Lincoln Gardens ~ bringin’ you da’ beets

Wondering where to buy local products? There are many ways to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables and other products.

1. Back to the Farm: Market Gardens offer their produce for sale at the farm gate in a road-side stand or a farm market. Some farms offer Pick Your Own fields which are a fun and educational way to spend time with your children. Many farm gate markets also offer other products such as baking and home made preserves. Take the opportunity to visit the farm to build a relationship with the producer and the land where your food is grown.

2. Farmer’s Market: most communities host a weekly farmer’s market where you can purchase items from many producers without leaving the city. Regina and Saskatoon as well as Moose Jaw, Fort Qu’Appelle and other towns have farmers’ markets which have been operating for many decades. Shopping at a farmer’s market should not be approached in the same manner as shopping at a grocery store. Take time, talk with the vendors, talk with the other shoppers and enjoy the festive atmosphere that accompanies the farmer’s market.

3.Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Community Supported Agriculture simply refers to the concept of purchasing a subscription or paying up front for the product you will receive from the farm. CSA farms deliver the product to your home or to a drop off location weekly or monthly. Customers do not always have the option of choosing what will be delivered or what goes into their food hamper, but this method is a great way to purchase a set amount of product each month and is handy for urban dwellers without a vehicle.

4.Co-operatives: Food Co-ops are another method of purchasing products from several farmers at one place. Producers provide their grains, meats or produce through a co-op that does most of the marketing and retailing for them. In Regina Farm Gate Food is a good place to look for organic meat.

5.Grow your own: Even small city yards can provide a bounty of homegrown produce. Grow tomatoes on a balcony, herbs in your windowsill, or better yet, rip out the lawn and use that space (and water) to grow food for your family!

This morning we had a look through the Canadian Food Inspection Agencies’ regulations regarding the labeling of local products. It is quite interesting.  The buzz right now is the “100 Mile Diet” in reference to buying local.  But the CFIA puts more stringent restrictions on what can actually be termed “local”.

This is the definition:

“Local”, “locally Grown”, and any substantially similar term shall mean that the domestic goods being advertised originated within 50 km of the place where they are sold, measured directly, point to point.

It states further that: 

“It should be noted in this regard that other terms such as “Product of Nova Scotia”, “Foodland Ontario”, ” Buy BC “, or “Quebec Vrai,” etc. may be used to describe fresh produce which is produced and grown within a province but which does not meet the criteria for ‘local’. 

Most Farmer’s Markets have guidelines that restrict vendors to a 50km radius around the community in which the market is held.  Some growers and food producers find this too restrictive. An argument could be made either way.  Is it fair to penalize producers that farm outside of the 50km radius due to water availability or other circumstances such as access to affordable land or keeping farm land in the family? Or, is is necessary to follow these guidelines to protect those growers that are part of the immediate community?

There are socio-cultural and environmental issues that impact the decision to include growers from outside of the 50km radius. For example producers within the 50km radius will support the local tax base and the local economy through spending at other businesses in the community.  The grower from further away will take the money earned back to their own community and will have less impact on the economy in which they are marketing their product. Growers closer to the Farmer’s Market will use less fuel for transport than the further away grower, therefore will have less impact on the environment.

In Saskatchewan it is not as simple to follow the 50km radius rule.  Our population is more spread out than other provinces. Our farm has the benefit of being only 20 kms away from a major centre,  but not everyone is so fortunate. Growers wanting to access a larger market look to the higher population areas.  But can they call themselves “local”? It is an interesting question.  It is important for consumers to know how far their food has travelled and the regulations set out by the CFIA are fairly clear about what can be considered “local”.

Consumers and advocacy groups should educate themselves about the regulations and encourage honesty from producers.  If a product is made, baked or grown in Saskatchewan it should say so.  But ‘legally’ is can not be marketed as a ‘local’ product if it does not meet the criteria.  This is why grocery stores now label produce as “Product of Canada” or “Saskatchewan Grown” as opposed to the former practice of labeling produce as “Local” when in fact it was shipped from Alberta or Manitoba.

If consumers are truly concerned about supporting local growers they should look to the region around their community first.  Find farms with in the 50 (or even 100)km radius before looking further away.  Most communities have a large producer base who are marketing their locally grown products at Farmer’s Markets or at the farm gate (on the farm). Support these farmers first.  They are your neighbours.  Build a relationship with the producers that live within your community. If the product you are looking for is not available locally, then look across the province for “Saskatchewan Grown” products.