NNY Regional Local Foods Initiative

The leaves are changing color.  This morning I was greeted as I opened my door by a swirl of multicolored maple leaves.  My yard is host to a number of large maples of different varieties so during the fall there is always a wonderful array of color to greet me.  After a couple of unseasonably warm days the bite of fall is back in the air.  That crisp fresh greeting to your day, that tells you that the growing season is winding down and winter flurries are just around the corner.  This is my favorite time of year.

But before you head for hibernation, think about how you will be eating this winter.  There is still another way to locate local food via the internet and that is utilizing the Eat Well Guide.   According to the About section of their website   The Eat Well Guide® is a free online directory for anyone in search of fresh, locally grown and sustainably produced food in the United States and Canada.

Eat Well’s thousands of listings include family farms, restaurants, farmers’ markets, grocery stores, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, U-pick orchards and more.  Users can search by location, keyword, category or product to find good food, download customized guides, or plan a trip with the innovative mapping tool, Eat Well Everywhere. Eat Well is also home to The Green Fork blog and the free educational booklet Cultivating the Web: High Tech Tools for the Sustainable Food Movement.

Together with the enterprising spirits of independent farmers, locally owned businesses and partner organizations, the Eat Well Guide’s collaborative technology harnesses the power of the web to effect social, environmental and economic change, and maps the route to a more sustainable food system.

For more on the criteria to be listed in the Eat Well Guide, view their  Standards for Inclusion.

Some of the collaborating partners include Adirondack Harvest and Food Routes among others.  I would encourage farmers and producers of local food to get connected with the Eat Well Guide so you too can have your products promoted in one more way via the internet.

Wherever  the autumn season might take you, with this guide and others you can locate sources for local food nearest you.  And what better time to enjoy the bounty of the growing season than in the fall?  Enjoy your October and hope you are eating well wherever your travels might take you.

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