Local Foods Connections

One of the things I love about my job is learning new things, working with a variety of colleagues from different fields of study and making connections between topics, ideas and projects that reach such a wide variety of people across our state!

This post is a July 2015 collection of different resources directed to different audiences about the same topic: Ohio Local Foods.

Local Foods does not have one definition. Depending on the individual, the food, the time of year, values and goals, “local” food can be defined in countless ways. A few ways to define include geographic region (such as county or state lines), miles between the producer and consumer (as in 100 mile diet), growing or harvesting your own food or purchasing directly from the producer such as farmers markets, farm stands or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). As I work hard to promote Ohio Local Foods Week and Ohio growers and producers, my other “local” growers include Michigan because I live in Northwest Ohio.

  • What’s Your Local Food Story? This recent Live Smart Ohio blog post encourages individuals and families to participate in Ohio Local Foods Week, August 9-15, 2015.
  • The easiest local food recipes I will make this summer: Water Infused with Ohio Produce – try some!
  • Vary Your Veggies – Ohio farmers and gardeners can grow a great variety of vegetables that fall into all 5 subgroups of vegetables in the MyPlate vegetable group.
  • Explore Ohio Foods, youth activity “energizer” to use at summer lessons and/or Explore Ohio Foods Flashcards
  • Local Foods: Part of Your Plan for Health? Your Plan Health archived webinar, May 20, 2015, 11:301m -12:00pm and recipes mentioned in the presentation
  • Ohio Local Foods Week: Feeding the Heart of It All, The Ohio Direct Food & Ag Marketing Team archived webinar, July 16, 2015, 12:00-1:00pm
  • Local Foods Activity placemats

On Monday July 20, Family and Consumer Sciences colleagues will be invited to participate in Ohio Local Foods Week 2015. Local Foods is an important and timely topic but it is not a new topic. The Cooperative Extension Service celebrated 100 years in 2014, so we have over a 100 year history of working with “local” foods from the field to the table. In recent years my colleagues have worked hard to share new information with Ohio consumers about local foods. This short presentation will highlight the new Ohio Local Foods Week toolkit and just as importantly, it will also remind us to continue to use the great Family and Consumer Sciences resources for nutrition, food safety, community and family. FCS_LocalFoodsWeek2015

The best resource for learning more about Ohio Local Foods Week 2015 is a the Local Foods Signature Program website. A few of the current resources:

 

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