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| Indiana counties tout area foods in Going Local week |
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BY LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Participants in the third annual Going Local Week, which runs Sept. 5-11, have the same goal: To support and promote foods grown locally in Indiana.
But how they go about the task varies greatly.
The event has triggered a flurry of activity across the state, from food fairs and producer contests to concerts and a community kitchen chef’s challenge. Several counties, including Vigo, are participating in the statewide event for the first time.
“One of our major goals is to increase demand for local food products among consumers, so that our vendors can benefit from their patronage,” said Jim Luzar, Purdue University extension educator in Vigo County.
Vigo County extension will sponsor a food fair at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 9. About a dozen vendors from Vigo, Sullivan, Clay and Parke counties have been confirmed for the fair, which is open to the public and free of charge.
The fair will feature a variety of locally produced meat, dairy, honey, vegetables, fruits and baked goods, and several producers will have sampling and food demonstrations. In addition, extension educator Deanna Franklin will talk about food preservation techniques, including how to store apples and can tomatoes.
“There will be kind of a farmers’ market atmosphere, but we’ll have a lot more than that. There’s quite a bit of education involved,” Luzar said.
This year will be an opportunity for Vigo County to “get the event off the ground,” as he put it, and the extension service is already planning a sequel.
“Our goal for 2011 is to build on this and put together a planning committee of vendors and extension educators. We’ll learn from this year’s event and make it even bigger and better next year,” Luzar said.
For more information about the Wabash Valley Food Fair, call Luzar at 812-236-6039.
Also a first-time participant in Going Local Week, Cass County extension decided to put on a contest for producers who market their goods locally.
To be eligible, entrants had to own or operate a Cass County farm that is engaged in agritourism or has agricultural products available for retail sale.
According to Tamara Ogle, a Cass County extension educator, the contest generated many applications, from which three winners were ultimately chosen by a panel of judges.
“Some of the things we looked for were what their unique story is, how they’re involved in the community, how their products benefit the consumers, what their management practices are and why they market locally,” Ogle explained.
The winners – Indiana Trail Winery and Vineyard, Crossroad Farm, which raises lamb and eggs, and Paschen Farms, a traditional corn, bean and hog operation that also sells pork and beef through a local retail store – will each be featured on the radio show “Talk of the Town” on WSAL Sept. 8-10.
“We wanted to do something to promote local agricultural producers and we thought they would benefit from the advertising and from getting their stories out there, to make the consumers aware of all the great products we have here,” Ogle said about the county’s participation in Going Local Week.
Traditionally a corn- and soybean-producing area, Cass County also has a thriving local foods community with a variety of niche producers and a farmers’ market that meets three times a week.
Ogle said the Going Local celebration will likely return next year, with more educational programs in addition to the contest.
“I think it’s really important for the community to understand the diversity of our local food production and how it contributes to economic development,” she explained.
The active and well-established local foods community in Bloomington extended the official Going Local Week and kicked off celebrations with a fundraising concert and an exhibit by the Local Growers Guild last Friday. But many activities remain.
On Sept. 9, the Local Growers Guild will show the documentary “King Corn” at Rachel’s Café at 7 p.m., and several events are planned for Sept. 11, marking the grand finale of the week.
For more information about Going Local Week in Bloomington, visit http://tinyurl.com/26polss |
| 9/8/2010 |
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