Weekend Hippie: Sustainable and Simple Living

Farmers Market: Eat Local, Support Farmers

Buy local, and support your farmers.

Wow! What a season! The fruits and vegetables and culinary arts now available at farmers markets are the best of the year. The late summer meets the early fall, and the rewards are many! 

Shopping at a farmers market is the easy way to eat locally. The food source is known to you, in fact, the farmer is right at the stand, so ask any questions you need to about how something is grown, what's in season, and even how to prepare fruit and vegetables that are new to you. 

In Santa Barbara, eight farmers markets spread from end-to-end of town and happening on varies days of the week, make it easy to eat locally and healthy. Plus, you get to support local farmers while doing it.  Like many farmers markets, Santa Barbara's markets have grown quickly to now include almost everything you need to make a healthy meal for your family, while contributing to the local economy...including meat, eggs, fish, bread, pasta, vegetables, jam, olive oil, and fruit.

Find a Farmers Market Near You

Find a Santa Barbara Market Near You

New finds from Santa Barbara's Saturday market:

Organic Italian Eggplant

Fresh Pasta from Solvang Pie Company

How Locavore Are You?

Take the Locavore Challenge and Support Local Farmers

There are plenty of ways to support local farmers—no matter where you live. Finding fresh, local produce in Santa Barbara has actually become quite easy. If you don't grow your own food, you can find a farmers market in the County on almost every day of the week. Garden exchanges hosted by Food Not Lawns provide a place to trade what you grow, and locally-owned produce centers help fill the gaps.

Several like-minded organizations including the the Isla Vista Co-op, Santa Barbara Farmers Markets and Edible Santa Barbara, are challenging you, your friends, and your family, to eat local for the month of October (and if you can do it during October, then try November, December.... and well, you get the idea. The idea being to make an effort. It's really not that hard.)

Follow these steps to become a Locavore:

1. Attend one of the many Farmers Markets. Buy only in season produce. Can't go to a farmers market? Have your produce delivered by Local Harvest.

2. Attend a garden exchange. Check the schedule.

3. Join a Community Support Agriculture (CSA).

4. Shop at non-chain stores that supply at least 50% of their produce from local farmers (in Santa Barbara Mesa Produce, Isla Vista Co-op). The Isla Vista Food Co-op has a long history of supporting local farmers and providing fresh, sustainably-harvested goods to the community. If you haven't visited the Co-op recently, you should check out their selection; you'll be pleasantly surprised.The Co-op is also the forerunner in setting locavore standards. Take their challenge to see how local you are. Download local resource guide.

5. If choosing a chain, make an effort to shop at one that supports local farmers by actually selling local produce. Many chains have categories of 'local' produce. In Santa Barbara the trend is towards three categories of local produce:  California Local, Tri-County Local, and Santa Barbara County Local. Lazy Acres, in Santa Barbara, sells 30% Tri-County Local produce and 40% California Local produce.

Whole Foods, which opened their doors in Santa Barbara this week, makes a visible effort to sell, advertise, and educate the consumer about their commitment to local farmers. They also use the same three local categories, but only buy produce within a six hour drive of a selected store. 

Through Whole Food's Local Producer Loan Program, Whole Foods also gives $10 million annually via low-interest loans to small, local farmers or producers.  Trader Joe's sells no local produce. They buy and ship produce from around the world, shipe it ship it to a central warehouse for packaging, then re-ship to each store. Wow, that's some carbon footprint.
The new Santa Barbara store features produce by John Givens Farms, including prominent promotional material.

The bottom line: It is easy to support local farmers. Eat what's in season, follow the guidelines, and before long it'll be second nature.

Horticuluture Society: Plant Sale Finds

Weekend finds at the Santa Barbara Horticulture Society Plant Sale.

Herbs galore. Culinary and Medicinal. Talk about an edible garden.

Succulents, Ornamentals, Ferns, Lillies.

My two ferns, now above my fountain.

My First Worm Composting Bin

Santa Barbara, CA

It’s a garbage disposal that gives back—literally. Worm composting—technically vermicomposting—is a system for turning your food waste into rich, usable soil for use in your garden... all with the help of worms.

You simply bury your excess kitchen waste in the worm bin, and the worms get to work on turning it into soil. Technically it is the worm casts—what worms excrete—that you want....worm casts are full of rich micro-nutrients for your plants.

Make a Difference:
Worm composting lets you reduce the waste you put on the street for collection every week. Worm composting is the only way to recycle at your home. The worms turn your food waste into your plant food you use in your garden. One thousand worms eat about a pound of garbage every four days. How many pounds of garbage can you save from going in the landfill each year by composting? Check out more Worm Composting Facts!