The frenzy for ever-ripe food flown in from collosal farms thousands of kilometres away
is feeding an earth emergency. It?s time to embrace the seasons, heal
the planet and fuel regional economies by becoming true locavores. Here?s a
guide to doing it right, plus tips on ensuring local edibles earn their green cred.
Cover Story : How does your garden grow?
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Can’t make it to your local farmers’ market? Then head straight to Fiesta Farms (200 Christie, at Essex, 416-537-1235), where Toronto’s largest independent supermarket has just started carrying Local Food Plus -certified Greenbelt-grown veggies, meat and dairy.
“Fiesta has gone out of its way to connect with Ontario farmers,” says Mike Schreiner , vice-president of the non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting environmentally and socially responsible food production.
The family-run grocery store has always carried an extensive and reasonably priced range of organics, but has introduced LFP-approved food to meet increasing customer demand.
“It’s an undercurrent that just keeps building,” says Fiesta honcho Joseph Virgona . “We were already carrying a lot of LFP-certified producers — we’ve just built further into the program.”
Does he see the day when the likes of Loblaws and Dominion will come on board?
“I’m not defending the corporates, but it’s difficult for them to get behind local food,” says Vigora. “We’re down at the Food Terminal six days a week working very closely with these small farmers, and the big chains don’t do that.”
But they’d better, he says, or the Greenbelt growers are going to disappear.
