Supporting local foods in Nebraska, my favorite thing to do!

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. The start of the farmer’s markets combined with the planting of seeds allows for our imagination and creativity to grow. In our own garden, we are trying several heirloom varieties of onions, tomatoes, and corn, just to name a few. We are looking forward to the day that our backyard urban garden will become our own family farm, but for this year, our little garden gives us a small 'taste'.

During a recent event promoting Lincoln Farmer’s Markets, I put together a “Nebraska Foods basket” and everyone loved it. The basket included several local cheeses, my favorite local bread in Lincoln, a local honey, and a few local jams and jellies. Everything went over great! This event was held at the KFOR and KIBZ radio stations in Lincoln, and later in the summer I will held back with some more seasonal produce with a goal of promoting local farmers and the foods they produce!

I believe Nebraska is fortunate to not only have great family farms producing awesome local foods, but also organizations to support them. NSAS recently partnered with Slow Food Nebraska for a NET Radio Challenge. Our tag line was “Slow Food Nebraska, and the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society proudly support Nebraska Family Farmers and local foods!!” You can read more about Slow Food Nebraska in this issue of the NSAS Newsletter, or by visiting their new website: www.slowfoodnebraska.org

Another partner has been Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska, BFBLN. At the recent Lincoln Earth Day NSAS and BFBLN partnered to create a virtual Nebraska Foods exhibit promoting and recognizing our state's great family farmers and the wonderful products they produce. This partnership will also be at the Nebraska State Fair, so be sure to stop by and visit! For more information about Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska please visit, www.buylocalnebraska.org

Another way to support local foods in Nebraska is to frequent the farmer’s markets throughout the state. We have a list at the end of the newsletter with times and information about the various markets throughout the state and are currently trying to network with even more. There is also up-to-date information on the internet with the latest happenings at markets and you can find this information the NSAS facebook page.