Yes to Artisanal Local Food

Dear Reader,

Is it a fad or a serious trend? Frankly, I hope it's both.

What am I talking about? I am talking about the new fascination that increasing numbers of people have with eating only local products.

I hope the underlying principle, of buying locally first whenever possible, is a serious trend that is going to grow substantially over the next years.

But I also hope that some of the more radical approaches are just a fad.

Purists take the 'eating locally' practice to ridiculous lengths that are not only impractical for the vast majority of the people, but that are also counter-productive and ultimately harmful to some of the people we should be supporting.

They will not consume anything that has not ben produced within a 100- or 150 mile radius of where they live.

Personally, I buy local food whenever I find it. I buy as much as I can directly from local food producers, I don't eat at chain restaurants, and I gladly pay more for local food because ultimately it helps the whole community.

The purists lose me, however, when it comes to products that we don't grow here. Coffee, for instance. Or chocolate. Or bananas. Not to mention salt, pepper or wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

I also drink the occasional bottle of imported wine or beer, and enjoy foreign foods that by definition can't be local, like pickled herring or French cheese.

The buy-local movement is important, no doubt. Where our nutrition and health are concerned, eating locally grown, raised and also processed food is the most important single measure we can take to improve both.

Our local farmers and artisanal food producers are vital pillars of our communities and we need to support them.

Locally produced food is also fresher and has a smaller carbon footprint - assuming it is produced using sustainable practices - than its industrially produced counterparts trucked in from thousands of miles away.

But the buy-local movement should not be turned into another excuse for protectionism (large commercial food interests are working on doing just that).
There is nothing wrong in principle with free trade. Free trade is an essential part of fair trade, and yes, I will support small-scale cooperative coffee growers in Central and South America and Africa by buying fair trade organic coffee - roasted locally.

Is it possible to live exclusively from the fruits of the local land in the Madison area? For dedicated individuals and families, certainly. And I count myself among them - with the exceptions mentioned earlier.

During the summer months it is easy of course. There are plenty of farmers' markets and local vegetables and fruits are available everywhere.

Off-season, however, it becomes more of a challenge. How ready are we to ignore the watery greenhouse lettuce or tasteless tomato from California and replace them with local Brussels sprouts or spinach?

Maybe if we use Italian canned tomatoes instead ...?