Tell us about your role on the local foods team:
I joined the Local Foods Team in April 2022 as the Food System Program Assistant and I help with planning and implementing programs for producers, food businesses, and consumers. I provide behind-the-scenes support with administrative and logistical tasks, such as managing our Fruition blog subscriptions and developing social media posts to broaden local food awareness. I enjoy continually learning how our local food system functions and how we can work together to create a strong rural foodshed.
What sparked your interest in local foods?
In college, I studied ecology and natural resources, originally with the goal to work in wildlife conservation. As I learned more about agriculture and its impact on our environment, I decided to pursue farming so I could learn small-scale, regenerative farming practices, and understand the local food movement. I was quickly enamored with the way agriculture challenges oneself both mentally and physically – and how you can see the rewards of your labor in beautiful flowers, bountiful produce, and nutritious meals. Through my farm experiences, I realized that our food system challenges are interconnected and vast. I entered into a graduate program to further tease out how our food system developed and what we can do to make it more equitable.
How do you eat local food in the winter when everything is frozen outside?
We preserve food during the growing season to have plenty of local produce during the winter months. For example, I recently made slow cooked turkey breast, raised by a friend, that we had frozen in November. Along with the turkey, we made mashed potatoes from homegrown spuds we harvested and put in our root cellar, and we sautéed bok choy that we grew and froze ourselves.