The local food movement is all the rage these days. There’s an innovative 100-mile diet experiment; debates about the relative merits of localversusorganic; community supported agriculture; multiplying neighborhood farmer’s markets, and a number of other promising developments (see, for example, here, here, here, and here if you really love the links).
It’s worth remembering, I think, that the local food movement is not exactly new. In fact, the iconic Pike Place Market—perhaps the Northwest’s greatest bastion of local food commerce—is turning 100 this year. The many-month-long celebration begins today. Go check it out.
Plus, if you’re lucky enough to visit the Market today, you’ll also be lucky enough to see the snow-covered Olympic Mountains for the first time in far, far too long.
TJR
Many of us in the mid Willamette Valley are working to continue the tradition of supporting our local growers and producers through Ten Rivers Food Web, a grassroots organization in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.