So what’s a locavore to do when she can’t get to the farmers market, even when it’s farmers market season? Here are a few ideas.

• Find the closest road side stand. I usually only hit roadside stands when I happen to pass by one of them. But if I can’t get to the farmers market, a planned trip to a roadside stand will do the trick. NJ’s Department of Agriculture has a searchable page that helps you find roadside stands.
• If you can’t get to the farmers market, get to the farm. Some South Jersey farms have markets right on site. Off the top of my head, I can think of Springdale Farms in Cherry Hill, Duffield’s in Sewell, and Johnson’s in Medford. If you know of farms with markets near you, leave the info in the comments.
• Find a farmers market on a different day. There are a few mid-week farmers markets in South Jersey. Near me, there’s the Westmont Farmers Market that runs on Wednesdays through October. If you have a mid-week farmers market near you, tell us about it.
• Pick your own. I need to find the time to go apple picking. There are lots of U-pick farms in our region. You can find one here.
• Trade what you’ve got. If your backyard garden is still producing more than you can use, try veggie trader to find people in your area who have food they’ve grown that they are looking to trade. It’s a new site, and there may or may not be anything to trade near you, but it’s worth a shot. Or, just go up to your facebook page and let your friends know you’ve got extra produce and you’d like to trade for what they’ve got.
• Look for locally grown at the supermarket. Look for the Jersey Fresh label in the produce department. Locally grown produce in the grocery store may not be as abundant right now as it was a month ago, but there is still some there. If it’s the only food shopping you’re going to get to do this week, see what you can find.

Look at that corn on the cob. Does it make you hungry? It’s the corn I bought yesterday at the farmers market, and it was delicious. In New Jersey, we grow the worlds best corn on the cob, don’t we? Don’t you think that all of our residents should have access to this seasonal treat?

Governor Corzine thinks so and he’s thinking smart. He’s making getting fresh food to the hungry a priority while helping out our local farmers here in New Jersey. I may not like everything our governor does, but for this he gets an A plus.

Last week, the governor visited the Food Bank of New Jersey in Pennsauken and “encouraged continued partnerships between the state’s food banks and local farmers to bolster the local economy and New Jersey’s agricultural community.

“Since the beginning of our Hunger Initiative in 2006, we have seen more food that is supplied and grown right here in the Garden State being distributed to those who need it the most,” Corzine said. “Our partners have remained committed to maintaining a dependable, consistent supply of nutritious food for our families in need.

    “I want to encourage our network of food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries to continue to strengthen their partnerships locally to purchase Jersey Fresh products, as it supports our local economies, our businesses, and our agricultural community.”

This is good. This is smart. It helps those who are having trouble making ends meet have access to healthy food – not just canned soup from a food pantry. It helps our local farmers who need all the support they can get. And in the end, it helps all of us. Healthier NJ residents mean less burden on our tax dollars. Farms that receive a little extra support during this recession may still be here when the recession is over. 

There doesn’t seem to be any specific guidelines for the percentage of Jersey Fresh products the food banks need to purchase, but our state can provide plenty of good, fresh local food. Those who are in need right now should have access to the same blueberries, zucchini, tomatoes, peaches and world’s best corn on the cob that those of us who are more fortunate have.

Farm to Philly is hosting the One Local Summer challenge for the second year. The challenge is simple. Once a week for 13 weeks in summer (June 1 – August 30) you cook a meal using only local ingredients with the exception of oil, salt, pepper and spices. If I’m understanding the website correctly, you’ll be given an area co-ordinator to report to about the meal you cook, and that area co-ordinator will write a round up blog post weekly.

Are you up for the challenge? Last year I was not, and I didn’t sign up although I did give cooking local meals a try (you can see one of my attempts that was half successful here). This year I’ve signed up for the challenge. I’ll be posting my meals and recipes here to keep me motivated to see it through.

Registration for One Local Summer closes on May 30th, and you don’t have to be from the Philly region to participate. Anyone, anywhere can sign up.