Locavoires

Toronto from The Garden

Yesterday as I was walking in the PATH under my office tower, I heard a woman describe herself as a "Locavoire" - someone who only consumes locally produced food.  It got me thinking about the whole concept of "Local" food and how that pertains to life in the city.  As I looked at this lady and attempted to ignore the Starbucks coffee in her hand (local?! I think not!!), I wondered... how local is local?  Does she only count food grown in the GTA?  Or does she count food from all of Ontario?  Does she partake in any form of agriculture?  Does she realize that eating local is a big commitment?  You can't just wander in to any of the City of Toronto farmers' markets and partake in local food because chances are that zucchini you're buying in June isn't from Ontario.  Your hot house Tomatoes might be - but if the idea of living local is about consuming both locally produced food and eating seasonally, should you really be purchasing it?  And how far do you go?  Do you say goodbye to bananas, mangos, pineapple, and citrus?  Or is it a give and take?  Do you still stop and buy a quick Longo's dinner for the kids if you're running late and need to get Jimmy to hockey and Suzie to ballet?

Sadly, this woman was running for the train, so I didn't have the chance to ask her what Locavoire means to her.  I know what it means to me - be conscious about what you buy, pay a little more for the made-in-ontario version, and try to grow some of your own.  Whether it's just a little pot of herbs or a full scale backyard garden "growing your own" is as local as you can be - with the added bonus of show showcasing how hard our farmers work to ensure we have what we need.

Happy eating!