are it’ll taste a whole lot better, too.
The 2007 Puget Sound Fresh Farm Guide, packed with lists of regional farms and farmers’ markets, is available free at public places throughout Snohomish County, and at www.pugetsoundfresh.org.
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