Farm Aid: Get local food this winter

From: Farm Aid <memberservices@farmaid.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 11:32 AM

A new year brings new challenges and new opportunities, and for many, New Years' resolutions. Did you make a food or farm resolution this year? How's this for a challenge — trying to get food from local family farmers all winter long? This month, we show you how!

When you think of Minnesota during the winter, your first thought probably isn't growing fresh produce, but this month, we tell the story of a family farmer couple doing just that. We also answer a reader question about the best way to get food from local farmers outside the summer months. And we trudge through the snow to visit a new winter farmers market in Massachusetts to see just what's available this time of year.

This month, we spoke with Carol Ford & Chuck Waibel. These determined Minnesotans turned a love of fresh, local produce into a year-round business providing food to their community through the coldest winter months.

Learn more about Carol & Chuck>>

I live in Minnesota and love supporting farmers in my area throughout the summertime. But, it gets darn cold here in the winter! How can I find food from local farmers during the cold months?

To score local foods in the winter months, first consider the several season-less foods that can be sourced from local farmers all year long. Dairy products and meats, for example, are not limited to growing seasons the way most fruits, vegetables and grains are...

Read the rest of this month's Ask Farm Aid>>

This month, our Farm Aid staffmember Matt visits a farmers market in January. Will he be able to cook an entire meal (that preferably tastes good) using ingredients from local sources?

Read the story here >>

At Farm Aid, we're very grateful to have such dedicated and talented artists on our board of directors. This month brings news that The Juno Awards (Canada's equivalent of our Grammy Awards) will honor our boardmember and co-founder Neil Young this spring with an award for his longstanding charitable efforts. Congratulations, Neil!

P.S. What we've been up to since our last newsletter...

We created a new page (that's still a work-in-progress!) that lists the best resources to help you find a winter farmers market near you. Please take a look and leave a comment to help us improve the page.

On our blog, Jen reviewed the new movie Ingredients... Cornelia shared the story of how a locavore mom feeds her family of eight on one income... and Hilde wrote about Farm Aid's participation in a summit strategizing how to ensure the upcoming Farm Bill will support family farmers.

Visit our blog to read more of the latest updates>>

This year two artists created artwork for posters celebrating 25 years of Farm Aid. Now they're both on sale in our store — click here to look at them and more in our store.