Dan's Papers - August 22, 2008 - Going to the Farm Stand

We are living in a generation where the health of our children, and the survival of our planet have become of utmost importance. Hybrid cars were expensive when they first hit the market. Then they became affordable, and now they have become haute couture. Television shows on healthy cooking, healthy living and how to solar power your toilets to keep you warm are inundating our screens.

Now, a welcome development in the same vein is sweeping across Long Island. While the East End has an abundance of organic food shops and healthy alternative natural stores, it's not always feasible to buy locally grown or organic food, as the prices tend to be substantially greater than that of the mass, cheaply produced alternative.

In the United Kingdom in the past few years, there been an explosion in Fair Trade awareness rooted in great pressure from the government and from general public opinion to start supplying more organic, healthy produce from developing third world nations. As a result, many homes are switching to Fair Trade coffee, cocoa, bananas and many other options. While the produce you may find in your local East End supermarket is not necessarily bought from Ghana, Botswana or Togo, household name supermarkets such as King Kullen and Waldbaum's are now working in conjunction with local farms to provide us with the freshest goods possible.

"We have a gentleman's agreement with close to a dozen farms on Long Island to take all the produce they can grow each summer. Farmers such as Phil Schmitt of Schmitt Farm in Riverhead and Bruno's Farm grow their crops almost entirely for our use," said King Kullen's produce spokesman Rich Conger. "While clearly the farms out here are seasonal, so we can't provide our customers with local produce year round, we do try and exhaust the Long Island farm supply before looking elsewhere." East End farmers focus on agricultural farming with exceptional quality and skill, providing supermarkets and independent farm stands with fresh corn, lettuce, squash, tomatoes, potatoes and many more items. The move by King Kullen has been felt across Long Island, where the company is continually expanding on their 44 stores.

A recent article in the New York Times stated that "some supermarket chains are renting out their parking lots to farmer's markets on certain days; others have put a farmers market right inside their store." During this time of economic recession, King Kullen's plan is to support both the farmers by buying local produce and pleasing shoppers through cheaper produce, cutting down on transportation and storing costs that have been necessary in previous years.

While the intentions are good, the long-term changes are yet to be seen. Farm stands, which survive solely on local produce, from fresh corn to tomatoes, cucumbers and other fruits and vegetables, have been steadily increasing their prices year by year. One local Bridgehampton resident complained, "I can't believe I'm paying $17 now for a blueberry pie - and I'm sure they've gotten smaller too."

Last month, Wal-Mart entered the locally grown food race by announcing they intend to invest upwards of $400 million this year in local farmers across the country. This is the latest move in a trend that's swept across the country, fueled by the slow economy. "It's a good move for supermarkets to invest locally. It's better for the local economy, and the buyer sees a direct result in lower prices - the closer the food is grown to the stores, the faster it can get onto the stands. Therefore it's fresher, and also means that there is less cost of fuel, which is generally transferred on to the customer through increased prices," said the manager of Falkowski Farms in Bridgehampton.

This past July, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, which carries such stores as Waldbaum's, Food Emporium and Pathmark under their brand, announced new partnerships with local farmers in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, making A&P the largest retailer of locally grown produce in the Northeast. Waldbaum's is currently in its second year of supplying the East End with local produce. While the first year they supplied only corn, greens and potatoes, the store now has a much wider variety of fresh, local gourmet foods to offer.

Speaking out about the new local-grown supermarket craze, U.S Senator Charles E. Schumer remarked, "Long Island farmers produce some of the finest produce in the Northeast and every time a major supermarket chain commits to selling their harvest locally, it's a win for the farmers and a win for the entire community. [A&P's] announcement shows yet again the hand-in-hand relationship we have, and so desperately need, to keep farms on Long Island thriving."

Local East End shoppers support the move, many being of the mindset that locally grown is definitely better, both for themselves, and for the community. However, when pressed, many admitted that while they support the concept of buying local produce, few would be willing to go out of their way to ensure the vegetables they buy were local, preferring the simplicity of whatever is cheapest, rather than what is best for the local economy.