Declare a Food Independence Day
If you’re a believer in taking fruits and veggies straight from your garden (or farmers market) to the kitchen, you might be interested in Kitchen Gardeners, a group of people who treasure food that is natural, homegrown and part of a process of growing and cultivating. (The website also has lots of great tips, resources and recipes.)
This current initiative is Food Independence Day, in which they are asking the nation’s “first families” (governors and their spouses) to eat by example “by sourcing their meals as locally, deliciously and sustainably as possible.” Kitchen Gardeners is asking people to join their Facebook group and petition their first family – in South Carolina that would be Gov. Nikki Haley and her family – to use local ingredients for their July 4 celebratory meal.
As Kitchen Gardeners points out, “Local foods are patriotic, whether you’re buying them from producers in your area or growing some of your own. They’re good for our local farmers, our economies, our health, and that of the planet. Best of all, they taste great because they’re fresh from the soil.”
But Food Independence Day doesn’t have to be just for your state’s first family; anyone can join the effort! So will you be having a Food Independence Day this year? How are you changing your eating and buying habits to incorporate more local foods?