Do
you ever notice how strawberries in season are full of flavor?
I bit into a squash in the middle of winter once and wondered
if it was cut out of cardboard and painted to fool me. Barbara
Kingsolver, in her wonderful book Animal,
Vegetable, Miracle, calls it “The Case of the
Murdered Flavor.” The journey of food to our plate
often consists of hauling most fruits and vegetables in
refrigerated trucks from all parts of the world. Most of
our food travels at least 2,000 miles before it reaches
the market, let alone our plate.
Creative marketing and a whole lot of energy and oil has
changed “eating in season” to “eat whatever
you want whenever you want.” Except it really isn't
whatever you want because it lacks the flavor, the freshness,
and even in some cases, the healthy. You can look at a vegetable
calendar to determine roughly what vegetable matures in
what month for ultimate freshness. From there,
Kingsolver says “If you find yourself eating a
watermelon in April, you can count back three months and
imagine a place warm enough in January for this plant to
have launched its destiny. Mexico maybe, or southern California.”
Here at the Conservation Center we are all about keeping
it local. Whether it’s Growing Your
Own Food, Eating Locally, or making
Sustainable Food Choices, we’re
here to help you find the resources. Feel free to read on
and find out how food does impact our planet and how everyone
(Summit County and beyond) can take action to keep it local!
||The Living Classroom
|| Summit County Food Policy Council
Sustainable Food Solutions for Summit County!
As a joint effort to explore local food issues, the Summit Prevention Alliance and the High Country Conservation Center created a Summit County Food Policy Council (FPC) in January of 2010.
At our first meeting, the group discussed alarming hunger issues and trends that are currently affecting our community. According to the Summit County Basic Food Assistance document, “The need for basic food assistance is growing in Summit County as evidenced by an increase in families enrolled in the Food Stamp program and visitors to our local food banks.” Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people fed per year by local food banks increased by over 815 percent for some food banks.
Another important issue beyond hunger is local and healthy food for school cafeterias. There are several opportunities to incorporate sustainable food curriculum and hands-on opportunities in the classroom. For one, there is a national push for Farm to School programs in the school system. In addition, the Conservation Center’s The Living Classroom (TLC) Project is set to roll out in the summer and will focus on bringing kids closer to food production by providing classrooms and school groups with space to grow their own food and get their hands dirty.
Taking Summit County issues into mind, the FPC determined three main focus areas: health and nutrition; local and environmental benefits; and food security, access, and hunger. Through these focus areas, the group hopes to address and potentially accomplish the following:
Local and nutritious food for schools including the use of local produce (grown on site or grown locally) in the lunchroom
Zoning and planning with an emphasis on acquiring permanent land for local food production (community greenhouses and gardens)
Hunger relief through growing and acquiring healthy food to supplement local food banks.
In general, the FPC includes individuals from the community that have a strong interest in food including how it’s produced, processed, and distributed. A local FPC is a great way to explore food issues and to take action through local policy. If you are interested in learning more about the Summit County FPC, let us know. Please contact food@highcountryconservation.org for more info.
New Mission Statement: Sustainable Food Solutions for Summit County! New Vision Statement: The Food Policy Council will support local efforts to 1). grow and acquire healthy, sustainable food to 2). serve the hungry and 3). educate our community. Co-Chairs: Joanna Rybak - Summit Prevention Alliance and Jennifer Santry - High Country Conservation Center
We apologize for the mess. This page is under construction. Check back in May for updated information! Thank you!
|| Grow Your Own Food
Coming Soon...
Summit Gardeners There is nothing more local than your backyard
or a window sill in your home. If you really want freshness
and vegetables with zero travel impact, grow a salad at
home.
Victory Gardens
The Greenhorns
Forget Plastics - Make Your Own Yogurt!
Now that Summit County Drop-Off Centers only accept #1 and #2 plastic bottles, many yogurt lovers are a little bummed about having to throw away plastic yogurt tubs. Well thanks to a local supporter, we have a great recipe for making your own yogurt! The recipe does require a starter batch of yogurt but after that, you're on your way to tub-free, homemade yumminess. Check out the recipe here!
|| Eat Locally
Coming Soon...
|| Sustainable Food Choices
Coming Soon...
Have you seen "The Future
of Food?"
There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and
on the dinner tables of America that is transforming the
very nature of the food we eat. This well-researched documentary
by Deborah Koons Garcia, the widow of the legendary Grateful
Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, takes an in-depth look at the
disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically
engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store
shelves for the past decades. This film examines the complex
web of market and political forces that are changing what
we eat as huge, multinational corporations seek to control
the world’s food systems but also explores alternatives
to large-scale industrial agriculture, offering solutions
like organic and sustainable agriculture as alternative
food sources.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Keystone Bluegrass and Beer Festival - Volunteers Needed!
We’re looking for volunteers for July 31st and August 1st. Shifts include ID checkers, information booth, kids crafts, and assisting beer vendors. Each shift will vary between two and three hours.
For more info,
please click here.
Do
you ever notice how strawberries in season are full of flavor?
I bit into a squash in the middle of winter once and wondered
if it was cut out of cardboard and painted to fool me. Barbara
Kingsolver, in her wonderful book 
As a joint effort to explore local food issues, the 
Forget Plastics - Make Your Own Yogurt! 
