The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Office of Agriculture, has launched a website that makes it easy peasy to source regionally-grown foods.
Erie Grown is now in place to connect people to food, to support farmers, and to ensure that we all have access to healthier food sources.
“We are currently spotlighting local u-cut tree farms,” said Sarah Gatti, the creator of the website. “We have a Passport program that just ended but will start up again in 2021. Participants kept track of all Erie Grown listings visited and were awarded prizes. We [also] have a produce finder. Click on ‘apples’ and find what local growers have apples.”
Now, more than ever, we must turn to local growers and producers for our food. With the food supply chain in disarray due to the pandemic, so much of what we have been fighting for, including food justice, is in peril. Being a ‘locavore’ is more important than ever.
In 2020, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz set out to make a difference, by establishing the Office of Agriculture, primarily to give a boost to local farmers, while also addressing loss of farmland.
To that end, the Erie Grown website sprouted up, to provide a resource to both consumers and farmers.
Here’s how you can get started:
- Visit the Site Locator Map
- What products are available? Check out the Fresh Produce Finder
- Want to be rewarded buying local? It’s as easy as getting your Erie Grown Passport (available again in 2021)
Other site offerings include up to date information on farmers markets by county, Farmland Relief Fund, local harvests, Erie County maple, Grassroots Gardens, and MeatSuite (helping consumers find locally raised meats in bulk). There are even helpful tips on food preservation practices and tasty recipes that feature locally sourced ingredients.
Get connected: www2.erie.gov/eriegrown