Locavore Listings for Venice area
1. Frequent your farmers market. Find a local farmers market, grab some reusable bags, and head down to find local, in season fruit and vegetables from local farmers. Venice has a local farmers market where you can find some items, but many come off of trucks, check if what you're getting is actually local. The great thing about farmers markets is that they are not only a fabulous place to pick up your food for the week, but they are a fun way to shop.
2. Choose five foods that you can source locally. A good way to get a feel for your local foodshed is to figure out what your area is best at growing. Choose five foods and commit to eating those locally for a while, so that you can get your locavore feet wet in a manageable way. Stuck for ideas? Try looking for local cheese, eggs, dairy, potatoes, in-season tomatoes, or root vegetables like carrots and onions. These are foods that commonly can be grown in many different climates.
3. Sign up for a CSA. The term CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it's a fantastic way to support a local farmer and get fresh, local produce at the same time. In Venice, I've found that there are a couple of these. One of the best is done by a lady named Dawn who runs sensible produce. You pay a subscription (usually either weekly or quarterly), and receive a weekly box of produce of what's in season at the farm. Want to find a CSA in your area? Check out Local Harvest.
4. Pickle, can, freeze or dehydrate! One way to be a locavore year-round is to preserve food while it's in season. Is there a glut of blueberries at your market? Buy when they're on sale, freeze them, and use them for muffins in the dead of winter. Canning doesn't have to be scary, and many locavores are canning in small batches in their homes. Start small with a one of the ideas from preserving website Punk Domestics.
5. Can't find locally grown? Try locally produced. Many items like bread, pastries, coffee and jams aren't always sourced with local ingredients. The next best thing is to buy them from local businesses: coffee purveyors who source their beans carefully and roast locally, bakers who buy the best wheat they can and make daily bread in the next town over, artisans who buy citrus from a reputable farm and make a local marmalade. You're still keeping some of your dollars local and supporting local businesses.
2. Choose five foods that you can source locally. A good way to get a feel for your local foodshed is to figure out what your area is best at growing. Choose five foods and commit to eating those locally for a while, so that you can get your locavore feet wet in a manageable way. Stuck for ideas? Try looking for local cheese, eggs, dairy, potatoes, in-season tomatoes, or root vegetables like carrots and onions. These are foods that commonly can be grown in many different climates.
3. Sign up for a CSA. The term CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it's a fantastic way to support a local farmer and get fresh, local produce at the same time. In Venice, I've found that there are a couple of these. One of the best is done by a lady named Dawn who runs sensible produce. You pay a subscription (usually either weekly or quarterly), and receive a weekly box of produce of what's in season at the farm. Want to find a CSA in your area? Check out Local Harvest.
4. Pickle, can, freeze or dehydrate! One way to be a locavore year-round is to preserve food while it's in season. Is there a glut of blueberries at your market? Buy when they're on sale, freeze them, and use them for muffins in the dead of winter. Canning doesn't have to be scary, and many locavores are canning in small batches in their homes. Start small with a one of the ideas from preserving website Punk Domestics.
5. Can't find locally grown? Try locally produced. Many items like bread, pastries, coffee and jams aren't always sourced with local ingredients. The next best thing is to buy them from local businesses: coffee purveyors who source their beans carefully and roast locally, bakers who buy the best wheat they can and make daily bread in the next town over, artisans who buy citrus from a reputable farm and make a local marmalade. You're still keeping some of your dollars local and supporting local businesses.
Local Milk products
These pictures are from a local farm where we get our milk (listed below). We toured the farm. Below are some pictures of farm, including the Pasteurization and bottling room, and the milking area. Cows are cleaned and milked three times each day. While waiting, they are free range as seen in the picture on the left. Babies are separated from mothers after 24 hours and kept in a "crib" cage. Once they are a few weeks old they are moved to an outside field area. Once they are older, the males are moved to a field to be raised as bulls or to a local Arcadia Amish farm. The females graze and then bred at two years old and each year for approximately 6 years (until they are about 8 yrs old), or until they do not produce as much milk. They are bred three months after birthing to allow for continued milk production. Afterage births for this time of year are 5 per day. Birthing mothers are placed in a separate field.
The tour guide discussed methods of milking the cows and cleaning them. We also viewed the living and sleeping areas. These were very clean. Cows were allowed to leave the pen areas and go into the adjoining fields. They each wore a collar with information and instructions inside.
The farm workers were mostly from Mexico. They worked 12 hour shifts and showered and often lived on site.
The tour guide discussed methods of milking the cows and cleaning them. We also viewed the living and sleeping areas. These were very clean. Cows were allowed to leave the pen areas and go into the adjoining fields. They each wore a collar with information and instructions inside.
The farm workers were mostly from Mexico. They worked 12 hour shifts and showered and often lived on site.
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