Celebrating local foods; connecting local farmers to city consumers
Does Northeast Ohio have an indigenous agriculture — one that is rooted in local soils and climate? Can we grow high-value products that take advantage of our special place? This section will cover efforts to develop local agriculture.
We'll also cover the authentic farmers' markets that are taking off in Northeast Ohio. They help build a regional food system and support the local economy by connecting food producers with urban consumers. Think of all the benefits of buying local food:
- Freshness
- Taste and flavor
- Food in season
- Support small family farms
- Protect the environment
- Higher nutrient content
- Variety
- Locally grown food and CSAs
- Confidence in your food
- Meeting your neighbors
New!
Countryside Harvest Guide: Local and Seasonal Eating in Northeast Ohio (pdf, 214 kb) from the Cuyahoga Countryside Conservancy and the Ohio Farmers Union.
Resources
The Farmland Center (Northeast Ohio area Farmers Markets)
Localfoodcleveland (online social network)
Pick-your-own produce and Ohio harvest schedules
Linking land use planning and the food environment
OSU Extension Eco Plots for Small Farms
Our Ohio (website of the Farm Bureau)
Public markets and healthy communities
Fresh Fork Market (website to link local growers to restaurants and consumers)
Local Harvest national guide
E4S guide to urban agriculture pioneers
Lakewood Earth & Food Community (LEAF)
The Countryside Food Guide
Kari Moore Says:To help NE Ohio consumers connect with convenient, high quality sources of locally grown and produced foods, the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy is publishing the Countryside Food Guide. Available this summer in printed form and on the web, this guide will introduce food buyers to the people in our communities who grow, harvest, deliver market and prepare locally grown food.
The Countryside Food Guide will include farms, farm stands, u-pick operations, CSAs, farmers' markets, restaurants, caterers, grocers, food retailers, bakers, cheese makers, and other specialty food producers throughout NE Ohio.
Local farmers and food businesses wanting more information or a free listing in the guide can contact the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy at 330.657.2178 or email kmoore@cvcountryside.org. Information is also available on the Conservancy's website at www.cvcountryside.org. The guide will be available this summer at area farms, markets, restaurants, and retailers, as well as on the Conservancy's website.