After Thanksgiving overindulgence and looking ahead to a long winter season of quarantine cooking at home, it’s time to reflect more thoughtfully about where our food comes from and how we can support our local farmers and communities.
I grew up going to the local farms in Cumberland – Spring Brook Farm and Sweetser’s Apple Barrel and Orchards. I love our family’s weekly visits to the community farmers market on Saturday mornings. The opportunity to buy fresh food from people I have gotten to know over the years is fun. I like that our Thanksgiving turkey never left the farm until we picked it up the day before our dinner.
Local food just simply tastes better. And it is way more convenient to buy at a local market than go to a big grocery store farther away. As a Bowdoin student living off campus and cooking for myself and roommates for the first time, I have started to think more about where my food comes from and the value of accessibility to locally grown food.
Now is the time to shop locally. As we creep closer towards irreversible climate change, it is essential to be aware of our carbon footprint. It is significantly more sustainable to buy locally grown and made foods to reduce vehicle emissions that come with transporting food across the world. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is now more important than ever to support the local Maine agriculture economy that has been hit hard. With an enormous loss in restaurant sales and tourism, Maine farmers are relying more on direct customer sales. Our purchases make a difference in the viability of these small farms. It is also good to stay out of the grocery stores and reduce exposure to COVID-19.
Farms provide community character. Spring Brook Farm and Sweetser’s Apple Barrel and Orchards have been an important part of the town of Cumberland for 200 years. Sweetser’s Apple Barrel is a family business owned and operated by a fifth-generation Sweetser. These farms employ local pickers and workers, including many Greely High School students working their first jobs. Farm to Table Kids at Skyline Farm in North Yarmouth is teaching our youngest residents the value and hard work of growing their own food. At Hurricane Valley Farm in Falmouth, some of our newest immigrants are learning to grow food in our challenging climate. Not only are we cultivating land, but also building community.
Local farms are also working to make healthy food more accessible and affordable to all Mainers. Spring Brook Farm collaborates with the Cumberland Food Pantry to stock shelves with fresh produce and meats for those in need in our community. Everyone deserves to have healthy, fresh food.
Conservation of farm land is one of the keys to the success of agriculture. Land in Maine is expensive, especially in Southern Maine, and conservation provides farmers with a source of funds and reduces property taxes. Maine Farmland Trust and local land trusts are partnering with farmers all over the state to help increase the long-term viability and protection of farms.
When thinking about upcoming holiday dinners and even our weekly food shopping, it is time to go local. Farms like Spring Brook are making their fresh, healthy and tasty food right around the corner. Why not go to the local market and avoid the craziness of the grocery store during the holiday season? Let’s save our local character, boost our local economy and eat healthier!
Where will you get your food to make your next holiday dinner?
Brooke Asherman lives in Cumberland.
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