"The requirement to live off the land will be crucial to our future in space, just as it was to Lewis and Clark."

- Michael Griffin

We are experiencing a great shift in our culture.  More and more people are resisting commercially grown engineered food seeking alternatives in locally grown organic food.  Eating food in season and grown locally not only reduces exposure to chemical and pesticides but it also keeps in rhythm with our bodies natural cycle.  In human primitive history, we lived off the land gathering and hunting what was in our immediate area or followed the game according to the season.  This natural cycle and rhythm is what our bodies were designed for and there seems to be a calling or return to that way of living. We have to admit that grocery stores and fast food don’t really connect us with our food.  Most of the time we are not sure what we are eating.  Preventable disease such as diabetes, are directly related to the way we eat.  The risk for other chronic conditions could be greatly reduced by simply changing our relationship with food.  Here are 5 ways that you can eat locally in Indianapolis:

1. CSA- A CSA or Community Shared Agriculture is a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food direct from family farm. It consists of consumers purchasing a “share” of the farmers crop and the farmer delivering fresh seasonal produce to the consumer directly.  Because it is based on what is available you may not get the same food or amounts each week providing a great opportunity to stretch your taste palette and get creative.  Most come with recipes and nutrition information for the produce provided.  The Basic Roots CSA in Indy is known for not only delivering great meats, whole foods and eggs, they are also known for adding unique local products like beeswax lotions or music from local bands.  For information on local CSA opportunities contact local harvest.co http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
2. Farmers Market- If you are the type that doesn’t like the surprise veggie or you want to pick and choose your own the farmers market is a great place to get connected with local growers.  You can sift through what’s available and choose the perfect specimen for your gourmet dish.  It also gives one a chance to talk with the grower to get the nitty gritty details about their food.
3. Restaurants serving local cuisine- Restaurants like R Bistro use locally grown fresh season food in their menu.  Since season food isn’t available all year their menu changes each week.  A daunting task but they manage to keep the good food rolling.  Other restaurants in town serve a mix of shipped and local produce like Café Patachou.  They do a great job of balancing the menu and supporting local farmers with tasty dishes.  Every Friday is Patachou Friday!  Check out the Slow food Indy website for great info on locally grown resources.
4. Food Coop- Basically a food coop is a grocery store owned and operated by its members and growers for mutual benefit.  They typically follow the 7 Cooperative Principles and offer natural organic foods. In Indianapolis there only a few groceries operating as a coop.  The largest and most well known is Pogue’s Run Grocer .  They not only offer access to great home grown foods but they also offer education on nutrition and healthy living.
5. Grow your own!- Whoda thunk!  The best place to learn about growing your own veggies is the Marion County Extension Master Gardner.  Growing your own requires very little money to start and is extremely gratifying.

The bottom line about healthy eating is that it starts with you.  All it takes is to make one small change at a time.  The best way to start is to take a typical meal and make it over using healthier ingredients.  Also taking advantage of a CSA is also a great way to experiment with fresh foods and new combinations.  But if you’re not ready for that you can also start by visiting your local farmers market.  As they grow in popularity more and more will start springing up making seasonal produce more affordable and available.   Make a commitment to take one small step from this list and see what a difference it can make in your life.  When there is a will there’s a way!