By Debbie Gardner PRIME Editor Do you know where your food comes from? I mean, really know? With 1,251 Americans sickened since April by a Salmonella outbreak first linked to round, red tomatoes then cilantro, then avocados, and finally attributed to jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in Mexico nagging questions about the origins and safety of the foods we buy and eat are becoming harder to ignore. But there is an alternative to worrying about what you buy, or peppering supermarket clerks with questions about the farm or country of origin of those peppers or peaches or lettuce or hamburgers. And it's as close as your local farm stand or area farmer's market. Here in Western Massachusetts, we are fortunate to live in a region ripe with places to purchase fresh, locally-grown foodstuffs from fruits and vegetables to milk, cheeses, meats and even honey. In fact, if you visit one of these markets you'll probably be buying your groceries from the farmers who produced them. "I think a number of people are concerned about food safety," Belle Rita Novak, manager of the Farmer's Market at the "X" in Springfield told PRIME during a Tuesday afternoon interview at the market. "This year we are extremely busy." And the "X" Farmer's Market isn't the only location that's seeing an uptick this season. According to a June press release from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, a record 23 new farmer's markets "the most ever added in a single year" have opened across the state this year. There are now over 162 weekly markets, from the Berkshires to Boston, where consumers can buy locally-grown foods. In Western Mass, new markets have sprung up this season in Westfield, South Hadley and most recently, in Wilbraham. Springfield added a new market on Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon at the Springfield Jewish Community Center on Dickinson Street. Locally-grown produce is also available at many local supermarkets, including Fresh Acres in Springfield, the Big Y and Stop & Shop supermarkets, Whole Foods in Hadley, Cornucopia Foods, River Valley Market, Serio's and State Street Fruit Store in Northampton, and other locations. "The huge increase in the number of market locations shows us that the move to grow local and buy locally grown produce has caught on," Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) Commissioner Doug Petersen was quoted as saying in the June release. But as "X" market manager Novak observed, it may be safety concerns that first bring people to the farmer's markets, but it''s the quality of the food that keep them coming back. "I think it's the variety," she said. "Attendance increases every year as people realize how much more flavorful the food is." "The abundance draws the crowds," said a busy Eli Morales as he cashed out customers at Red Fire Farm's stand on a busy Tuesday afternoon at the X market. "That, and the organic foods." For a downloadable, printable guide of locally grown farm produce and markets, visit www.buylocalfood.com |
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