Countryside Food Guide: A Directory of Northeast Ohio Farms & Local Foods
By Kari Moore

In Northeast Ohio and around the country, demand for local food is growing. Buyers are seeking out fresh, delicious foods that are grown closer to home by small-scale farmers and local producers. Despite this growing demand, many Northeast Ohio shoppers still have trouble finding these foods, and many producers struggle to find customers and viable markets for their products. To help Northeast Ohio consumers connect with convenient, high-quality sources of these foods, the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy is publishing the Countryside Food Guide. Available this summer in printed form and on the web, this free guide will introduce food buyers to the people in our community who grow, harvest, deliver, market and prepare food.

The Countryside Food Guide will include:
-Farms, Farm Stands, U-pick Operations and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms
-Farmers' Markets
-Restaurants and Caterers
-Grocers, Co-ops, Specialty Markets and Retailers
-Artisan Bakers, Cheese Makers and Specialty Food Producers
-Produce Auctions - Distributors and Wholesalers

When most consumers consider buying local food, they immediately think of farmers' markets. Northeast Ohio's farmers' markets play a vital role in our local food system by providing viable market opportunities for farmers, incubating local food entrepreneurs and fostering direct relationships between consumers and producers. Market shoppers can meet the farmer who grows their food. To help shoppers easily locate markets in their communities, the Countryside Food Guide will include a complete directory of markets throughout the region. The guide also will include other resources for buying directly from local outlets, including produce auctions and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, which offer “shares” in a farm's seasonal harvest and “dividends” that include weekly deliveries of farm-fresh produce.

While the Countryside Food Guide will encourage consumers to buy direct from the farmer as much as possible, it also will include information about products available at locally owned retailers, restaurants and caterers. Local dairy products, breads, preserves, juices, produce and more are available year-round from many grocers, making it easy for shoppers to shift their food dollars to “home-grown” foods. The Countryside Food Guide aims to help consumers identify these foods and showcase retailers who are making an honest effort to buy and market food from the region's farms and producers. The guide also will inform food-conscious diners about Northeast Ohio restaurants and caterers who share this commitment to local food. Chefs and caterers are realizing the advantages of buying seasonal, locally grown foods that add freshness and flavor to their menus and appeal to growing consumer demand.

The Countryside Food Guide will help more consumers make the choice to buy and use these foods by providing seasonal produce availability and recipes from area chefs. It will supply information about the economic and environmental significance of local farms and food. Northeast Ohioans spend $6 billion annually on food purchases. Shopping locally will keep a greater portion of that money circulating in our economy and decrease the environmental impact of shipping foods across the country. This summer the Countryside Food Guide will help our community locate resources for flavorful and fresh foods as well as ways to support our economy and the global environment. It is information you truly can sink your teeth into!

Local farmers and food businesses wanting more information or a free listing in the Countryside Food Guide can call Kari Moore at Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy at (330) 657-2178 or e-mail kmoore@cvcountryside.org. Application forms also are available on the Conservancy's website at www.cvcountryside.org. The Countryside Food Guide will be available this summer at area markets, restaurants and retailers, as well as on its website.

Kari Moore is the program coordinator for the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy's Local FoodWorks Initiative. The conservancy is a private, non-profit corporation working to re-envision and rebuild the local farming and food systems in Northeast Ohio. The Local FoodWorks Initiative is developing problem-solving tools and resources to encourage local food enterprises.

Photo by Sharon Halkovics.