Interesting Articles
Back to articles
Buying Fresh and Locally Is Healthy, Affordable
A comment about “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” often is, “I can’t afford to eat this way.” This statement frequently comes from people who have yet to make the leap from shopping at the grocery store to connecting with their local farmers and purchasing based on what is available seasonally within a 75- to 100-mile radius.
People visit local farms and are wide-eyed when they compare prices of ground beef at $5.45/lb. with 99 cents/lb. at the local big box store. What does the consumer get for that 99 cents/lb.? They get meat sourced from a handful of slaughterhouses across the country or imported from foreign countries, along with additives, preservatives, antibiotics, perfumes, burned fossil fuels, pesticides, insecticides and the increased risks of coronary disease, cancer and E. coli. The list goes on and on.
By buying local grass-fed ground beef, one gets a connection with the farmer who grew it, heart-healthy meats and fats, and the peace of mind knowing that you can make a short trip down the road to visit the farm where the animal lived its entire life. These points apply not only to livestock, but also to vegetables, fruits, wine, flowers, plants and so forth.
Purchasing your food locally also keeps a greater amount of the dollars spent within the community. For example, if you were to spend $100 with local farms and locally owned independent stores, $68 would stay within the community through taxes, payroll, etc. Spend the same amount at a national chain and only $43 stays within the community.
There is no magic to comparing the costs of living on local foods with the cost of living on industrial foods. There is one simple answer — try it. The assumption that it is much more expensive to eat locally produced products is not the case. It simply takes a plan, weekly menus and a budget.
Get the most out of your pound of beets. Let’s say, a pound costs $3 and you buy 2 pounds: roast ½ pound for a cold salad with barley, goat cheese and tarragon; use 1 pound as the base of a soup, another ½ pound for canning or pickling, or simply roast and serve warm. What about the greens that normally would go in the trash? Beet greens are wonderful sautéed with sweet onions and bacon and served warm as an accompaniment to your dinner. Planning is crucial to eating locally on a budget.
Less expensive cuts of meat are truly some of my favorites. Less money spent on a cut of beef generally means a longer cooking time — soups, stews, roasts, barbecues, braising, slow-roasting. I’m speaking of the kind of cooking that your neighbors can smell when they drive by your house, the kind of cooking that reminds you of family dinners. Meats that come from the working muscles of the animals — chuck, round, brisket, short ribs, shank, tail, ground beef, flat iron, skirt steak and hanging tender are all examples of cuts priced for a budget.
There is nothing easier than cooking in a Crock-Pot. Start with broth or water, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, sea salt and black peppercorns; add the beef, cook the pot’s contents on low and it will be ready in six hours. Serve this as a roast with beautifully roasted vegetables and turn the leftover beef and vegetables into a stew with brown rice.
Buy cookbooks, love your food and respect the farmers and growers that provided it for you. We practice sustainable agriculture because we love it and believe in it. We want to impact the lives of our customers and their families, positively impact the environment and provide for the well-being of our livestock. It’s a way of life and a steady source for foods packed with flavor and beneficial nutrients. Once consumers start down this path with us, they’ll never look back.
Mike Peterson is the chef-turned-farm-manager for Mount Vernon Farm in Sperryville. He is happy to answer questions about creative menu planning and meat selections on a budget. Contact him at mtvfarm@gmail.com.
Back to articles
