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Eating Green: Creating a Sustainable Table

By Lynn Schwartz
Photos by “Chefs A’ Field & Warner Hanson Television”

“You are what you eat” is a familiar adage, but do most of us take this to heart? “We put food into our mouths three or more times per day and yet we often don’t know anything about it,” says Heidi Hanson, producer of the award-winning public television series, Chefs A’ Field: Culinary Adventures that Begin on the Farm. “You need to know where your food comes from.”


Heidi Hanson, Producer, on location for Chefs A’ Field at Pot Pie Farm.


Sure, we are in tune with recycling, eco-friendly cars, and green homes with bamboo floors and hip kitchen countertops made from recycled paper. We expect our restaurant chefs to offer menus with responsibly sourced ingredients. And chefs are responding, many forging direct relationships with local farmers, planting gardens, and even purchasing their own farms. Chefs want customers to know where their ingredients come from. We appreciate this when dining out, but in our own kitchens many of us falter.

“We tend to stay away from the big, tough food issue, but it’s integral to our lives,” says Rita Calvert, founder of Chesapeake Food-Farm Tours, a company that offers farm tours, education, and sustainable meals to private groups. Calvert is one of an increasing number of individuals who embrace sustainable eating practices. But is that realistic for those of us entrenched in grab-and-go lifestyles? And what does sustainability mean when it comes to the food we put on our tables?

“Sustainability means different things to everyone you talk to,” says Hanson, whose television series requires her to spend her days with the country’s best chefs, tracing the origins of great meals from the fields, forests, farms, and waters of America. “To me, it’s a philosophy of continuing goodness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the long term.”

Ann Yonkers, founder and co-director of FRESHFARM Markets, has a similar outlook. “It’s taking the longer view and seeing your impact stretched out into the future as something broader than yourself.” Yonkers likens sustainability to the Iroquois seventh generation idea, which mandates that chiefs consider the effects of their actions on the next seven generations.



Chef Nora Pouillon and farmer Jim Crawford during the filming of Chefs A’ Field.


Visiting a farmers’market is a great start toward making sustainable food choices. The markets provide direct relationships with farmers, a major reason for their growing popularity (as of August 2008 the USDA reported a total of 4,685 farmers’ markets in the United States). “When you know the person and the story behind what you are buying, there is a human element and trust,” notes Hanson. “This makes food taste better.”

There are a wealth of farmers’ markets in our area. FRESHFARM Markets operates eight producer-only markets (which means the farmers grow or make what they sell) in Maryland and Washington, D.C. The Annapolis location features fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods, crabs, meats, eggs, cheese, flowers and more. Last year, FRESHFARM Markets grew 30 percent. “There is something afoot,” says Yonkers. “People are caring about food in a different way. Whether it is because of flavor, food safety, or health benefits we don’t know, but there is a change and it’s phenomenal.”

Chipotle Mexican Grill is one company that understands this shift and the consumer’s desire for food with integrity at an affordable price. With more than 800 restaurants, Chipotle is a leader in changing the way people think about and eat fast food. “‘Give me lots and give it to me cheap’ has been the mentality,” says Phil Petrilli, Chipotle’s regional director for the Northeast. “Chipotle is turning the tables. You don’t have to compromise quality just because it’s quick.” Chipotle serves more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant in the country and daily prepares fresh food from scratch. “It’s the marriage of great sustainable food and quick service,” says Petrilli.

Petrilli believes that like the pioneering changes Chipotle has adopted, there is much we can do as consumers. “The Mid-Atlantic region is the agricultural hotbed for the East Coast,” he says. “There are enormous opportunities here.” Petrilli recommends participating in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where members purchase shares of a farmer’s crop before it’s planted. In return, “shareholders” receive the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season. Members also share in the risks, including poor harvests caused by bad weather or pests. This partnership brings the satisfaction of reconnecting the farmer, the land and food production.

As with any lifestyle change, it’s best to start small. Begin by savoring the unique flavors of local, sustainable food. Calvert suggests a personal challenge. “Take just $8 per week that you normally spend on junk food and purchase locally grown farm products for 12 weeks. If every household in southern Maryland did this, $54 million could be invested back into our area farms and economy.”

Incorporating sustainability into our food choices is not just a trend, but also a responsibility that we will all need to recognize as we meet the future. To change our eating habits, we must begin to fill our tables with foods that not only are great tasting and good for our health, but that also honor our community and environment. We would do well to heed the advice of the ancient Native American proverb, “Treat the earth well; it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children.”

For sustainable food information including Buy Fresh Buy Local Chesapeake Region, Chefs A’ Field, Chesapeake Food-Farm Tours, FRESHFARM Markets, Local Harvest, and Maryland Department of Agriculture visit our Web Site At WhatsUpMag.com.
 

What You Can Do!

Cook. Try cooking at home again. It’s healthier and costs less.
Buy Local. Food harvested from within 100 miles tastes better, has more nutrients and supports your community’s economy. The cost of shipping and its impact on the environment are reduced. Some food, like coffee, chocolate and bananas can’t be found locally or even in the United States, but you can try to buy Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certified.
Support Farmers’ Markets. Experience regional flavors and heirloom varieties. Meet and learn from the producers of the food you eat. Markets encourage nutrition, education, wholesome eating habits and better food preparation.
Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Members purchase a share of a farmer’s crop before it’s planted. In return, members receive shares in the farm’s bounty.
Plant A Garden. Enjoy the results of your efforts from kitchen herbs to larger outdoor garden produce.
Eat In-Season. You may not get tomatoes in April, but learn to appreciate better taste and greater nutritional value for what’s in-season.
Form a Potluck Dinner Group. Invite friends to bring a favorite sustainable dish. This creates community spirit and everyone eats well.
Ask Questions. Learn what’s in your food and where and how it is produced. Avoid processed foods and producers who use chemicals, pesticides hormones and antibiotics. Just because food is grown locally, doesn’t mean it’s sustainable. Ask the farmer that grew/raised the food or the store manager. Sustainable food recognizes the environment, workers and animal welfare.

 

 

 Lynn Schwartz is an award-winning writer and restaurateur who teaches fiction at St. John's college and life-sory writing at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.  She is the show manager for The Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor, foodandwinenh.com.

Chefs A' Field April 2009 Eating green

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