Buffalo Rising Online

Apr 22nd, 10:20am By Courtney Bajdas

Earlier this month Christa Glennie Seychew and I attended Buffalo First’s Local Food Sourcing event. Over 70 attendees from local farms, retail shops, restaurants, and a handful of concerned citizens gathered to discuss the hurdles of the farm-to-table process in Western New York.

The disconnect between producers (farms, growers, etc.) and distributors (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.) surfaced as a pressing concern. Various ideas were tossed around with a majority of folks agreeing that an online resource was a good solution. The concept of an online food directory is not new, but it seems that most people involved in the “WNY food chain” do not utilize a central online resource. New York State’s Berry Growers Association has a viable search engine, and Wegmans employs the I.C.E. program (Internet Commodities Exchange) to communicate with regional farmers, but it seems that a universal directory is definitely missing. Enter Local Harvest.

Local Harvest deems itself “America’s #1 organic and local food website.” It is a terrific resource for consumers and producers alike. There are forums on a wide range of topics like saving seeds versus buying seeds, how to harvest luffa, what makes a good CSA, and tips for starting a farmers market. The ‘Events’ tab lists upcoming food events within a set range of your zip code and the ‘News’ tab has articles compiled from all over the nation related to farming, food, and organics.

The most useful tool in my opinion is the local directory function. Simply type a zip code in the search bar, choose a specific topic; Farms, CSA, Grocery/Co-op, or select All to search all topics at once. When I did a general All search with Buffalo Rising’s zip code, Local Harvest returned 50 listings of farms, farmers markets, businesses and other regional resources.

Each listing has a brief overview, location, contact information, schedule/hours, farming practices, memberships, and a nifty chart displaying seasonal crop and product availability. Did you know that in Western New York you can visit and buy from bee farms, goat farms, garlic farms, mustard producers and even an alpaca fiber farm? Me either.

Many regional listings on Local Harvest are outdated and it certainly isn’t comprehensive. But it works, and it's the best online resource for local food sourcing I’ve come across. It could be better if everyone who's connected in any way to the WNY food chain were to utilize this site and update it with their own offerings or business information. When Western New York builds its own online food directory, perhaps they can take a few tips from Local Harvest.