Written by Rose Cameron of Bite Me Kitchen

Mass production and over-incorporation in the food industry has been a hot topic for a number of recent films, books, and articles. Most people buy virtually all their food products from big-box retail chains like Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart, or grocery giants like Ralph’s, Albertson's, and Vons. Meat comes from a place resembling more a factory than a farm; produce is plucked prematurely from the vine and chemically ripened in warehouses; the majority of our grain products are so convoluted with enriched ingredients that they hardly resemble the original grain. Consumers and (more specifically) chefs, foodies, and home cooks are increasingly aware of the growing distance between the farm and the dining table. The problem is known, but the solution is rarely discussed. In a world where free time is minimized as we juggle children, jobs, social activities, and housekeeping, it appears efficient and cost-effective to make a single stop a week to purchase groceries at a store that carries nearly everything.

As consumers, we are completely separated from our food. The meat we buy is processed and packaged until it no longer resembles a living animal and monumental fruit pyramids, skins waxed to a high sheen, tempt our eyes in the produce section. How much food we can buy for how little money has consumed us so severely that we have forgotten completely how our food should taste. Something fundamental has been lost when the most important features of our food are its value and appearance. A return to buying locally would provide the consumer with higher quality ingredients, and bring us back to the concept of community, fostering the creation of strong neighborhoods and a healthy local economy.

Being in touch with your food means just that. Buying food, at its heart, is a sensory experience: Imagine the earthy scent of unwashed beets; the succulent feel of a perfectly ripe avocado; the bold color and smell of a strawberry basket at ripeness' peak; the thump from a melon that begs to be put in your shopping cart. All these are personal and subjective, and the modern supermarket doesn't comprehend their subtlety.

The local meat market's butcher will proudly tell you exactly what is best that day, and won’t mislead you into buying something that past its prime merely for the sake of clearing inventory. The fishmonger will sell you fish caught that morning, not a week ago or last month, but that morning. Dealing directly with the owner enables people to purchase a better product by placing the consumer directly into the food supply chain. In the chain grocery store, there are no seasons. Tomatoes, for instance, are sold year-round. Taste an in-season, locally-grown heirloom tomato with seeds spilling from its juicy flesh and compare it to the hard, tasteless, pink tomato found at your chain grocer. Their fruit typically has no smell, and the seafood generally does (not one you'd want), and the meat is full of hormones and dyes. Local markets have less variety, but you get what is freshest, not just what's in demand. The relationships formed between buyer and seller are casual, friendly, and enjoyable. At most of the markets I frequent I am greeted by name and offered a variety of special products, sometimes items that aren’t even on the shelves yet. Over time, a local seller learns your taste and helps you select what suits you best. They endeavor to maintain a high standard because they know you can buy in bulk, probably cheaper, at a one-stop chain market. It may be old-fashioned, but business done in this personal and direct way leaves both parties with a satisfaction foreign to the corporate grocery store. It may mean a few extra stops after work, but hand-selecting the finest products for my home reminds me of the value of local business.

Shopping at small businesses, farms, and markets not only fosters a sense of community, it encourages the local economy. Studies show that for each dollar spent at a small farm or market, the farmer keeps 80 cents instead of forking over half of his profit to middlemen for transport, negotiations, and warehousing. The Andersonville Study of Retail Economics in 2004 illustrated that by spending $100 at a neighborhood business creates $68 in local economic activity, while that same $100 spent at a chain store produces only $43. The small business owner then spends their profits supporting other local businesses, further bolstering the local economy. Small businesses are an excellent source of employment, and tend to treat their employees more gratefully. I may find it inconvenient that the nearby Grower's Ranch closes on Sunday, and the fish market shuts at 6:00 pm daily, but I am pleased to know that they do so on behalf of their employees and their families. A good shopkeeper respects her employees' right to have time off and relax. The Magic Formula applied: Happy Employees = Happy Customers.

For most of us, becoming full-time locavores may not be practical, financially possible, or geographically available. Explorer your area for fish markets, meat markets, and produce stands. Ask around! Word of mouth is a powerful ally. I’ve spent almost thirty years in the same 15-mile radius and recently discovered a meat market and a nearby fish market, both within walking distance, and both by word of mouth. Check online at Sustainable Connections and Local Harvest; find CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) online that will ship you local produce weekly; visit your local farmer’s market and bring the kids! It’s a great way to expose the younger generation to real food, and a slower, more personal, and friendlier marketplace. For those who worry about the cost-effectiveness of buying local food, consider the value in the product. Small markets and farm stands have considerably lower overhead than large-scale grocers, and therefore can sell your produce for less. Meat and seafood may be more expensive, but considering the exceptional quality, less truly is more. Explore where you live, be a part of your community, support others who are trying to do what they love for a living, and most importantly have fun and be healthy!

For those of you in the Orange County area, here are some of my favorite places:

• Grower's Ranch: Owner operated for 40 years! Started as a farm stand in the same location, now supplies 100's of local restaurants with the best produce around. The owner also makes insanely good cookies.
• Pearson's Port: The husband fishes, the wife sells the catch! Located in the harbor under the bridge in a rickety little floating shack. One of the few people in the area licensed to catch Spot Prawns.
• Celestino's Meats: Don't let the tiny exterior fool you, these guys know their stuff! They make their own sausages, will cut any special meats for you and have a freezer full of hard to find premade stocks and miscellaneous meat related items you may just need.
• Irvine Ranch Market: family owned and operated. Well known for having excellent meats, beautiful desserts and a wide variety of locally made jarred goods (salsas, sauces, etc...)
• The Dory Fishing Fleet: they catch it between midnight and 2 a.m., you come down there between 7-9 am and buy it!

Know of a great local farmer's market? Leave a comment with it's name and where it's at!