Nevada locavore shopping

Again, I’ve broken one of the cardinal rules of blogging. I’ve allowed time to pass without posting anything. But my reason is a good one; I’ve hit a local-food ceiling.

I started this blog for people who wanted to eat locally to whatever extent works for their family. The point was to compile convenient local food resources that fit into busy lives with some minor changes in the way we acquire our food. According to reader comments the blog has done that. So, since I don't have a lead on a new resource just yet, thought I'd show you how this Nevada locavore's food shopping routine goes.

After two years of learning to be locavore in Nevada I’m comfortable with how my shopping method has evolved to take full advantage of the local food that is available in our area. We get our local food from the places every Reno/Sparks resident has access to. When it comes to the ultimate local food, that is whatever people grow themselves, we are perhaps less lucky than others because we live in a neighborhood with pretty strict home owners association rules. Still, local food is always in the house.


Here’s how my shopping thought process and strategy goes.

First--the ultimate local food. Each year we plant a vegetable garden. Last year we removed our backyard lawn and replaced it with a food garden and wildlife habitat. Next year we’ll plant the food forest, which hopefully will produce that hard to-get-fruit and improve the wildlife space. And bonus, we spend many hours in the backyard experiencing the peace of working in the garden, eating our own food with friends and family, drinking wine in our pajamas and watching the wildlife that now lives in our backyard.

Every year we subscribe to a CSA. This gives us a steady flow of fresh, tasty vegetables much of the year and is the most stable form of support for local farmers. We often share it with friends.

Each year we buy local beef and chicken in bulk, and a Thanksgiving turkey directly from the farm; this year the turkey will come from Nevada. On the rare occasion we buy pork, we go to Butcher Boy’s because it's a local business and closer to our house.

During the farmers market season our first stop is always a Nevada Certified Farmers Market Association (NCFMA) market because the produce comes from Nevada farms and some California farms that are located within my defined region, about 150 miles. If what I need or want is available from a Nevada grower, I always buy Nevada first.

Next, all other farmer’s markets for fruit and other veggies.

During the season we preserve our favorite foods for off-season eating. I keep in contact with local farmers (see the list at Nevada Grown or ask while you're at a NCFMA market) and buy in bulk when harvesting is at its peak. Then we get a couple of our friends together for a day of eating, talking, and canning.

The bread we eat comes from the Truckee Sourdough Company (conveniently available at just about every place that sells food), is baked at home, or occasionally, purchased from a locally owned bread shop.

Great Basin Coop next if I can get there. My workday conflicts with the store schedule but I do my best to get there because it’s a great way to get some Nevada grown veggies in a market environment, even during cooler weather.

And finally, everything else we get at the supermarket. Whole Foods at this point because they support local farmers, have a large organic selection, and the Nevada farmer’s market is conveniently located in their parking lot. It’s hell-and-gone from my house so we arrange our errands so that the drive makes more sense.

Here’s my local-food wish list:

Good local cheese; organic would be nice but not necessary. I’ll never willingly give up cheese so until there’s a local option I’ll continue to spend far too much money in the Whole Foods cheese department buying California cheese, my nod to local food support.

Local, organic, direct-from-the-farm raw milk, butter, and cream.

Herbs. It’s just plain hard to find these in quantity anyplace but big box supermarkets. I can grow the easy stuff, like basil and sage, in my backyard, but have zero success with herbs like cilantro, rosemary, thyme, and dill. I would be very happy and financially supportive if someone would grow and sell herbs that I could dry and save in amounts that will get me through the winter and use in my favorite pickle recipe. On the upside, Nanadew Farms is now selling potted herbs at the NCFMA markets so at least I can get some starts there.

Bread and bakery goods made with locally grown wheat.

Eggs that are consistently available. I have no idea how this would happen because, duh, chickens don’t lay eggs all the time; they’re on a natural cycle. Who knew!? In the meantime, I've learned to buy eggs from the CSA and the Co-op, and eagerly accept the eggs my few chicken-raising friends offer. If you have a neighbor who has or wants chickens in their backyard, rejoice, because they often have more eggs than they can eat and many are generous with the bounty. And be supportive...backyard chickens and eggs can be a wonderful experience!

And lastly, more Nevada farmers. The farmers I’ve met are wonderful, generous hardworking, passionate people who grow fabulous food; there just aren’t enough of them. As a native Nevadan I often wish Nevada were in middle of the number-of-farmers-per-state list rather than at the bottom, especially since there is good farm land in Nevada. Perhaps with local demand will come support and training programs that will draw potential future farmers.

My two cents worth!