Markets overflow with fresh foods
by Katherine Mullen | Staff Writer
The Gazette
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The journey is especially worth it when it comes to summertime strawberries, she said.
‘‘I would much rather buy local than go to the supermarket,” Hilt said last week. ‘‘What I care is that it’s local,
and I’m supporting the farmers.”
The West Frederick Farmer’s Market is one of several markets in Frederick County that offer a feast of locally
grown foods, including fruits, herbs, vegetables, meats and dairy as well as baked goods.
As fields yield harvests of seasonal favorites through Thanksgiving, county residents said they are buying local
and buying often.
Joan Norman, who operates One Straw Farm in Whitehall, said eating local starts with the goal of purchasing
one locally grown item, such as apples. ‘‘You can do a lot more than you think you can with a little effort,”
Norman said. ‘‘The idea is to say, ‘I can do that.’”
Norman, a farmer for 23 years, will discuss consumer-supported agriculture and the importance of eating local
foods on Monday at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick.
The idea of buying local foods and supporting area farmers isn’t new to Frederick County. In 2002, Frederick
County established the ‘‘Homegrown Here: Buy Local, Buy Fresh” campaign.
The project is aimed at raising awareness about the benefits to consumers and farmers when local foods are
eaten. It uses stickers to identify restaurants, farmers and retailers that use or sell foods grown in the county.
In 2006, Sarah Irani of Frederick launched a grassroots project, the Eat Local Challenge. The project
encouraged residents to eat locally grown foods by shopping at farmers’ markets, organic food stores, and
community-supported agriculture groups within 100 miles of their homes.
Irani will encourage residents to join the Eat Local Challenge this summer after Norman’s program on Monday.
According to Norman, benefits to buying locally grown produce including quality in taste and freshness.
Most supermarket produce comes from abroad or across the country, Norman said, and then is transported
long distances to stores. This has an environmental impact, she said, since transport requires massive gas
usage.
Money spent on locally grown foods go back to the community, she argues. ‘‘There’s direct benefits. It comes
back to you,” Norman said.
Norman said she only buys items at the grocery store that aren’t available locally, such as limes, lemons and
bananas. Her family also patronizes local restaurants instead of chains, she said.
Eating local is about asking questions and taking notice of local food establishments or labels on grocery items,
she noted. For example, if a tomato is from Chile, ‘‘put it down and run,” Norman said.
Lois and Kevin Reisinger of Woodsboro said they usually shop at The Common Market in Frederick, a natural
and organic food co-op, and try to visit the West Frederick Farmer’s Market every Saturday.
They grow some vegetables in their own garden, such as lettuce, okra and peppers, Kevin Reisinger said, and
use farmers’ markets to supplement their stock.
Mark Acierno of Frederick said summertime is a priority for shopping at farmers’ markets and supporting local
farmers.
Acierno and his family waited on line at Danny Rohrer’s meat stand last weekend at the West Frederick Farmer’
s Market and said they often see their neighbors shopping there.
Fruit, organic meat, flowers, herbs and cookies are some of the items that usually top the family’s grocery list at
the farmer’s market, he said.
Acierno was waiting to purchase meat from Rohrer to make kabobs, a summertime favorite. Rohrer, a butcher
from Boonsboro, sells all-natural locally raised lamb, pork, beef, chicken and sausages.
‘‘There’s something about it,” Acierno said of Rohrer’s meats. ‘‘We’ve never been disappointed with the meats
we buy here.”
For more information on Eat Local Challenge in Frederick, visit www.eatlocalfrederick.com.