Starts Today!
GOING LOCAL Week 2010 will be celebrated in the Hoosier state starting this Sunday, September 5 through Saturday, September 11, 2010. It is a one week “challenge” to Indiana citizens to eat at least one Indiana locally grown or produced food at each meal during the seven day event.
“I encourage everyone to take part in GOING LOCAL WEEK,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. “If you don’t already, visit a local farmers’ market this week and buy local grown produce and meats – or try Indiana Artisan special creations such as hot sauces, delicious baked goods or Indiana wines. I have traveled and enjoyed these different local foods all across our state. I am so proud of our Hoosier producers and the high-quality, delicious foods they offer each community.”
The objectives of GOING LOCAL Week are to:
· Create an appreciation for the abundance and diversity of the Indiana food shed.
· Make Indiana citizens more aware of the availability of local foods in their own communities.
· Provide support and recognition for Indiana local food producers.
· Increase Indiana residents’ consumption of locally grown/produced foods in a long-term effort to encourage them to regularly purchase more locally produced items for their weekly meals so that the consumption of Indiana locally grown and produced foods will become the norm, not a novelty at Hoosier dinner tables across the state.
“Here at the Department we are going to celebrate with field trip to the Original Farmers’ Market in Indianapolis on Wednesday and then enjoy an in-office potluck of locally grown foods on Friday,” said Indiana Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay. “I encourage everyone to join us in celebrating Indiana’s incredible local foods and destinations.”
GOING LOCAL Week was created in 2008 by Indiana local food blogger, Victoria Wesseler, who authors the GOING LOCAL site (www.goinglocal-info.com). She notes, “If half the families in Indiana shifted $6.25 of their current weekly food budget to the purchase of Indiana grown or produced local food this effort would provide an annual contribution of $300 million into the local Indiana economy. Is this impressive? Yes, but that's not the final number. Studies consistently show that a dollar spent locally will multiply itself by 3 to 5 times making the actual economic impact of that one dollar in the local community where it was spent far greater than a buck. Initially it may be impossible to believe but, with a subtle shift in our food spending habits, we can make a $900 million to $1.5 billion economic impact on Indiana in one year.”
Ideas to celebrate GOING LOCAL Week:
· Do some of your weekly shopping at local farmers’ markets, farm stands, and farm markets.
· Bring in fresh Indiana fruit for the staff instead of pastries during the week.
· Have an in-office potluck lunch where everyone brings in something they’ve made with a local ingredient.
· Go out to an after-work “happy hour” at a local winery or brewery.
· Dine out at a restaurant featuring locally produced food items.
· Visit an orchard or U-Pick and harvest your own produce.
· Ask your local market if they sell locally grown food. Find restaurants that do the same. Support these establishments.
· Participate in a CSA.
· Take a farm tour in your area.
· Research special foods that may be local to your area and seek them out.
· Take a cooking or food preservation class which features local foods.
· Encourage others to join you in this effort during GOING LOCAL Week. Host a pitch-in picnic or covered dish party and ask everyone to bring something made with local ingredients. Spend the evening talking about the food’s origins and learning about what’s available in your area.
· For more ideas about how to celebrate GOING LOCAL WEEK or information about Indiana local food and producers, visit the GOING LOCAL site at www.goinglocal-info.com.
Information about Indiana food and producers, listings of local food events and farm tours, as well as recipes featuring Indiana’s fresh, local, and in-season foods can be found on the GOING LOCAL site (www.goinglocal-info.com).
GOING LOCAL Week 2010 contact:
Victoria Wesseler
GOING LOCAL
Phone: 765-325-1000
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