Stores offer many options for the health-conscious

Throughout the last century, American farming, once a Hoosier family and community-supported endeavor, has become an agro-industrialized system of mega-farms run by a few corporate entities or organizations to feed many bellies across the country and globe.\nMass production of fruits and vegetables has flourished due to the use of improved fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, although the heart of sustainable community living is often transplanted by the need for petroleum-based products to grow, distribute and consume the food. Community family farms, local organic farmers and Bloomington retailers are challenging the American dietary preference of mega-farm decreased cost and corporate grocery store convenience by growing local organic produce for community consumption.\n"Probably the most important thing you can do is support local small farms," said local farmer Andy Hamilton, owner of Bloomington-based Musgrave Orchard and Core Farms CSA. "Produce shipping from one side of the country to another is one of the largest industries in the world. Supporting local farmers reduces the impact of farming on the environment and there are a lot of farmers out there that need support just to stay in business."\nSupport for local farming, in which the produce travels only a few miles at most, decreases America's dependence and admitted-addiction to fossil fuels because national and international produce shipping often involves the use of petroleum-powered vehicles from trackers to cargo-carrying ships and petroleum-based chemical treatments. \nHamilton said the mega-farm use of petroleum-based fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides makes business sense because they better adhere to the plants and tend to last longer than plant-based chemicals that otherwise define an organic farm, but he said the trade-off of local organic farming for American consumers is priceless due to improved taste of fresh produce and the lack of otherwise toxic chemicals on and within the produce. \n"The obvious benefit of organic farming is eating food that is not grown with dangerous chemicals," Hamilton said. "Organic-based chemicals are usually plant or water-based, although not all plant-based chemicals are safe. Organic farming costs a little more the first couple of years but there is an eventual payoff. One of the goals of organic farming is to create a natural balance in the garden and farm where good bugs and bad bugs compete and the good bugs win out over time."\nCommunity members unable to attend the City of Bloomington Farmers' Market each week, a one-stop shop for local organic produce, can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer by acquiring one-half or more shares of Core Farms CSA, a local farming cooperative. One share equals 24 weeks of a mixed diet consisting of a seven-day supply of fresh vegetables from a core group of Central Indiana farmers to feed two adults. The vegetables are picked up each Wednesday or Saturday from May through October.\nBloomington resident Pete Russo, an assistant manager for Bloomingfoods East, 3220 E. Third St., said his community member-owned grocery store promotes healthy and environment friendly local grown and organically produced foods to better serve the dietary needs of Southern Indiana Hoosiers. He said the Bloomingfoods produce section consists of 98 percent or more organic offerings at any given time of the year. \n"One of the major benefits of local produce is keeping community member dollars in the local community by supporting local agriculture," Russo said. "Generally, most people say organic and locally grown produce has a better taste because it's picked at a better time in the growing cycle and it's not shipped across the country. Buying locally grown produce means you're supporting smaller farmers and a cleaner Earth."\nRusso also said Bloomingfoods East offers community members an organic salad bar, which is often a favorite of health food loving students who often cannot afford the space and tools needed to dabble in bulk produce.\nBesides local farming cooperatives and local retail stores that support organic-minded consumers, community members with backyard organic gardens can put on the hat of "local farmer" by planting an extra row of vegetables to help feed the hungry and provide food that will better serve their bodies and not just fill their bellies. The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department hosts a program called "Plant a Row for the Hungry," in which community members can contribute fruits, herbs and vegetables to either the Hoosier Hills Food Bank or Mother Hubbard's Cupboard each week.\n"Plant a Row for the Hungry" is rooted in the gardeners' tradition of sharing bountiful harvests with others, according to a program pamphlet. Hoosier Hills provides more than 83 local non-profit organizations with food donations, and Mother Hubbard's serves an average of 892 community members in 330 local Hoosier households each week.