Yesterday my large jar of honey finally ran dry. If I could have licked every inch of the inside of that jar I would have, because this local honey from John Skalko of Esko was that awesome. In desperation I called the number on the jar and, unfortunately, he's out for the season. Like Kris Kringle from "Miracle on 34th Street," though, he promptly gave me the name of the last local honey producer with some stock remaining.
Another local gem is Green Pasture's Dairy out of Cloquet. My freezer is still pretty full from the half pig I brought home this past fall all wrapped up in nice little packages. This pork is raised organically on pasture, and fed the leftover whey from their popular dairy operation. This is really just a time-honored way to raise livestock, but now it's downright exotic. Compare this to the pigs raised on factory farms in their own filth that are given a potent antibiotic cocktail to keep them alive just long enough to reach slaughtering age. What would you rather eat?
Unlike the secrecy of these factory "farms," Green Pasture has lovely pictures of its idyllic farm on its Web site, and its staff is always available to answer your questions. This is certainly worth the extra 25 cents a pound I pay for their superior product.
This past year I've made a concerted effort to buy locally whenever possible, and this is especially important in the area of food. Food from the corporate agricultural industry conglomerates is just not the same. It's full of harmful additives, preservatives, pesticides and chemicals -- and it isn't grown in environmentally friendly ways. I want to get my food from farmers I can talk to, and not from Corporate America.
Amazingly, buying locally has fallen out of fashion in this age of the supermarket. It is poised to make a comeback, though, as stories circulate almost daily about the increasingly unsafe food supply that arrives from all four corners of the world. In fact, the average American dinner travels 1,500 miles before landing in your microwave.
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Locally grown food is demonstrably more nutritious, consumes far fewer fossil fuels, is fresher and doesn't arrive in layer upon layer of wasteful packaging. The purchase of it promotes a strong local agricultural community. With typical grocery store food, for example, only a few cents on the dollar actually gets to the farmers. Consequently, these producers are forced to focus on high volumes of production over quality.
The careful stewardship of people who love the land, derive their livelihoods from it and want to pass it on to their children is clearly the most effective form of conservation as well.
These are just a few of many reasons why it's vital that more of our food be grown by real farmers rather than agribusinessmen who make decisions in far-off boardrooms.
The best way to get in on the local food movement is to grow your own. Even within the city limits you can grow a surprising amount of produce.
Our 50-by-140 lot has done well, even though my wife and I are still amateurs. We had to take up canning so as not to allow the bounty to go to waste, and perhaps a small flock of chickens will be next. There are a lot of angry people out there looking for more ways to rebel, and gardening is a great place to start!
In addition to supporting the rural way of life, eating healthier and promoting solid conservation that actually benefits the community, buying locally grown food is also a practical outgrowth of a conservative political philosophy.
Conservatives believe in local control and less tyranny: It doesn't matter whether it exists at the hand of big government, big business or little green men.
It is vital that our lifestyle reflects our ideas.
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Decentralization is desirable in almost everything since the concentration of power leads to corruption.
This principle applies to government, education and the production of our food supply.
Eddy Gilmore is a freelance writer, father of twins and husband of one. He can be reached via e-mail at eddyg_123@yahoo.com . Gilmore writes once a month for the Budgeteer.
