September 9, 2021
The Lettuce Rejoice!
Firmly Rooted Farm's Newsletter for their Veggie Loving Farm-ily
On the Farm: Eat Local Huron
Hello again my veggie loving friends,
Fall is upon us. Winter is coming. The seasons are changing, with it bringing farm and life transitions. Even subtle changes challenge us to pause and stretch, adapting to the flow of the seasons. Many of our much-loved summer vegetables are winding down and will be pulled from the greenhouses and fields in the coming weeks, to make room for greens inside and cover crops outside. I find myself a week away from starting school again, evoking anticipation and hesitation all wrapped into one. Schooling still looks a little strange in the midst of COVID, with many of my classes offered online. However, online offerings mean I am now able to stay living around home and continue working part-time at the farm! You get the pleasure of dealing with me for just a little while longer.
There are some exciting things happening in local food for Huron County. Last week I wrote a little primer about Eat Local Huron, a new local food initiative aiming to provide groceries offered by producers from all around the county and just beyond. The history of Eat Local Huron is one born of necessity. When the pandemic hit, Firmly Rooted, like many local producers, had been largely relying on selling through farmer's markets and restaurants. Suddenly, farmer’s markets were halted and restaurants shut down, and Firmly Rooted found themselves wondering how they were going to be able to get their food to the people. They pivoted, reassessed, and grew their CSA, but had some other ideas brewing in the background.
Speaking with friends at the beginning of the pandemic, Tamara found out about a grant opportunity that offered support to agricultural producers in response to the pandemic. Inspired by the already well-established Eat Local Grey Bruce, she proposed to replicate the initiative in Huron County. She didn’t hear anything until October when the grant was approved right before she gave birth to Ruby. She wondered if she should forge ahead, or let the project die, considering the ample amount of work she already had raising a baby and managing a farm. Assured that the community needed such an initiative, she decided to work for it. She connected with a local community advocate and between them, they were able to form a board and get the project off the ground.
Thus Eat Local Huron was born. The founders believe local food is inherently superior to imported food; it supports the local economy, is fresher, typically has reduced environmental impact, and arguably just tastes better. The intimate connections you can forge with your local producers enhance the experience of eating local food. However, where local food cannot compete with imported food is convenience. It’s very easy to go to the supermarket and buy everything you need, and much of it isn’t locally produced. Eat Local Huron aims to solve this problem by becoming an online one-stop-shop that delivers right to your door, thus increasing the customer base for local producers by offering convenience. With new producers being added every week, the goal of Eat Local Huron is to help you no longer visit the grocery store (except maybe for toilet paper).
The store opens Wednesdays at 9 am and closes Sundays at 9 pm. Deliveries occur the following Wednesday. In the online store, you can find fish, honey, vegetables, fruit, meats, milk, eggs, mushrooms, coffee, pantry staples, maple syrup, and much more, with additional products such as ferments and granola coming soon. Hopefully this great initiative will see exponential growth as it expands its selection of everything grocery! If you would like to learn more about how it works you can visit the website eatlocalhuron.ca. They are also on Facebook and Instagram, where you can learn more about each producer!
Kitchen Corner
As I so tragically mentioned earlier, our summer vegetables are beginning to wind down and will no longer be offered within a couple of weeks. Now is the best time to get as much enjoyment out of tomatoes, zucchini, beans, and eggplant, while you still can. Maybe try a recipe you’ve been thinking about trying for weeks or enjoy them simply roasted with a little salt and oil. The season is brief, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. The local diet shifts with the seasons, and soon we will have exciting fall offerings, but now is the time to get the most out of your summer favourites, until next year.
Kitchen Clean-Up
There are still a few spaces left in our winter share! Sign yourself up or suggest it to a friend! https://www.harvie.farm/farm/firmly-rooted-farm/signup
That’s all for now folks, happy eating until next time!
Farmer Erika
