Pierre Desrochers on what prompted him to write his new anti-locavore book:
A reader defends local food:
I'm surprised that locavorism is viewed as almost evil. It wasn't that long ago that 60% of Americans had a vegetable garden in the backyard. My family did, with another behind my dad's business and yet another at our summer home. My mom was a frugal New Englander and we grew a huge variety of vegetables and fruit.
My mom was the queen of freezing, canning, and pickling. We had a floor freezer that we filled with Kentucky Wonder green beans, fresh corn cut from the cob, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, jars and jars of canned tomatoes, several kinds of pickles, and even more varieties of jams and jellies. We also picked out lobster meat, crab meat, mussels, and steamer clams for the freezer. And tapped the sugar maples and made maple syrup.
We weren't completely self-sufficient, but when you put this much effort in, you are rewarded with monetary savings and a variety of quality food that wasn't available at the grocery stores during the winter. We also shared with others, sharing produce and seeds. Growing your own these days is about supplementing what you buy at the grocery. We were a family of six and there was economy to growing at this scale. It was smart, tasty, and tradition. Aside from some of the farm families we knew through my dad's veterinary practice, we were a bit of a novelty, but come Christmas time, the relatives and friends looked forward to the basket with jams and jellies and pickles as well as the expected cookies that they received.
So local food is not a threat. It's ignorant to think that the population could grow enough to survive, and it's work, and very few have the appreciation for fresh food that's required to put in the time and the effort. It used to be an everyday part of life for many. Locals aren't growing a patch of wheat, oats, or rice in their backyard. You can't grow everything we've come accustomed to having at hand.
This is about frugality, keeping traditions alive, keeping varieties alive, and contributing to your own table. Yes, high volume can be grown for less money and feed the world, but it will never, ever, taste as good as what you grow yourself in your own little patch of heaven in the backyard, in the vacant lot, or on your roof. Just ask your mother or grandmother.
The Dish 