Where does your food come from?
Published Thursday September 25th, 2008
Conservation Council host 100-mile dinner, and educational and very local meal.
Buying local is more than just a concept, it's an essential means of curbing our environmental impact as consumers while supporting our neighbourhood communities. This weekend, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick will host an event they're calling The 100-Mile Fall Harvest Dinner, an evening of food, music, and education honouring our local farmers and their contribution to our communities.
"The dinner is more about celebrating the idea of 'local' and the importance of investing in local products and supporting local farmers," said Kevin Matthews of the CCNB. "I like to think of it as a celebration of all the things we do that are good and local to all of us."
The CCNB has always been a great supporter of local farmers and conservation issues within the province. At one point, they even operated their own farm and a food co-op, producing their own harvest of organic vegetables.
Organizers for this event are hoping supporters will enjoy the evening as a celebration of our local food producers and take home an enriched education on the many benefits buying local has in our communities.
"Buying local is a central part of solving some of our major environmental problems when you think that the average food item travels over 2,500 kilometres to get to our table," said Matthews. "The Conservation Council has always supported the idea of 'local' and the many ways 'local' can be perceived.
"Maybe in some ways people have to accept the idea that they don't necessarily need to have an iceberg lettuce in the middle of the winter," added Mathews. "There are plenty of options available that aren't shipped all the way up from California."
There's a very personal touch found in buying goods directly from local producers, something not found in the supermarket aisles. Being able to establish a relationship with the person who grew the potatoes or raised the chicken we're eating, is something unique to the local market and something Matthews believes should be cherished.
"There' a whole socialization that doesn't happen when you're importing most of your food," he said. "Locally grown food comes to places like the [Boyce] Farmer's Market with its flavour still intact and many of these local farmers are the actual people behind the counter," he said.
The dinner will take place at the Wilmot United Church in downtown Fredericton and is sure to be appetizing, entertaining and informative.
The most important part of any meal is of course, the food. This year's dinner will feature a mouth-watering menu of squash soup and biscuits, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, turkey with mushroom gravy, maple cranberry sauce, and pies and crumbles will be sure to convince all in attendance that local food is abundant, varied, and delicious! Vegetarian options will also be available to ensure that no one is left out and no one leaves hungry.
The evening's entertainment will be Saint John's very own Brent Mason, one of Canada's most noted Maritime folk-rock artists. Mason was nominated for an ECMA is the roots/traditional solo category and recently received the ECMA Stompin' Tom Award for exceptional contributions to the musical traditions of Atlantic Canada. With six recordings to his name and the experience to back them up, Mason and his songs are sure to be an evening highlight.
Betty Brown, national director for the National Farmer's Union, will be the guest speaker for this year's event. Brown will be speaking about our local family farms and why supporting them is good for everyone.
"We're very fortunate to live in an area where farmers produce such a diverse array of safe, quality food at a reasonable consumer price," said Brown when asked to comment about our New Brunswick farms.
It's hoped that everyone who attends the dinner will walk away with not only a full belly, but also a raised level of awareness.
Sharon Flatt of the CCNB feels strongly about the importance of educating everyone on the facts as they relate to the 'buy local' movement. She hopes that those in attendance will take what they learned and share it with others.
"It's a shift in marketing and education that has to happen in order for real change to begin," she said. "Local farmers can't compete by producing fancy ads and marketing campaigns. They don't have that type of service working for them. It's a cultural problem and a cultural shift. We need to start working with our local culture more in order to understand that everything we need is right here," she said.
"When we stop buying local we stop supporting what makes our communities alive and sustainable," said Flatt. "It's a huge problem but it's also a huge solution."
"Eating locally-produced food is sometimes perceived as very challenging," said Megan de Graaf, forest and watersheds project co-ordinator with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, "but until fairly recently, it was simply the only option available, and people thrived on local diets. Not only is it feasible for us to buy more of our food from local sources, doing so also reconnects us with seasonal cycles, and helps us appreciate what's special about each season's harvest: spring fiddleheads, summer berries, fall tomatoes, and winter root vegetables."
No event of this proportion would be complete without a cast of sponsors to help out with the details. This year, the CCNB is grateful for the support they've received from Picaroon's, Armstrong Financial, Max Media, Local Valley Beef; and York, Capital, and NBTA Credit Unions.
Tickets for the dinner are $15 per person or $40 per family of four and are available at the door or in advance at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Westminster Books, and True Food Organics.
Debbie Russell of True Foods Organics feels that more people are slowly warming to the idea of eating locally, but the more education that can be provided, the better.
"I've seen it grow in the last year," said Russell. "There's been a lot of books come out on eating locally and a lot of media about how important it is to support local growers. It's almost like a wave that's coming," she said.
Health, economy, and environmental benefits are all rooted in organic foods and there's little doubt that the choice we make as consumers benefits everyone in the long run.
"I think it started with environmental concerns," said Russell. "After that, people start to see the more benefits local shopping brings. Local buyers are really putting their money into something they want to see continue whereas food coming from far away could stop at anytime. I'm not saying it would, but it definitely could." She feels consumers often take things for granted and in doing so over look the benefits and importance of eating seasonal.
"If we take everything as it comes and appreciate it, knowing that it's not going to be there forever, people will be able to get more enjoyment from what it is they are eating," she said. "Eating food in season is not really a hardship." If flavour means anything to consumers anymore, maybe a shift in our overall eating habits isn't that far off. For Russell and the many others who have adopted seasonal eating habits, the bottom line is simple.
"When you eat things in season, they just taste 10 times better."
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