The USDA has just put up a new website, Know your Farmer, Know your Food. Spearheaded by Greenfield native and USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, the site notes that "American farmers feed our nation and the world, but they are all local to somewhere."

People sometimes ask us what our definition of "local" is, and are sometimes surprised when we respond that we don't consider there to be only one answer. Our Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally GrownŽ marketing and public education program operates in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts--primarily Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties, and some parts of western Worcester County and eastern Berkshire County. We work in close collaboration with other organizations, however, and sometimes do projects with state- or region-wide impact. And some of the members of our Local Hero program may use other definitions for their particular needs, and we understand that as well. Big Y World Class Markets, for example, operates stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and they consider products grown in those states to be locally grown. Greenfield's Market, close to the Vermont border, considers products from southern Vermont to be local to them.

If you're trying to eat more locally grown food at home, you may also find that your approach differs from that of your neighbors or friends. For some people, the challenge of a "hundred mile diet," with strict (if self- enforced) rules and carefully defined exceptions, provides big motivation for changing the way they source and choose their food. For others, smaller, gradual changes and more flexibility may work better. In my own family, we've successfully moved many foods that we used to eat regularly-orange juice and bananas are two examples-to the "treat" category (chocolate and coffee? Not so much). But we're content to include these items in a mix of foods that primarily revolves around the seasonal rhythms of our gardens, our neighbors' fields and orchards, and our pantry and freezer.

In general, I think flexibility is a good thing. Sometimes, though, flexible definitions can become meaningless, and claims based on them don't offer much value. In an article on the efforts of national or international businesses to promote themselves as "local," the Jackson Free Press quoted a market research professional, who gave this phenomenon an upbeat spin, saying "Big companies have to be much more creative in how they articulate local... It's a different way of thinking about local that is not quite as literal." For more on the increasingly crowded field of voices trumpeting "buy local" take a look at the Jackson Free Press piece, "The Local Lie".

After reading it, I recommend creating a genuinely local supper with your family and friends. It's the season for cozy food -- squash soup, roasted root vegetables, apple pie, hot cider. Enjoy!

Margaret Christie
Special Projects Director