We, on the North Coast, are blessed with a temperate climate and a varied set of environments from oceans and rivers to coastal plains, valleys and forests. Each environment provides us with wonderful foods. We are also blessed with people who care about our food. Our farmers, ranchers, fishers and dairymen/women work hard to make healthy food available. Local grocers and restaurants support the farm community and we have organizations supporting our food system. We have the potential to sustain ourselves with local food.
The first goal of Locally Delicious is to encourage you to obtain a larger percentage of your food from our region. Your personal choices in eating can make a difference in your own health, the health of our community, our nation and the world at large. Eating within our region gives you better-tasting food, improves your nutrition and our local economy, and enriches our community. It reduces our carbon footprint and reduces the pollution and disease generated by industrial agriculture. Some of your choices can also contribute to solving issues of hunger on a global basis.
The second goal of the book is to contribute to the further development of the regional food economy and any profits will be spent on projects to further this goal.
Locally Delicious is a community project. Perspectives in the first chapter are from local professors, farmers, cooks, nutritionists, community advocates and some who are just passionate about local food as a means for a better life here and globally. The chapter on history and our future comes from many resources including the Humboldt County Agriculture Commissioner, and the Humboldt Chapter of Community Alliance with Family Farmers (Humboldt-CAFF). Recipes are from many community members. Our reference section had much help from Humboldt-CAFF, North Coast Growers Association, Southern Humboldt Farmers’ Markets and the North Coast Co-op.
We hope this book inspires you to include more local foods in your diet and makes it easier for you to eat locally by showing you where to find the food and how to prepare it. We hope the book helps to create a better life for our farmers, local food producers and every resident and visitor to our region.
Each of our contributors wishes you bon appétit!
Ann Anderson
Editor-in-Chief
