Edible Magazine - Celebrating Local Foods - Season by Season

I've been a big fan of Edible Magazines for quite some time now.  I want to make sure you all know about this wonderful publication and find one of these quarterly gems in your area.  I try to at least read the Hawaii & San Diego magazines as they come out.  You can frequently find them at health food stores, restaurants, farms, as well as farmers markets.  For more info visit their website.

Here's a quick blurb from the Fall 2010 Hawaii Letters of Aloha .  A good reminder for us all.

Edible Hawaiian Islands is all about food. But is also (and just as importantly) about supporting the building of a deep local economy using local food as the driver. Think about it:

• When you hand the Starbucks clerk a $5 bill, say good-bye. It’s on its way to Seattle. When you hand a locally owned coffee shop your money, a much higher portion of that re-circulates in the Hawaiian economy.
• When you choose the big brands, you are enriching corporations and their shareholders. When you select local products— especially at locally owned food stores—you are creating local jobs.
• When you purchase directly from the farmers market or farm stand, you are reducing our dependence on foreign oil and chemically addicted industrial agricultural corporations…and you are building community as you meet and establish ongoing relationships with those local vendors.
• When you dine at one of our many independent restaurants—especially those who source local food—you are supporting the entire local food and supply chain.
• When you dine at chain restaurants, you are likely sending your dollars to some remote location for food and supplies that have traveled back and forth across the globe.

TAKE THE EDIBLE CHALLENGE: For the next week, use cash for all your food and restaurant purchases. Don’t use a discount card. As you hand over your hard earned money, think about: WHO are you handing it to? WHERE is it going? HOW MUCH of it will stay in Hawai‘i, re-circulating and building a vibrant, deep local economy?