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Who knew some of my grandparents’ eating habits would top
the current food trends? Last year, the Midwestern Food
Movement made the National Restaurant Association list
and this year “hyper-local” was listed as a trend to watch.
Hyper-local is used to describe food that is grown on the
premises of restaurants so it can be harvested fresh and
brought right into the kitchen. Like my example of
“hyper-local” at my grandparent’s house, you probably
already eat local foods, whether it is fresh herbs from a
container garden, a local dairy that sells ice cream or fish
from a favorite river or lake.
The Northwest Ohio Food Council is promoting Local Foods
Week from August 9 – 15, 2015 as part of a statewide Ohio
Local Foods Week. The Northwest Ohio Food Council is a
collaborative network of organizations and individuals
working together to build a healthy Northwest Ohio food
system. What can you do?
·
Share your local foods story with your family and friends.
What are your favorite Ohio foods or favorite family food
stories?
·
Pledge to purchase at least $10 in local foods for the week.
This could be from farm stands, farmers’ markets, CSA
memberships, local grocery stores or restaurants. Encourage
your friends to join at
http://go.osu.edu/olfwpledge
·
If someone qualifies and has an Ohio Direction Card (SNAP
benefits), they can use that card at any Toledo Farmers
Market (downtown and satellite sites). They need to go to
the information booth to swipe their card, decide how much
money they would like to spend off the card and receive
tokens to use at the farmers booths. Then they get “Double
Up Food Bucks”. For every two dollars they spend on their
SNAP card, they will get a dollar match up to $20 per day.
So, if you spend $10 off the SNAP card, you will $20 in
tokens for local foods.
·
Online, follow Northwest Ohio Food Council on Facebook (Food
in the 419) and Ohio Local Foods Week on Facebook and/or
Twitter.
Post your local foods stories and photos, #itmatterswhereyougrowit
and #olfw15.
·
At the grocery store, visit the Local Foods section and make
a purchase. There is no single definition for “local” food,
so read the signs or ask employees at your favorite grocery
store how they define local. Grocery stores participating in
Ohio Local Foods Week include the Andersons, Walt Churchill,
Phoenix Earth Co-op and Krogers.
·
Make visiting a Farmer’s Market or farm stand a priority. If
you think of all the foods that can be grown and produced in
Ohio, it’s not hard to find something new, whether it’s an
unusual vegetable or a different variety or color of a
common plant. If you visit the Toledo Farmers’ Market,
downtown on Saturday August 8th, be sure to visit
the table hosted by Northwest Ohio Food Council. The OSU
Extension, Lucas County office will also be celebrating
“Sneak a Zucchini” on your neighbor’s porch day. For more
information, stop by the table!
·
If you are not inclined to make your own meals, there are
many restaurants that offer local, seasonal menus based on
the food of the region.
While you are encouraged to enjoy local foods throughout the
year, this week has been set aside to attend events and
participate in the $10 Local Foods Challenge. Why commit to
spending at least $10 on local foods during this week? You
will not only enjoy the tastes of local foods, but it will
also provide a way to become better informed about the
nutritional, economic, and social benefits of foods across
our agricultural state. For more information, Northwest Ohio
Food Council
http://northwestohiofoodcouncil.com or Food in the 419
Facebook page. |
