Today’s New York Times examines the continuing draw of food festivals in California, where many of the favorite local foods being celebrated are increasingly threatened. Patterson, longtime home of an apricot festival and self-proclaimed “apricot capital of the world,” is growing fewer apricots these days due to low-cost imports of dried apricots from Turkey. Gilroy, known for its garlic festival, is in a similar situation at a time when half the garlic sold in the U.S. is shipped from China.

While the festivals survive, some of the farms whose produce they once honored have been sold off to developers in recent years. The farms that remain may get a boost from the festivals, although the article notes one case in which the namesake vegetable of one festival was crowded out by treats such as sno-cones.

Some communities, however, are taking a more active role in promoting local farms and the foods they produce, as two recent articles on a local food initiative in Ohio demonstrates.

Ohio’s Dayton Daily News examined the creation of a new initiative to match up local farmers and consumers. The program, called Miami Valley Grown, was started by a county commissioner and an educator from Ohio State University Extension who sought to make it easier for consumers to gain access to local foods.

The program cites economic as well as environmental advantages to eating local foods, but does more than simply educate consumers about these benefits. Miami Valley Grown helps to launch and expand farmers markets, which the program calls a way to “cultivate community,” and takes steps to ensure that local foods are integrated into other sales channels.

The initiative works with grocery stores to understand their requirements and find ways to get locally grown foods onto their shelves. One local grocery chain responded by instituting an “Eat Local Challenge” in partnership with local growers. Shoppers who purchase locally grown produce and create recipes and meals using local foods will be eligible to win prizes from its stores.

Miami Valley Grown has also approached restaurants in an effort to make locally grown foods a prominent part of their menus. Colleges and universities in the area have also been approached to help ease access of local farmers to their food procurement processes. Organizers of the initiative also convened a local food workshop to train farmers about opportunities to market their foods locally. A map (PDF) of area farmers markets, CSA farms, and restaurants that feature locally grown produce is also part of the mix.

One local farmer quoted in a second article about the local food initiative finds that the freshness of locally grown produce can be its greatest strength. Describing the salad mix he now sells at a farmers market, Michael Malone says:

“‘We pick the night before and refrigerate it, so when a customer buys it, it’s 12 hours old,’ said Malone, who along with Krysta Relyea grows organic vegetables, fruits and flowers at Little Creek Gardens off Clyo Road in Centerville. ‘I’ve had customers come back the next week and tell me how amazed they were that my salad mix was still fresh in their refrigerator a week later. Well, I know the reason why.’”

In a time of unease about the safety and origins of the food we eat, feeling confident about the source and the freshness of one’s food surely brings satisfaction as well.

Evan

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