When we moved our family to Mobile in mid-2006, we had no friends or relatives in the city, and no contacts other than professional ones. Like anyone in this situation, we had to discover 'how to live' on our own, one of the basics being where to shop for food. We like to cook, and favor fresh ingredients.
We lived for over a decade in Bloomington, Indiana, which supports a thriving farmers' market that's been around for over 30 years; shoppers can buy anything from locally farmed fruits, vegetables, and herbs, to eggs, milk, artisan cheese, and meat. Bloomington, a middling-sized college town in central Indiana, also has a coop that features the products of local growers. After that we lived in Louisville, Kentucky, which is dotted with smaller but busy Saturday markets, and has several options for shares in community supported agriculture (CSA).
There was a well-developed market in both areas for local farm produce, so we didn't have to search for places to shop. In Mobile the venues are not developed on quite as large a scale. There are good local products to be had, and people who want to buy them, and I believe that interest is growing. This blog exists in part to document what is available in our area.
Farmers' markets have experienced a resurgence in recent years, for a variety of reasons. The growth of cooking as a media phenomenon has created an awareness of the importance of fresh ingredients. Increasing concerns about the health effects of chemicals and hormones used in agriculture have created a boom of organic products of all sorts. And most significantly, the realities of climate change, such as the increasing cost of fuel and the environmental impact of shipping food thousands of miles to market, necessitate reviving a love, and lifestyle, of eating locally and seasonally.
I believe one way to grow that love, and support the survival and growth of local small farmers, is by sharing information. Let's know and celebrate our local crops and producers. Let's create a resource so people who want to learn about local food can do so easily, be they new residents, long-time residents, or visitors.
Beyond that, let's support sustainable agriculture. Buying local goes a good way towards that, since it eliminates a significant amount of pollution during transportation, and it also puts money directly in the hands of the producers, not in the pockets of national chains. But sustainable agriculture also means using organic methods, responsible fishing methods, limiting water use, practicing responsible waste disposal, treating animals humanely, and providing fair wages.
Another way to eat locally and seasonally is by becoming producers ourselves. In the temperate, subtropical Gulf Coast, we are blessed with a climate that permits year-round gardening. Of course, as a transplanted Midwesterner I'm still learning the vagaries of the conditions here, but part of the fun is in learning. I'm a back yard gardener and supplement our grocery purchases with a variety of fresh herbs, salad greens, potatoes, tomatoes, and more. Herbs, with the flavor boost they give to meals, are often a gateway to gardening. They're easy to grow, do well in containers, and are beautiful plants. From there, it's not too big of a step to growing vegetables and fruits, as well. Then, in addition to eating locally, we have the pleasure and appreciation that comes from having grown the food with our own efforts.
I hope you will join me in creating a community of people who feel the joy of eating locally in Mobile and the surrounding areas, and who share that joy with others.
Angela Jordan
