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Healthful guidance now available
Check out the Mahoning Valley Agri Guide 2008.
CANFIELD — Eating fresh food is better for you and it definitely tastes better.
You already know that.
But what you may not know is that there are dozens of places in Mahoning County you can go to get fresh veggies and fruits. You can also buy meat, herbs, eggs and maple syrup locally.
“There’s even a winery in Mahoning County. People don’t know,” said Vince Trinckes, district technician with the Mahoning Soil Water Conservation District.
He spoke Sunday to a group of local farmers as the district, along with the Mahoning County Farm Bureau and the Ohio State University Extension, celebrated the release of the Mahoning Valley Agri Guide 2008. The guide lists local agribusinesses and offers a map of where they all are.
The three groups got together to develop the guide.
Is it possible that all this fresh food is a bargain, as food prices at the grocery stores rise?
Sean Crowe of Crowe Family Farms in New Springfield doesn’t think that’s necessarily true.
“I don’t want to say it’s gonna be cheaper, but fresher, better quality,” he said.
His farm, which grows tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, squash and herbs, is chemical-free. You’ll also get the service of calling ahead and placing an order to be hand-picked that day.
Crowe said prices are about the same as those in a supermarket’s organic section. He said the farm tries to keep prices low, but running the tractor for 24 hours to irrigate fields uses a lot of fuel.
Trinckes pointed out, though, that as fuel prices increase, shipping food from other states is going to be more costly.
“So hopefully, the producers here can be more competitive,” he said.
Trinckes said that next year, the agribusinesses guide may expand with more listings, recipes and facts.
Boardman and Canfield schools are getting together with Brenda Markley, Mill Creek MetroParks agricultural facilities manager, to offer a farm tour based on the guide.
The goal is to offer the tour this fall through the elementary schools, Markley said. Each family would get a passport and could tour the farms throughout the growing season. The passports would be stamped, making the families eligible for a prize.
Right now, the guide is available at the farms it lists. Look for it in the weeks to come in public buildings and libraries.
There will also be a Web site in the near future with the guide and the map. Check www.mahoningswed.org, www.mahfb.com or www.mahoning.osu.edu for a link.