By Jacquelyn Walsh jwalsh@dnronline.com
Posted 8/20/10 in Rocktown Weekly
Although the Harrisonburg Farmers Market has been operating for 31 years, it has grown leaps and bounds in just the past few, says manager Josie Showalter. This year marks its second full season under the pavilion on Liberty Street and the first year that it’s added an evening market on Thursdays.
Radell Schrock, board president of the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, says the Thursday evening market is the result of an increase in customers and vendors who were unable to get space on crowded Saturday and Tuesday mornings. “It works well because people can stop by on their way home from work,” says Schrock. “It can be local, fresh and it can also be convenient. At box stores, customers can go in and get everything they want, so we’re excited about having a third market that is convenient like that.”
More people each year choose to buy local, sustainable food, says Showalter, which, in turn, enables the market to develop and expand.
“There’s a whole lot going on with local foods,” says Showalter. “I think the awareness is increasing and the number of people committed to buying local is growing. Because of the market there are a lot of small farms and vendors who are really conscious about their growing practices. They take good care of the land because they’re really connected to it. The market provides them a place to give that to the public and the public has access to food that has been given a lot of care.” Showalter describes sustainable food as, “A type of food that doesn’t have a negative impact on the environment and doesn’t create extra waste.”
Many people have different ideas of what sustainable food is, but it usually spans three main areas, also known as the triple bottom line: economic, ecological and social concerns.
Eric Bendfeldt, West Rockingham Extension Specialist and chair of both the Virginia Food System Council and Shenandoah Valley Local Food and Farm Working Group, explains how the triple bottom line works. “I think sustainable food has at least three components: economic viability and profitability for farms; how the food provides for different social needs of the population; and how it addresses environmental issues, particularly in moving forward to conserve and protect national resources,” says Bendfeldt, who is also in charge of the Buy Fresh Buy Local initiative.
The reasons for eating sustainable, local foods are vast, adds Bendfeldt. “It really seems like there’s definitely a growing interest in local foods and some of it might be getting back to agricultural roots and some of it’s environmental,” he says. “Some of it’s for health reasons and some of it’s just culinary. People want to find the freshest, most flavorful food for a certain recipe.”
To Ben Sandel, board president of the Friendly City Food Co-Op, and his family, sustainable food is about where the food comes from and the ecological practices of that place, he says. “Also, are they treating their workers fairly?” asks Sandel. “That’s part of the calculation. And, is this something that could go long term? Or is this dependent on a certain amount of resources?” For example, when apples travel around the world to the supermarket, a large amount of fuel is used to ship it to local stores, so it doesn’t seem like a good long-term sustainable product, he says. “This is opposed to farmers market vendors who, in 30 years, and a couple of generations down the line, they’ll still be able to get their food there,” he adds.
This decrease on the dependency of fossil fuels is another big reason people choose to support sustainable foods. And while this may seem like a growing trend, concern about sustainable agriculture dates back at least 20 years in some communities, adds Sandel. “Here in the Shenandoah Valley we have such a long history and such a beautiful environment in the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Mountains, and as part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we need to protect water quality as well as agriculture in a proactive way,” says Sandel.
Encouraging contact between producers and consumers also breeds a greater sense of community, says Schrock. “We like to show appreciation for all the vendors,” he says. “It takes a lot of work to get nice products there. They’re hauling it in; they’re setting it up and then selling. It takes a lot of work to grow and make nice products.”
Food contamination scares have also prompted people to start looking to local sources for food, says Sandel. Knowledge of where foods are coming from is an increasing trend throughout the community, in restaurants, farmers markets and the Friendly City Food Co-Op.
Local Chop & Grill House owner Craig Moore says that their use of local produce, meats and cheeses guarantees freshness in their dishes. “Since we’re getting the local products pretty soon after it’s been butchered or harvested, we’re able to offer fresh, wonderful products to our guests,” says Moore. “It also helps to keep the revenue in our community and support the farmers within our community, which has a trickle-down effect to help everybody.”
Moore says using local ingredients reinforces his philosophy of giving the customer the best possible product. “It’s a driving factor in customers coming in to the restaurant, or at least trying us,” he says. “But one of the things that goes along with local products is that it’s a little more expensive for us to purchase, which is OK, but sometimes we have to pass that along to the consumer.” Despite the extra cost, Moore says most customers are willing to pay more to help the money stay within the community, and get a quality product that they know is from a reputable place. “It’s a win-win situation,” says Moore.
The co-op will also focus on local foods and provide information in their store about where foods are from and how they were grown, says Sandel. In that time, he’s seen interest in sustainable food grow, “especially through the economic downturn in the country,” he says. “I think what often happens is people think more about eating at home and cooking at home rather than eating out as much, so you’re more in touch with where the food comes from. That’s a positive change we’ve seen for the farmers market and us.” Through cooking demos, Sandel says the co-op hopes to teach people more uses of local, seasonal foods.
As a Friendly City Food Co-Op member, Bendfeldt believes the co-op is creating greater visibility for where to obtain local and fresh foods. “The co-op is another model and another way of achieving and encouraging good local food in the downtown Harrisonburg area,” says Bendfeldt. “It’s also educating the public about farming and how they can better support local agriculture and the farming community.”
Moore says, “Sustainable food is a growing trend in all communities. People are becoming aware of the advantages of it, including cost advantages and health advantages and community support advantages. It’s going to keep growing every day, every month.”
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