Take the Buy Local Challenge – Eat Well; Support Maryland Farmers

ANNAPOLIS, MD – “Yes, I pledge to eat at least one thing from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week!” That’s the Buy Local Challenge, which runs from July 19-27, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture (and Maryland farmers) encourages residents, restaurants, hospitals and others to sign the pledge and take up the challenge. What could be more delicious?!

“’Buy Local Challenge Week’ is a great opportunity to remind Marylanders of all the healthy, delicious foods we have right here in Maryland,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Katie and I challenge our neighbors show their support for Maryland’s family farms – we’re encouraging Marylanders to purchase at least one locally-grown product for their favorite dishes during Buy Local Challenge Week and to continue that practice every day of the year.”

The Buy Local Challenge was created seven years ago by Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) Executive Director Christine Bergmark, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, as a way to support local farms and encourage Marylanders to eat more nutritious foods. The Governor and First Lady have hosted a Buy Local Cookout at Government House for the past seven years to featuring delicious, healthy recipes made with locally-grown foods.

This year, SMADC and MDA have teamed up to offer the “Take the Challenge to the EXTREME” photo competition, a fun component of the Buy Local Challenge. If you already eat a lot of local food and want to go above and beyond, sign the pledge and then take the challenge to the extreme. Servesomething local at every meal instead of once a day. Or eat only local foods during Buy Local Week. Try new local foods you’ve never tried before – like local meat, cheese, ice cream, wine and beer! And take pictures showing how you took the Challenge to the Extreme. Click here to find complete contest rules.

“This year, we’re taking the ‘Buy Local Challenge to the next level with “Take the Challenge to the EXTREME” photo competition.  We want to hear about the delicious dishes residents prepared with our delicious Maryland products,” said Dr. Bergmark. “It’s easy! Take the official Buy Local Challenge pledge. Then post your photos on the BLC Facebook page by July 28 showing us how you took the Challenge to the extreme. We are challenging everyone to serve local farm foods not just once a day, but at every meal.”

The winning photo entry receives a gift certificate for MDA’s Maryland’s Best ‘Ice Cream Trail’ valued at $100, plus a package of goodies.

Taking the pledge (whether extreme or not) is easy:

• Individuals: Sign the pledge and encourage your family members and friends to take the pledge as well. Then find a farmers market near you, choose from the many locally grown products available and incorporate at least one into your meals every day during Buy Local Week, July 19-27.
  • Join the Facebook BLC group and invite online friends to participate.
  • Follow the Buy Local Challenge on Twitter.
  • Use the hashtag #buylocalchallenge on your personal social media accounts to encourage friends and share ideas.
• Restaurants and Stores: Showcase dishes made from local foods in your Buy Local Week menu, or create a display featuring local produce in your market. 
  • If you eat out during Buy Local Week, ask the restaurants to offer and promote local products.
• Hospitals, universities and other large-volume purchasing institutions. The Buy Local Challenge has partnered with the Chesapeake Food Leadership Council to invite food service directors, chefs and food purchasing managers to sign up hospitals and other organizations that serves food to take the challenge and serve at least one local product a day during Buy Local Week. By participating in Buy Local Week, hospitals will further reduce risks to public health, protect the Chesapeake Bay, and promote prevention-oriented health care. Businesses, hospitals and institutions that sign up to participate in the Challenge will have their names featured on a scrolling list on The Buy Local Challenge website. Sign up here.
• Offices: Encourage employees (including executives) to take the pledge.

• Use ready-made promotional materials to get the word out. Download here.

Helpful hint: There are eight dairy farms on Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail. Patronize one a day and you’ve met the challenge!

For many, the Buy Local movement is about fresh, delicious food, grown by a farmer they may know or whose land they can see from the road. And certainly local food tastes better, holds its nutritional value longer and is less likely to cause foodborne illnesses than food that is shipped. But buying local is more than just good food. It supports local economies, protects the environment and strengthens individual farms while encouraging people to adopt healthier eating habits. See benefits of buying local here and here.

Once you get through Buy Local Week and realize how delicious local products are, you can keep preparing and eating them for your family the rest of the year. MDA has published several cookbooks full of recipes that can be made with local products. Some are simple and quick, others are more complex. Past cookbooks are available free online. The 2014 cookbook will be available in late July.

Bon appétit!

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Learn more about Maryland’s sustainable policies, practices and programs at green.maryland.gov and follow us @GreenMaryland. Follow MDA on Twitter @MdAgDept