Well Fed Network

Posted by Shelly Butcher on Well Fed on the Town.

Sunday morning is comfortably warm and sunny. You sit down to an outdoor breakfast, looking out at the bay. Breakfast is grilled lamb sausages, a slice of spinach quiche, fresh strawberries and cherries, a scone, and an olallieberry mini tart. A hot mug of freshly brewed coffee with a bit of raw milk accompanies your meal. You bask in the warm rays of sun as you enjoy your breakfast, and you suddenly wonder if you’re in Paris as you hear the bittersweet notes of an old accordion song. What could be better? Why, a farmers market after your meal, of course!

CAFF, the California Alliance with Family Farmers, recently organized a “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” breakfast at Jack London Square. For twenty dollars, you could sample the best of local foods: sausages by Fra’Mani, fresh fruit tarts by Frog Hollow Farm, quiche by Sweet Adeline, scones by Karin Johnson specialty cakes, and coffee from Mr. Espresso with milk from Claravale Farm. The proceeds help support the business of local California farmers.

CAFF runs the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign” which includes a website where you can search for fresh, local foods and their purveyors, such as shops, restaurants, and farmers markets. You can search by county, city, or zip code (all in California), as well as donate to further the cause. They also offer suggestions for arranging a visit to a farm near you.

Why buy fresh and local?

Here’s what CAFF states on the campaign website:

CAFF believes that Buy Local initiatives can address many of the problems faced by family-owned farms. Buying locally strengthens regional economies, supports family farms, preserves the local landscape, fosters a sense of community, and provides delicious, fresh-from-the-field foods for consumers.

CAFF works with schools, farmers’ markets, retailers, CSAs, caterers, bakers, and restaurants to encourage them to participate in their Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter’s efforts by buying local products.

Out here in California, I sometimes think that buying “fresh” and “local” is ingrained to the point of cliché. But it seems we crunchy northern Californians still need a campaign to convince us that buying fresh and local products is a good idea. How much more so must this message extend beyond the sunny state?

Below are some photos from breakfast and the farmers’ market at Jack London Square. Click here to see the full photoset as a slideshow.