Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

Mary Campbell,
Extension Director and Community Resource Agent

How much do you know about where your food comes from? Is it important to you whether you are supporting local Florida agriculture? Learning about food and farming in our communities is an important way to understand sustainable living. Local food systems enhance the social relationships between farmers and consumers; support small and family farmers; keep local agricultural economies viable; maintain genetic diversity of food crops; and preserve natural resources, rural land areas, and wildlife spaces.

Floridians are buying more food grown locally or regionally and retail sales are higher here than in other states, according to a University of Florida study. The survey showed that local food represents about 20% of all Florida food purchased for at-home consumption, except restaurant take-out food, said Alan Hodges, an Extension scientist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Consumers realize there are health, quality and economic benefits to locally grown food. Among all Florida households, 62 percent bought local foods at farmers’ markets, 53 percent from retail supermarkets, 28 percent from restaurants, and 5 percent from community-supported agriculture or other direct transactions. Because there is no accepted definition of what constitutes “local” food, Hodges’ survey allowed respondents to define the term – and most often defined it as food produced within 100 miles of the consumer, he said.

To watch an interview with Hodges about the local food study, visit http://tinyurl.com/bycexkd to see Hodges and others from the larger project discuss local food, visit http://tinyurl.com/axjxosm. The larger project investigates ways of connecting farmers and consumers. It’s supported by a specialty crops block grant obtained by the UF/IFAS PIE Center. Information about the larger project is available at http://piecenter.com/localfood.

A USDA program launched in 2009: Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food supports local food systems and understanding of the benefits of local and regional support for agriculture. There is an interactive map of farmer’s markets and other information on the website.

Resource: UF/IFAS Extension Local Foods

Ways to Reduce Food Waste and Save Money

Ramona Madhosingh-Hector,
Urban Sustainability Agent
  
It’s a fact that Americans enjoy a disposable way of life. From cups to paper towels to cans and bottles, we are a throwaway culture. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there, we also throw away a lot of food. Did you know that reducing food waste saves money and resources?

The “food-print” analysis of the average American reveals that on average, a family of four will spend about $190 a week on food and throw away 40% of it. That’s a loss of $76 a week or $3,952 a year!

Feeding the still growing U.S. population requires an enormous amount of land and resources. If you consider the added costs for water and fuel to produce and transport food, you’ll realize that billions of dollars are lost when we throw away food. Last month, the Natural Resources Defense Council estimated that almost $165B is set aside to produce food that will be thrown out! These staggering statistics should encourage us to be more mindful of what we purchase, how much we actually consume, and how much gets thrown out.

To reduce food waste, try one of the tips below.

Shop wisely (at the grocery store) – Avoid “impulse buys” and definitely don’t buy more than what you need. If you see items on sale, perishable or not, and you “stock up” but don’t use the item and the food is thrown away, then your “potential” dollar savings is also thrown away.

Use Leftovers – If you eat out, be sure to take home your leftovers, they’ll make a good second meal for lunch or dinner the next day. You can also freeze it if you don’t plan to consume immediately. I recommend removing the leftovers from the restaurant packaging and placing in a freeze-proof container. Better yet, take your own container to the restaurant for your leftovers.

If you eat in and made extra portions for dinner, be sure to package for lunch or freeze for consumption later in the week or month.

Appearance Guilt – As consumers, we are often drawn to the perfect tomato, green pepper or apple but did you know that imperfect fruit and vegetables have the same nutritional value as their perfect counterparts? You may even be able to get a reduced price for these items at a farmers’ market because of the shape or size.

Shop your fridge or pantry – If you have items in your refrigerator that may be approaching the “use by” date or multiples of one item in the pantry, be sure to use these to create interesting new dishes. Visit the Solutions for Your Life website for new recipes.

Compost - To use your waste for a good purpose, start a compost heap to manage your food scraps. More information on the benefits of composting is available here.


For more tips on curbing food waste, check out the resources provided below.

Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org

United States Department of Agriculture
www.usda.gov

United States Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Program http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

No Cook Recipes 

Low Energy Cooking

Want to Find the Fun Now?

Nan Jensen, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Pinellas County Extension

If you are looking for a way to get healthy and have fun at the same time, you have to check out www.FindtheFunNow.com.The new campaign is part of an effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve health outcomes in 50 targeted communities across the U.S. It is built around a new web-based application that helps people find actively fun things to do at Pinellas County's parks, beaches and other attractions.

You can search the website by neighborhood, time of day, budget, how much time you have for a fun activity and the kind of people you want to invite. The application searches a database of hundreds of activities and returns a list of ideas for you to consider, along with descriptions, if the activity is outside, and the current weather.

FindTheFunNow.com  is equipped with a database of local farmers' markets and fresh produce locations, as well as ways to find healthy recipes. You will also be able to share your own ideas, and what you found on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

The idea is to make healthy eating and activity part of everyday life, to help address the growing problem of obesity.  So what are you waiting for? Go out and Find the Fun Now!

Green Resolutions for 2011

By: Mary Campbell, Extension Director and Urban Sustainability Agent

Have you set your new “green” resolutions for 2011? Are you still forgetting that reusable bag for the grocery or not quite off the bottled water yet? Each year brings a new opportunity to see how we can push ourselves to implement new, more sustainable practices. This past year, I realized just how hard it is to change practices that I have been doing for years. Happily, I no longer have to take the recyclables to a remote site since St. Petersburg began curbside recycling. That is a huge step forward.

A new year is a good time to think about lifestyle resolutions that are meaningful to us. Due to economic and environmental impacts, more people are thinking about new ways of connecting their lifestyles with their beliefs. Living sustainably can mean a simpler, more economical lifestyle and more focused on reducing impacts to the planet.

One of the challenges of going green and being sustainable is the link between our beliefs and our actions. A recent Yale study notes that 76 % of participants thought it was important to buy locally grown food, but only 26 % did it and 72% of participants thought it was important to use public transportation or carpool, but only 10 % did so. The survey found that for simpler actions, like turning out lights or reusing things, people were more likely to believe the action was important and also do it. Research has shown us that convenience and cost are two important factors for implementing sustainable practices.

So let’s pick a new green practice that we will carry through 2011. I have not been consistent about purchasing locally grown (Florida) fruits and vegetables. So this year I will make sure I check where fruits and vegetables are grown before I buy them and purchase the local choice when available. This may mean not having some of my favorites, but it also means I will learn to love new things and know that I am supporting local food systems and the local economy. Farmer’s markets are a great way to see what is grown in our state and support a local economy. So I will pledge to go to a local farmer’s market once a month and buy local produce. If you want to join me in this commitment, please click here. At the end of 2011, we will see how well we all did.

Thanks for reading the Thinking Green blog and have a very “green” 2011.

Resources:
Be Green and Buy Local

Be Green and Buy Local

By: Mary Campbell, Urban Sustainability Agent

Fall begins the bounty of local fresh farmer’s markets and local produce from Florida. Eating local produce for Floridians could include our own gardens, our region or the entire state. Local is loosely interpreted as looking for those seasonal choices that are closer at hand. A good place to start with buying local is to look for seasonal crops that are grown within the region at a local farmer’s market. When we buy local products, they are fresher, have a lower carbon footprint from transportation and support our local economy. Getting our local produce from farmer’s markets also can involve less packaging and processing which further reduces waste and environmental impacts. Keeping our local food systems alive and well is part of a sustainable community. Choose healthy, local produce and you support all the pillars of a sustainable community: healthy people, healthy environment and healthy economy.

Here are a few local markets to get you started:

• Clearwater: Wenesdays - Opens 10/20/10


• Corey Avenue: Saturdays - Opened 10/2/10


• Crossroads: Saturdays - Opened 10/2/10


• Dunedin: Fridays and Saturdays - Opens 10/29/10


• Heritage Village, Market in the Park: Saturdays - Opens 11/6/10


• Largo Harvest Market: Thursdays - Opens 11/4/10


• Pinellas Park : Saturdays - Opens 10/9/10


• Seminole - Thursday thru Saturday - On going


• St. Petersburg: Saturday - Opened 10/2/10

Resources:
Florida Farmer’s Markets
Local Harvest
Florida Produce Availability(pdf)

Seminole Residents Come Together for Sustainability

A group of citizens in the City of Seminole have formed a DISCUSSION GROUP ON RECYCLING AND SUSTAINABILITY. Meetings are held once a month at the Seminole Community Library, 9200 113th St. N., Seminole, Florida 33772.

FEBRUARY 1, from 10:00 am to noon, Program Room A, the DISCUSSION GROUP will welcome Barbara Arthur, volunteer of Morningstar Fishermen, who will show the video, "Aquaponics". The topic will educate citizens on the breeding and growing of tilapia and culture of plants and vegetables, using the fascinating method of aquaponics. Following the presentation, there will be open discussions.

MARCH 1, from 10:00 am to noon, Program Room A, the DISCUSSION GROUP will share research and experiences related to recycling, composting, rain barrels, and other local sustainable practices. The DISCUSSION GROUP is developing its mission statement and future project ideas.

APRIL 17, from 10:00 am to noon, Program Room C, the DISCUSSION GROUP will feature one of its members, Cristy Abbott, who will show the video, "Fresh". This video is a documentary that celebrates farmers, thinkers, and business people across the U.S. who are re-inventing our food system. Following the presentation, there will be open discussions.

For more information, contact group organizer, Mary DeGeorge-Hampton, (631) 838-2272.

The Green Holiday Table

James Stevenson, Pinellas County Extension Specialist, Urban Sustainability

Fresh, Local Produce

As we’ve stated before, patronizing local markets is great for the local economy, ensures freshness, and is often more affordable than big supermarket chains.

Why not have a ‘Fresh From Florida’ feast this year? Visit Florida-Agriculture.com and learn about seasonal availability of Florida crops and other agricultural products. From seafood to sprouts to wine, you can support Florida agriculture, our local economy, and enjoy doing it!

Check the newspapers for a listing of local farmers’ markets. There are now markets in north, central and south Pinellas County—look for one near you! There are a myriad of small produce stands dotted throughout the county as well. Check the phone book under Produce-Retail for a list of green grocers near you.

Market in the Park Opens November 1

Location: Pinellas County Extension and Florida Botanical Gardens
12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo
When: Each Saturday: 9 am – 1 pm

Mary Campbell, Pinellas County Extension Director and Urban Sustainability Agent

Fall is a wonderful time of the year in Florida and even more so with the opening of farmer’s markets and green markets that give us an opportunity to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. Market in the Park opens November 1, 2008 – April 18, 2009 each Saturday 9 am – 1 pm. This popular market attracted over 1,000 visitors each week to Pinellas County Extension and the Florida Botanical Gardens in its first year. It is conveniently located right off Ulmerton Road, parking is free and access is easy. The Market has fresh produce, local honey, coffee specialties, fresh baked breads, cheeses, natural dog treats, plants and much more. More vendors are signed up this year, so visit the market to see all the new items.

Buying local products is both green (environmentally friendly) and sustainable (good for the economy, society and environment). Locally grown vegetables – which travel less distance – are fresher and you are supporting local growers and businesses that put that money back into the local economy. Reducing the distance that food travels saves on the carbon emissions and air pollution. By supporting local farms near suburban areas and around cities, you help keep farmers on the land, and, at the same time, preserve open spaces and counteract urban sprawl. In the US, the average grocery store’s produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm and your refrigerator. About 40% of our fruit is produced overseas. Even though broccoli is likely grown within 20 miles of the average American’s home, it travels an average of 1,800 miles to your table.

Extension has many programs planned to complement the Market such as healthy cooking, rain barrels, composting, going green, children’s activities and horticulture programs. Please go to the Pinellas County Extension calendar at http://www.pinellascountyextension.org/ to see the full list of programs each Saturday. Remember to bring your reusable shopping bag. Free reusable bags will be given out to the first 100 people who take the Check Your Green Commitment Pledge to stop using plastic bags on November 1 at the Market. Visit the market and support local businesses that are a part of a sustainable community.

Resources:
Market in the Park: http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/market/index.html
Buy Local: http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/sustainability/sustain_local_grown_food.shtml