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There is a small family farm in Loudoun County, VA, Crooked Run Orchard. Some of you may be already familiar with it if you have ever picked their fresh pears, apples, peaches, raspberries, blackberries, cherries or pumpkins. The farm consists of two separate land parcels (100 acres altogether, 41 acres were placed in a permanent conservation easement). This farm grows an amazing diversity of fresh produce and at the same time has preserved a large portion of their land in its wild state. The owners of Crooked Run Orchard are very environmentally responsible farmers. They use sustainable practices to maintain soil fertility (composting, crop rotation) and support biological diversity of the area (many old native trees, grasses and wildflowers flourish on the farm providing home for insects who pollinate the crops and birds who control insect populations).
Read More about Crooked RunEditAbout Locavore DC
It takes some research to become a competent
locavore, so this wiki is here to help you. Farmers markets and pick your own is just the beginning.
EditHow to pick a supplier
Distance. Pretty much everything you might want can be found within 200 miles of DC without resorting to exorbitantly priced food.
Size. Family farm, small business or large corporation?
Practices. Traditional, progressive or industrial production practices?
Distribution. On site, mail order, farmers market, local stores?
EditWhere to buy it
Suppliers. Specific suppliers and specific products.
- Fruits and Vegetables The easiest to find, the smallest percent of your day's calories.
- Beer, Wine and Alcohol Around DC, this means wine, mead, whisky, apple jack and vodka.
- Milk, Dairy Mostly PA based dairy.
- Bread, Flour, Grains It's grown around here, but is fed into the commodity system that doesn't track origins. Who knows where that bag of flour is from?
- Sugars, It's all about the Honey, and Maple
- Beverages and Drinks Apple juice
- Oils Peanut oil is made in large quantities around here, again it is fed into the commodity food system, who knows where that peanut was grown?
- Nuts Peanuts in VA, pecans and filberts in MD
- Processed Foods Canned, jarred, otherwise preserved and prepared food.
- Eggs Lots of small egg producers, but only a few that make it to super markets
- Spices and Herbs
Stores (stub) What conventional stores in the DC area carry a substantial amount of local foods?
Farmers Markets (stub) What direct from grower markers are there?
Resources
Farm Foody Directory of direct farm to consumer
EditHow to do it
Local Crops Even if you could grow bananas in Virginia, it would defeat the goals of sustainability and low environmental impact. Learn what crops grow well in Maryland and Virginia without excessive and unsustainable inputs.
Buying in Bulk and Storing (unfinished article, need volunteers to help fill it in!) To make a locavore diet work, you will want to get prices to be more competitive with grocery stores. That means buying in bulk, that means learning how to store food.
Growing Seasons (unfinished article, need volunteers to help fill it in!) Local food isn't available year round. If you aren't ready to buy paw paws when they're available, you'll miss out entirely.
Local Recipes (unfinished article, need volunteers to help fill it in!) Now that we have some paw paws, just what do we do with them? How do we store them?
EditArticles
Money Saving Strategies Namely, CSA, PYO, GYO, buying direct and buying in bulk.
Community Supported Agriculture (unfinished article, need help
expanding it.!)
Pick your own. Grow your own.Strategies Different ways to add local food to your life.
100 Percent Local. Replacing your entire diet with local foods for perfectionist nirvana.
Local Food Vacationing. Why do we pay a premium for shopping at local farms? Because it's a entertaining way to spend a weekend.
Local Vegetarian and Vegan. Finding substitutes for far away vegan favorites.
Mail order Local. If you don't have a car and your local store doesn't carry it, how else can you buy local cheese?
Buyer's Clubs. It's cheaper to aggregate your purchases with some other buyers.
Grocery Store Local. Eating local, but not actually changing where and how you shop.
EditWhere the heck is Linden, Virginia and is it in the DC area
foodshed? Learn to read labels for origin.
Virginia Counties
Maryland Counties
DCWiki Guidelines I will write what I know, feel free to post what you know as well. The area covered is 100 miles from the White House as measured by google maps. For some products, the limit is east of the Mississippi-- for example black tea or other products that simply aren't found or aren't suitable for the greater DC area. Read the entire
Wiki Guidelines to avoid having your effort undone.