Contest Results: Meet a Farmer
It turns out that when I announced the “Meet a Farmer” contest and encouraged people to make a connection with their local food suppliers I overlooked the fact that many of the farmers themselves read Mark’s Daily Apple. So whether you took a picture of yourself and sent it in, or made the pilgrimage to a local farm or your town’s farmers’ market to grab a photo, you were entered to win the Primal prize.
Thanks to everyone that submitted a photo. I hope the experience was well worth the effort whether you won this contest or not. Speaking of…
The winner of this contest, chosen randomly, is MDA reader Luigi. Luigi is the one who snapped a photo with his free-range egg supplier, Tricia (the blonde woman with the bird).
The contest may be over but you can still meet and greet your local food suppliers. Make the effort if you haven’t already. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
This is so great! I wanted to take a pic but didn’t get a chance to, family visiting.
It is so neat to see other people connecting with their local farmers. Does anyone else to CSA co-ops?
I’m sorry, grammar correction, it should read “does any one else participate in CSA?”
I’ve been involved in CSAs off and on for the past few years. It’s an excellent way to really support local farmers and to actually have a say in the food you eat! It’s often a big investment up front, but usually saves you lots of money over time.
We have a lovely CSA program in Austin, where an intermediary company works with dozens of farmers, ranchers, and other local food companies in Central Texas, bundles things together, then delivers to your door! We’ve been ordering from them for two years.
We also spent last Saturday morning at one of Austin’s farmer’s markets. First time, but we’ll probably be making that a regular thing.
I love my CSA! The only downside is that my schedule makes it so that I can only get to the drop-off point in the middle of the pickup period, when it’s on the honor system and I don’t get to meet the farmers.
but on the upside I kinda feel like I know them, because my farm is the South Central Farmers, the subject of the documentary “the farm”
Look at all the healthy smiling faces! I love my local farmers!
This truly is an important aspect of food acquisition, I believe. In the modern world, we often don’t know who handled our food or raised it, and we therefore have only a minimal connection to the food itself. By meeting farmers, ranchers, and the like, we get a sense of that connection and develop a sense of investment in those people as well as in ourselves and our families.
It’s like extending the cave tribe a little bit without having to worry about sharing the bathroom.
I liked this contest idea, even though I didn’t enter it. I think people these days are too disconnected from their food. I mean really, if people thought about what it takes to make turkey look and taste (sort of) like bacon, they wouldn’t eat it! Same goes for most of what you buy in a package at the grocery store. Plus, health reasons aside, it’s always nice to support the local economy by buying direct from farmers.
I thought about taking a photo of myself with my chickens when I didn’t have time to get to the farmer’s market last week, but decided not to. We do sell eggs when we have a surplus, but we’re not really farmers
I love that in so many pictures, the people are holding their animals.
Especially the goats.
I think it shows a healthy relationship that the animals trusted the farmers enough to not claw and scratch and kick, but be held long enough for a photo op.
These pictures give me a glimmer of hope that the future of our food industry might change toward more natural and healthier ways due to people seeking out farmers and farmer’s markets. The power of change is in your wallet.
It’s great to put faces with Farmers and other MDA readers! It helps to feel connected and to see that they are regular people who care about their health and where their food comes from!
I think this contest idea was fantastic. If we really want to see a change in how people in general consider the quality of their food it needs to start at a grass roots level with patronizing local farmers who farm in ways that are ethical environmentally and nutritionally. See here for more: http://www.honestmeat.com/honest_meat/2010/09/so-you-say-you-want-a-food-revolution.html
I would have enjoyed taking part in this contest if I…
1) had access to my own vehicle,
2) knew of any local farm or farmer’s market in Miami, and
3) had the opportunity to get to said farm/farmer’s market.
That said, I am definitely happy to see just how many small farms (not subsidized by Big Sista government to grow GMO junk) are out there. And now I want to get outta Miami and live near one…
I did a quick google for grassfed miami and found millers organic farm delivers to miami. They are an amish farm and I am sure there are others that deliver to other locations. I’m carless as well and it’s a total PITA sometimes.
You do live near one, in fact you live near several.
Good luck on foraging, you really can find good local food and farmers most places.
http://www.florida-agriculture.com/consumers/farmers_markets.htm
I think I recognized an MDAer in a picture, yay!
I wanted to meet my CSA delivery guy, but our schedules weren’t condusive to that happening…
It’s great to see more people getting to know the folks that produce their foods! I’m sure the farmers appreciated the recognition as well.
Another way to get to know a farmer or to become one yourself is to volunteer with a local community garden or CSA. Many of them need help with watering, planting and lots of the work in between.
Okay so living in a typical Southern Californian suburban neighborhood I only considered the health food stores, local farmer’s markets, and ordering grass fed beef online as options for acquiring the foods we wanted. Imagine my surprise when my husband thought to search for grass-fed beef on craigslist and found a small ranch within an hours drive which raises pastured beef! WOW! I, following my very clever husband’s lead, then searched for free-range eggs and found a lady who raises happy, stress-free (I picture them relaxing poolside..lol), free range chickens for eggs 5 minutes from our house! I am so excited to meet these local people and see first hand where my food will come from. Oh and we also found a great deal on a freezer so we can stock up on the beef! Now to find a local source for free range organic chicken!
It’s really amazing what is out there under the radar. BTW: those fresh eggs are gonna spoil you. When the chickens stop laying and you have to eat organic free range in the winter you’re gonna hate like LMAO
I know very little about the laying habits of chickens…do they stop laying in the winter? even in warmer climates like SoCal? I guess I will find out…lol
that’s awesome! I’m a LA resident but dispute a lot of searching haven’t found these places yet, care to share your finds? comment here or email me at moonablazeATgmailDOTcom (replace caps with @ and .)
This is one that I have every intention of still doing. It wasn’t possible for me the weekend of the contest, but it’s such an awesome idea.
Growing up in a big city, I remember laughing hysterically at my best friend who always said that she wanted to be a farmer when she grew up. I don’t think that she is a farmer now, but if she DID become one, the joke would be on me. For the farmers who are keepin’ it real, what a noble profession! ~Karyn
Who needs health care when your eating towards a disease free life. My pharmacy is a living, breathing, growing farm. My pharmacist is the farmer.
Love it!
We get produce home-delivered. I should have thought to get a picture; I was home last Monday and they have the cutest truck! But even better is visiting the farmers’ market or local butcher, where they can tell you everything from how to grow an item to how to cook it. And fresh local produce is just ridiculously tasty! Last month I found late harvest strawberries at the farmers’ market, which were among the best I have ever ever tasted. This week I caved to a sale and bought conventional strawberries from California at the regular grocery store. Hard to believe the two are related at all.
My favorite part about meeting my farmers is tapping into their seriously underestimated (and too often overlooked) knowledge base. If you have the chance to meet the person who grew/raised your dinner, take advantage and ask questions! Everything from explaining the origin and flavor profile of a “new” (to me) veggie to the optimal recipe for cooking a “new” cut of meat is not only enlightening but also encourages me to try new things with gusto. Moreover, I find that few can more convincingly justify the premium charged for his goods than the guy whose sweat produced them.
I meet several local farmers at our town’s farmer’s market (which sadly ended for the season). I even found a butcher who specializes in free range animals and is a local ‘clearhouse’ for a few egg farmers who raise free range, organic fed, healthy chickens to produce some very tasty eggs.
This is one of the most important things I’ve learned from MDA – being connected to your food. I did a CSA a few years ago and thought it was too much work so I canceled it. This year I joined a CSA and a meat CSA and love them both! Yes, it’s more work to plan and cook, but the food is amazing, it’s so much healthier, and I’m supporting my local farmers. Win, win, win!
CSAs, and really any local food providers, are great. I just got into a CSA this year and I get to try new things all the time. I now love okra and mustard greens and eggplant, all things I never would have thought to buy in a grocery store. Each new box from the CSA is like a challenge to create something new and delicious with things you may have never tried before
WOW! I was looking through the pictures and didn’t even realize I won until after the slideshow went through. This made my day
Thanks Mark and the MDA Crew!
primal stuff aside, I am seeing a real rise in buying locally produced food, and I think it’s just fantastic.
I live in Boulder, CO, a town that has been very progressive when it comes to attitudes about food. sure, there are plenty of veggies and vegans around here, but there’s a lot of focus on fresh, local ingredients, even in local restaurants.
recently, a food truck called Streat Chefs started making round around the city, and one of their menu items is a “farmers market salad,” where they take different veggies on different days from different farmers markets, and create a unique salad based on what they have. it’s great to see that even street vendors can appreciate something locally grown and produced.
I hope this rise continues, and I hope that someday, future generations will be asking “factory farm? what’s that?” way to go, Grok-stars, for supporting your local farmers. you guys have inspired me and my parents to invest in a local CSA share in the coming year!
Is it just me or are Primal people the happiest looking people in the country? I think that eating good and taking pride in your health, body, and mind makes the life just so much more enjoyable!
I never want to go back to life where chemicals and carbs rule my day and my emotions!
Hmmm…. the thought of MDA readers meeting farmers (SO thoughtful of you, Mark) has me thinking many thoughtful thoughts, thoughtfully.
Met my local farmers last yr. This yr met a rancher and got half a grass fed cow while I was there.
This is how our connection with food should be. All of these photos of smiling people say it perfectly. Know where you food comes from by going to your local farmers market and meeting a farmer! There is nothing like building a relationship with the people who grow or raise your food as these photos show.
It’s awesome to see the variety of people that are out there meeting farmers and refreshing to know that there are local farmers that are accessible to so many of us. I am looking forward to spending more time with my local farmer and am hoping that my local famer’s market continues through the winter months!
I love that you did this contest. I think it is critical that we support our local farmers. My ‘beef-lady’ wasn’t at the market this week and I had to work – so I didn’t get to enter this one. But you bet I will be there bright and early on Saturday to reap the benefits…and I will keep reaping benefits all week long as I eat that grass-fed wonder.
I’m not sure that it’s very insightful for me to just point out that the girl in the black dress is cute, so I’ll also add that I love talking with the farmers at our market. Particularly the meat guy – when you get to know him, he will set stuff aside for you, you can email him to order things (if he has it), and you can get great tips on how to prepare odd cuts!
I really like seeing where your food comes from and who is handling it. When I was a kid we went to a turkey farm, and I was really scared of all the turkeys in the tent. There were thousands of them. It’s no wonder I didn’t care for turkey meat until I was an adult. Perhaps even at 6 I knew that them being crammed in that tent was unethical. What’s worse, is that they could have been sold as “cage free”.
I have no problem eating an animal that has had a good life and been properly fed. Visiting the farm would give people the evidence they need to make decisions about how their food was treated during life.