News Features

Shop Local For Food, Preserve Farm Land

By Holly Newby

    Do you ever wonder where your food comes from? We do! Every acre of farmland in our nation counts and they are being developed at a staggering rate. For example, American avocado production in 2011 was 400 million pounds. Since then, American farmers have had to compete dramatically with Mexico fruit which now takes up to 90 percent of the market compared to just 40 percent of the market in 2011. Cutting American avocados means a loss of jobs and farmland in America. When folks say buy American food products, not only is it impacting jobs but farmlands as well. Once those farmlands are developed we will have no choice but to buy our foods from other countries.
       Avocados are one of the top crops produced in Florida, and there are over 50 varieties of avocados generally labeled under the Florida avocado name. Look for the larger light avocados if you want Florida produce.
    With this question of "where does our food come from" in mind, we took some time to study labels in the store this week. Of course, we have the choice to buy our garlic from China or from American farms. They are side by side in the store and you have to read labels which is hard.
    All canned mushrooms, regardless of companies, appear to be grown in China, while all fresh mushrooms appear to be grown in the U.S.A.
       Much frozen seafood is shipped in from China, some canned seafood such as Salmon may be wild caught in the USA but you have to check.
    Without any pre-mediation, we picked out the items for the week ahead. On the positive side of things, the carrots, fresh mushrooms, oranges, and apples we get weekly were all raised in the U.S.A. We weren't sure about the meat, but after reading up on it it was farmed, harvested, and packaged in the USA. The cream cheese was from American farmers as was the pimento cheese.
         With a little label reading, we were able to select a good number of products at a local store that were all from American farmers.
       What difference does it make? Think about the enormous spread of farmland that just went under from Allico Citrus this week, 53,371 acres in eight Florida counties. Not only is that no longer farmland and will probably become housing subdivisions, but it is also no longer habitat, no longer panther territory and no it isn't being turned into produce or beef acres. They say they may do some agriculture on the land, but there has to be a market or they won't be able to. The sad truth is that if our dollars don't support American farmers, there won't be American farmers or farmlands and when it is gone, it is gone. We will have no choice but to buy our food from foreign countries.
       Please consider where your dollars are going the next time you shop. With a little effort and label reading, you can keep your dollars in the American economy and protect farmland at the same time. Especially supporting Florida farmers and local farmers because it also protects our way of life! It is worth the effort.
        This week's recipe was made with a delicious Florida avocado. It was huge and made a large bowl of guacamole which is a favorite snack in our house. The chips are gluten-free and were made in Texas so that is a good choice too!
Avocado Snack with Mission Tortilla Chips
1 large Florida avocado
1 lime, squeezed
1 large vine ripe tomato
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 small Vidalia onion, diced
1 clove fresh garlic, squeezed
diced fresh jalapeño optional
    Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure to stir the lime juice in well. Serve for a game day snack along with some Mission Round corn tortilla chips. Serves five.
         Food is a lovely way to enjoy fellowship with others. If you gather around a well-made meal, take a picture or share your recipe here, hollynewby1@aol.com. We enjoy sharing culinary ideas and offerings.