A few days ago I woke up extra early and drove 70 miles to tour the Straus family farm and creamery, the first organic dairy west of the Mississippi. It occurred to me as I filled up the gas tank of my Corolla that this two-hour trip to the source of one of our ingredients (we use the Straus yogurt in our yogurt parfaits here in Northern California) might be too far to be considered ‘local.’
I have sat on green business panels where devotees of Alice Waters and Barbara Kingsolver argued that sourcing food from farther than 50 miles should not be considered ‘local.’ Urban farms and backyard chicken coops are ‘croping’ up everywhere to accommodate consumers who are conscious of environmental responsibilities and ‘food miles.’ These consumers are well-intentioned, no doubt, but have the benefit of living in California, where backyard gardens are varied and abundant year-round. Having lived in the Midwest for a few years, I respectfully disagree. 50 miles is pretty darn ambitious for even hard-core locavores. But what is a reasonable distance to be consideredn ‘local?’ 100 miles? 150?
What occurred to me on the morning drive was that ‘local’ was about more than carbon emissions and odometer readings. Local is about a sense of community, a sense of place and home. On my 70 mile drive, I drove by my old elementary school (now a Choicelunch school!) and I whizzed by the remote Girl Scout camp I went to when I was 9. I arrived early in Point Reyes and was able to meet Derrin at Marin Organic, a woman with whom I have exchanged countless emails and phone calls with, but never had the pleasure of meeting face to face. (It is the awesome team of people at Marin Organic, in fact, which helps us bring the Straus yogurt into our school lunch program.) At the farm I shook hands with Albert Straus, the man who had the audacity back in 1994 to ask, “Why isn’t there an organic creamery west of the Mississippi?” Bringing back memories of childhood and meeting friends and neighbors who I work with, this is my new definition of local.
Is 70 miles local enough? You bet. And I don’t think Alice or Barbara would disagree.
