Times Standard, CA
11-09-06
Potluck puts focus on local food
Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Susan Ornelas is inviting you to the potluck she is helping organize, but don't
bring any chocolate, bread or mustard.
The potluck, co-sponsored by Ornelas' Peak Oil Action Group and the Humboldt
State University Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, aims to showcase
foods grown and produced within 250 miles of Arcata.
It will be held next Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Bayside Grange, 2297 Jacoby
Creek Road.
The potluck organizers hope the event will help people start to think about the
origins of their food and just how far it traveled from farm to fork.
A 2001 study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State
University found that the produce at an average American dinner travels about
1,500 miles before reaching the table. Suzanne Simpson, a member of the Peak
Oil Action Group who is helping to organize the event, said this extra travel
distance comes with additional costs -- from air pollution to a waste of fossil fuels.
There is also the matter of tying the food supply to what the Peak Oil Action
Group believes is a limited, and quickly diminishing, world supply of oil.
”People need to really think about how much this is costing,” Simpson said.
“There are hidden costs that people don't even think about.”
The potluck will showcase local options. Organizers ask that everyone bring a
dish made entirely of ingredients that can be found within a 250-mile radius of
Arcata, which organizers joked is just far enough to include the wine country.
While that restriction might seem quite limiting, Ornelas is quick to point out that
a plethora of products are available in the region. Humboldt County and the
surrounding areas are rich with fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood,
she said.
There are, however, some limitations.
Despite the fact that there are several local bakeries, bread is not an acceptable
option for the potluck, she said, as grains, baking soda and baking powder are
not produced within the area. Similarly, chocolate and beer are out, as barley and
cocoa aren't grown locally.
Corey Lewis, who is helping organize the event, said the potluck's constraints
aren't meant to discourage people, but rather to open their eyes to the many local
products that are available.
”I want people to leave with hope and conviction that a different future is possible
and that it's easy to make the first few steps to a sustainable future,” Lewis said.
Zachary Mermel, a co-director of CCAT, said the group is trying to make those
first steps as easy as possible for people and has even posted a list of foods that
fall both inside and outside the radius on CCAT's Web site, www.humboldt.edu/
~ccat.
One need only to look at what the event's organizers will be bringing to the table
to see that, with a little thought and planning, the 250-mile radius doesn't have to
rule out taste.
Simpson is planning to prepare a stew made with vegetables from her garden
and sausage from the North Coast Co-op. Lewis will bring Potatoes Au Gratin
made with local cheeses, while Mermel will bring a carrot and cabbage coleslaw.
Ornelas will make an albacore dish.
The potluck will kick off with opening comments and introductions. After dinner,
Lewis, Mermel, Ornelas and Simpson will lead a program and interactive
discussion centering around the concepts of “farm-to-fork” and sustainable food
production. On-site child care will be available, featuring storytelling and arts and
crafts. There will also be a drawing for prizes donated by local businesses and
some hours of “person power” donated by the Campus Center for Appropriate
Technology.
Event organizers are requesting a $1 donation at the door, in addition to a local
dish, to offset the cost of renting the facility. Those attending are also asked to
bring their own dishes and silverware, though some will be available for a 25-cent
rental fee for those who forget.