Holiday Food: Get Into the Local Spirit

Since we take such care in preparing a good meal, it only makes sense that we should be taking as much care in choosing what we buy and where it comes from. This time of year offers us the perfect opportunity to consider and consciously choose food that supports the well-being of ourselves and our local economy. In Ontario alone, if just 10,000 households spent $10 a week on local produce, we could generate an additional $5 million dollars, 100 new jobs, and take the equivalent of 100 cars off the road.

If you’re up to the challenge of spending a mere $10 a week on local food, you’re not only voting with your dollar for the type of food system you’d like to support, but also helping to make meaningful change. Local Food Plus encourages you to take the $10 a week pledge, and support Certified Local Sustainable food.

Here are a few other reasons to consider buying locally:

• Food tastes better, and it gets to your table quicker
• No preservatives are added to ensure the food keeps while on route
• GHG emissions are reduced

Often, when we think of local farmers’ markets and bountiful harvests of fresh produce, thoughts of warmer weather come to mind; however, many markets are open all year-round. Farmers’ Markets of Canada offers a list of the available farmers’ markets open in your area, making it an easier choice to shop locally. Many of these markets offer organic choices as well!

The holidays are also a wonderful time to support local organic turkey farming. Organic turkeys are known to have more flavour, a lower risk of salmonella, and are free of pesticides, hormones, chemicals and antibiotics. To be sure the turkey you’re purchasing is organic (click here to see the regulations in your area), you can buy it directly from a farmer, health food store or from a vendor at the farmers’ markets. For those who go meatless on the holidays, there are more and more vegetarian choices to make your meal perfect.

The cold weather doesn’t have to stop you from incorporating seasonal fruits and vegetables in every part of your meal. Whether you choose sweet potatoes, squash, onions, or potatoes - often staples of holiday meals - there are many choices you can consider that are in season from late autumn to early winter. Desserts using apples and pumpkins offer unlimited choices to create something delicious to end your meal. If you live in Ontario, look for the Ontario Table, a cookbook which offers regional recipes using local food products.

As for drinks, whether you choose to go alcohol-free and pour some organic apple cider topped with a splash of cinnamon, or prefer to make environmentally responsible alcohol choices, there is much to choose from. Most parts of the country have local, bio-dynamic or organic wineries you can visit and select from. Wines of Canada offers a thorough listing of who is doing what in the wine arena and fully explains the criteria for what goes into making a wine an organic wine. The Green Wine guide offers great news on the bio-dynamic and organic wine movement in many parts of the world. If you aren’t able to visit a local winery, you’ll find that most liquor stores carry a good selection of these wines as well.

With food and drink such an integral part of the upcoming holiday season, where will you choose to spend your dollar? If you’re looking to make a new holiday tradition (or better yet, a year round commitment) of buying local, take the pledge today and support food that’s good for you, the environment, and the local economy.

To find places in your area to buy local sustainable food click here. Green Living would love to hear your tips on keeping holiday food choices green, and how you choose to take the pledge to buy local sustainable food this upcoming holiday season. E-mail us at: editor@green-living.ca.

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