Before Supermarkets, There Were Locavores

Written By Joanne Morvay Weant

Locavore.

The term sounds like a reference to a prehistoric creature, long extinct.

In fact, locavore is a modern word (a combination of the Latin words for “local” and “eater”) for a practice that is probably as old as agriculture itself.

The Oxford University Press, which chose locavore as its 2007 “Word of the Year,” defines the locavore (or localvore) movement as one which “encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better.”

True locavores avoid supermarkets whenever possible, because eating food out of the local growing season that has been shipped long distances is considered bad for the environment. The locavores’ goal is to reduce their own carbon footprint as much as possible while supporting sustainable agricultural uses of nearby land. In some cases, that means extending their local “foodshed” to farms within a 100-mile radius of where they live.

But is there enough food raised here for a Carroll County locavore to survive and even thrive?

The answer is yes. It is up to you to determine your degree of commitment to the movement. But there are plenty of local growers willing to help you out.

Let us start with the easy part. The following products are all grown and raised in Carroll County: Beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, buffalo, emu, eggs, fruit, herbs, honey, vegetables and wine.

Now for the challenges.

Challenge No. 1: It is illegal to sell raw, unpasteurized milk in Maryland. Currently, no one in Carroll County is bottling his own milk or processing his own cheese for sale.

But South Mountain Creamery (www.southmountaincreamery.com) in Middletown, Maryland, delivers glass-bottled, pasteurized milk to individual homes in the Mt. Airy area. And milk from Trickling Springs Creamery (www.tricklingspringscreamery.com) in Chambersburg, Pa. is sold at Kennie’s Market in Taneytown. Both of these facilities are within a 100-mile radius of Carroll.

Challenge No. 2: There do not appear to be any large-scale turkey growers in Carroll County. But there are a number of turkey farms in Frederick, Baltimore, Washington and Howard counties that are within a 100-mile round trip. Find them by visiting the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s “Maryland’s Best” website at www.marylandsbest.net.

Challenge No. 3: There are no aquaculture facilities in the county at this time. But fishing is allowed in a variety of locations with the proper license. Designated trout waters (stocked by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources) include the Piney Run Reservoir, the Westminster Community Pond and the Beaver Run watershed.

If you interpret the locavore movement strictly, seafood that comes from Maryland’s Eastern Shore is too far away to be considered for your table.

But a visit to the Locavores website (www.locavores.com) reveals that many locavores have exempted coffee, tea, chocolate, beer, spices and other items they feel they cannot live without. Maryland seafood might fall into this category for Carroll County locavores. And of course, you can preserve many fruits and vegetables for consumption out of season.

Once you have established your level of commitment, where can you find the foods you seek?

All of the foods that are grown here can be found either at local farmers’ markets and farm stands or purchased directly from the grower. Information about specific farms can be found by using the Farm Finder feature on the county’s agriculture website.

Gabe Zepp, agriculture development specialist with the Carroll County Department of Economic Development, said buying local foods is “a great opportunity for consumers to get to know where their food comes from and how it was produced.”

The department’s “Homegrown in Carroll County” campaign is a promotional vehicle for farmers and an easy way for buyers to identify the origin of their purchases.

Additionally, the department will again promote the national “Buy Local Challenge” on August 2-9 this year. The challenge encourages participants to commit to buying local foods during the designated week.

The Fresh Start Farmer’s Market will also be held again in July. Zepp said the market encourages participants in the federal Women, Infants and Children program to redeem vouchers for fresh foods at area farmers’ markets. Recognized with an award from the National Association of Counties, the program has been a model for similar efforts around the state.

Greg and Kris Thorne, of Thorne Farm in Finksburg, welcome all of these efforts. The Thornes offer organic meats and produce, eggs, vegetable plants and raw wool and yarn at the Downtown Westminster Farmers’ Market. They’ve been with the market since it started in 1994. Over time, Greg said, they have developed a loyal clientele as well as some great friendships.

The personal touch is part of what keeps people coming back to A and W Country Meats in Taneytown. Butcher David Feeser learned the trade at the elbow of the former owners, including his late father-in-law.

A and W custom-processes freezer beef, pork, lamb, goat and deer, usually handling around 200 head a year.

Feeser also sells meat by the pound in his retail shop, including sausage made according to his own recipes. A United States Department of Agriculture inspector stops by almost daily and is always present when slaughtering is done.

The small scale works equally well for Tom Reinhardt. Reinhardt offers a community-supported agriculture project or CSA at Nev-R-Dun Farm north of Westminster.

Subscribers to the project pay $416 a season, which averages out to $16 a week. They come to the farm every week from June through November. The spinach, salad mix and radishes of spring will give way to tomatoes, squash, broccoli, peas, potatoes, melons, green beans and herbs by the time summer heats up. Reinhardt said his members can pick up enough fresh produce to feed a family of four.

He is planning on selling 30 shares this year, but could add more depending on interest.

Beyond food that is prepared at home, a quick perusal of the Locavores website reveals that many people want the restaurants they patronize to be part of the movement, too.

The Brick Ridge restaurant in Mt. Airy has made serving local ingredients an important goal since it opened more than seven years ago.

“It doesn’t make sense to buy produce from Mexico, California and Florida when we have stuff in season here,” explained Brick Ridge owner Todd Bricken.

Bricken relies on Jim Knill of Knill’s Farm Market, also in Mt. Airy, to provide much of his produce. In the early spring, Knill grows asparagus, baby greens and a mesclun salad mix for Bricken. As the season continues, Bricken buys broccoli, tomatoes, corn and squash from Knill. In autumn, he buys large pumpkins for a variety of dishes and small pumpkins that he hollows out to serve as bowls for pumpkin soup.

“I tell people where the farm is: that it’s only two miles up the road; and I think it does make a difference,” Bricken said.

Knill and his extended family also operate a successful farm market in Mt. Airy. In addition to produce and other merchandise such as cut flowers, jams and jellies and nonfood items, the market will soon sell individual cuts of farm-raised beef from the family’s Angus herd.

The Knills find this endeavor more rewarding than their previous incarnations as dairy and grain farmers.
“This connects you to your neighbors,” said Knill. “It’s something you can do for the people around you.”