Let’s Get Cooking! Give Your Holiday Recipes a Gourmet Boost with Local Food Ingredients
It’s almost that time of the year…when the festive pre-planning and the endless recipe scrolling begins for the fabulous dishes you’ll be serving at your upcoming dinner party or next family gathering.
Due to COVID and stay at home orders, a lot of us have found ourselves rediscovering the art of cooking at home—nearly 54% of Americans said they’ve spent more time in their kitchen cooking and 46% are baking more (Hunter Food Study Special Report). For those of us wanting to take our cooking game to a more gourmet level, adding a few local ingredients can give you that edge.
As you’re thinking about what to dish up this holiday season, it’s a perfect time to give some thought to how and where you’ll be sourcing your ingredients. Arizona’s small farmers and local food businesses have taken a devastating hit this year, and one of the ways you can lend your support and help our local economy is by replacing a few of your holiday recipe ingredients with those made and grown locally.
Making it Easy to Source Local Meats, Dairy & Produce
Finding locally made ingredients can be a hunt within itself, which is why we’ve pulled together the following resources as a way for you to explore the bounty of locally grown produce, dairy, and meats that you may not have known existed until now.
A lot of these ingredients can be picked up at your nearby farmers market or straight from the source!
It’s a Small Shift but a Beneficial One (and for Many Reasons)
Buying local food brings a lot to the table—offering benefits in personal health, the community, the environment, and the local economy.
Here are a few thoughts to consider:
photo by Kyleigh Sage (instagram @ barleyandsage)
1. Local Does Mean Fresher & More Nutritious
Replacing the produce you’d normally buy at the grocery store with those from your local small farm or found at your farmers market will raise the bar of your holiday meals in terms of taste, flavor, and even presentation. When you buy local, you have the best chance at having produce that is the highest in nutrient level. Fruits and vegetables lose their nutrients within 24 hours of being picked, and food grown closer to you is generally less processed and not subjected to lengthy storage processes. Local produce is also grown according to seasons and is picked at its peak ripeness, when it’s most dense with nutrients. This also means that local produce has the most flavor!
2. It’s Less Expensive Than You Think
You can save money on fresh, locally grown food by eating it when it’s in season. If you buy local produce during the growing season it’s comparable in price and less expensive than produce in the grocery store. Preserving foods by canning or freezing can also help you save money during the off-season.
Some farmers markets even accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits. If you use these programs, you and your family can buy a variety of fresh and healthy foods at the supermarket to supplement your grocery store purchases.
3. Food Less Traveled
Conventionally purchased meat is often grown, processed, and shipped from across the nation and the world, which results in a higher carbon footprint, such as increased fossil fuel consumption and pollution.
Nowhere in the commercial food chain can you get to know your meat and dairy producer as you can when buying from a local farmer. You can tour their farm or have one-to-one conversations about how their animals are raised in the humane and sustainable ways that matter to you. Smaller farms conscientiously raise their livestock and embody practices that produce healthier, pasture-raised, and free-range meats, eggs, and dairy.
4. Expanding Food Horizons and Experiencing New Tastes at the Holiday Dinner Table
A stroll through your local farmers market can spark new recipes and meal ideas. The availability of ethnic, specialty, and heirloom produce (grown from seeds that haven’t been cross-pollinated with other plants), as well as seasonal varieties gives you access to fruits and vegetables you wouldn’t find at your nearby supermarket. Experimenting with these new ingredients provides a culinary flare, giving your dinner guests a taste of food they may have never tried before!
5. Buying Local Food Supports the Local Economy
A small shift toward buying local food not only helps a local farmer and their farm, it also supports all the local businesses in their supply chain. By investing in local food, you are creating jobs on that farm, as well as maintaining other jobs in your community.
It’s still warm outside but before you know it the holidays will be here. Be sure to check back at the Good Food Finder as we share tips, tricks, and ways to easily incorporate locally grown and made food into your daily life!
...And, if you’re looking for more local food ingredients beyond dairy, meats, and produce; we’ve made that search easy, too!