ESSEX Kris Ives says she's a locavore but she wasn't always.

 

"Through university, of course I ate at fast food restaurants and did the things that other students do," said Ives, adding that as she was growing up in Essex County her mother was keen on the family eating local products.

 

These days, except for the odd pineapple or lemon, she eats locally grown food whenever possible.

 

Ives, assistant curator at the John R. Park Homestead, was one of the organizers of Sunday's third annual Lakeside Locavore Lunch, which promotes the idea of eating locally produced food. Ives, who has been eating locally for about 10 years, said anyone can start eating more locally by pulling over to roadside stands for produce and asking questions about where their food is from.

 

The lunch, a fundraiser for the conservation area, brought together farmers, vendors and producers from Essex County to serve 160 people.

 

Rick Fuerth, who has been farming in Essex County since 1973, brought 450 lamb kebabs to the event. He said his lamb simply tastes better than anything found in a grocery store.

 

The food came from no further than 60 kilometres away, according to Ives.

 

Seasonal fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, cheese, lamb kebabs, veal sausage and apple cider were some of the products available.

 

Over the last three years people have gone from not knowing what a locavore is to applying the concept to their everyday lives, Ives said.

 

"Even large bulk stores realize now it's important to carry local items," she said.

 

Items like chocolate, coffee and tea weren't served at the lunch because they're not locally produced.

 

Ives said that during the 1980s and 1990s there was a shift from eating locally to eating convenient processed foods.

 

Fuerth urges people to try local food.

 

"Go for a drive and check it out," he said of local stands and markets. "Then decide what you like better."

 

Ives said there are three main reasons to eat locally.

 

"Your food hasn't travelled as far, it's not sprayed with ripening agents or preservatives, it's not encased in wax."

 

She said local food is good for the environment because it doesn't need to be trucked thousands of miles, and fewer chemicals are used as preservatives.

 

"We're so lucky, this is one of the regions where we have the best soil and such a diversity of foods. It's easier to be a locavore here than other places," said Ives.

 

Eating foods from nearby can also be a boost to the local economy, she said.

 

"It just makes sense to buy the food your neighbours make," said Mark Bartlett, from the CAW environment council. He was at the event with his son.

 

"When you've got young kids they influence a lot," he said, adding that he plans on making sure his two-yearold son knows the importance of eating locally as he grows up.

 

Article Credit:

CARYS MILLS

The Windsor Star