|
|
|
The bounty of Harvey County came to the table at a potluck for locavores on Thursday night at Prairie Harvest in Newton.
A locavore is a person who endeavors to consume food that is locally produced and not moved long distances to market.
Those who gathered for the potluck each brought dishes that had been created at least in part with food that had been grown or raised locally.
There was broccoli salad, potato salad with farm fresh eggs, lamb kabobs and rhubarb upside down cake among other dishes.
The attendants ranged from young to old, families to singles, and city dwellers to rural residents.
Jason Schmidt and his wife, Carol Longenecker-Schmidt, recently moved back to the area where they grew up after being away for college. Schmidt’s family has a farm east of Newton.
They garden, try to buy local, grow as much as possible and raise meat.
“I really like local food,” he said. “It is less processed and healthier for you. When you are buying locally, it is fresher, and you are supporting the local economy.”
Many Americans have lost a connection to where their food comes from, Schmidt said.
“It doesn’t just come from the grocery store,” he said. “More people need to realize a stewardship of the land.”
Living in a rural area does not always mean residents have access to healthy food, said Gary Ottoson, Hillsboro resident.
Rural residents, such as the elderly or poor, often have issues with transportation. Without transportation, it can be difficult to get to farmers’ markets or even the grocery store, Ottoson said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a list of areas in the United States that were considered “food deserts” — regions in which access to healthy foods is scarce. A portion of Marion County has been designated as a food desert.
Even in western Kansas, known for its agriculture, finding farm-fresh food can be a struggle, Ottoson said, because wheat grown in the region gets sent elsewhere for processing.
“They remanufacture it, what we get back in exchange for the deal is what they call food.”
Sensenig, a biology teacher at Tabor College, said he tries to eat locally to reduce his carbon footprint.
“It takes a great deal of carbon output for packing and transportation,” he said. “Eating locally decreases all those things.”
The bounty of Harvey County came to the table at a potluck for locavores on Thursday night at Prairie Harvest in Newton.
A locavore is a person who endeavors to consume food that is locally produced and not moved long distances to market.
Those who gathered for the potluck each brought dishes that had been created at least in part with food that had been grown or raised locally.
There was broccoli salad, potato salad with farm fresh eggs, lamb kabobs and rhubarb upside down cake among other dishes.
The attendants ranged from young to old, families to singles, and city dwellers to rural residents.
Jason Schmidt and his wife, Carol Longenecker-Schmidt, recently moved back to the area where they grew up after being away for college. Schmidt’s family has a farm east of Newton.
They garden, try to buy local, grow as much as possible and raise meat.
“I really like local food,” he said. “It is less processed and healthier for you. When you are buying locally, it is fresher, and you are supporting the local economy.”
Many Americans have lost a connection to where their food comes from, Schmidt said.
“It doesn’t just come from the grocery store,” he said. “More people need to realize a stewardship of the land.”
Living in a rural area does not always mean residents have access to healthy food, said Gary Ottoson, Hillsboro resident.
Rural residents, such as the elderly or poor, often have issues with transportation. Without transportation, it can be difficult to get to farmers’ markets or even the grocery store, Ottoson said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a list of areas in the United States that were considered “food deserts” — regions in which access to healthy foods is scarce. A portion of Marion County has been designated as a food desert.
Even in western Kansas, known for its agriculture, finding farm-fresh food can be a struggle, Ottoson said, because wheat grown in the region gets sent elsewhere for processing.
“They remanufacture it, what we get back in exchange for the deal is what they call food.”
Sensenig, a biology teacher at Tabor College, said he tries to eat locally to reduce his carbon footprint.
“It takes a great deal of carbon output for packing and transportation,” he said. “Eating locally decreases all those things.”
