The Locavore Staycation: 5 Fun Things To Do This Summer
If you’re staying close to home this summer, love eating, and care about where your food comes from, then we have the perfect summer plan for you – a locavore staycation! Here are five fun ideas with plenty of resources for finding activities in your own area.
•Visit a local farm– Get outside and see where your food is grown. This is a great activity with kids, too. For help finding a farm, checkFarm VisitandPick Your Own. For state-specific websites, you can also do a Google search for “agritourism” and the name of your state. Or, ask your favorite farmers’ market vendor if they ever welcome visitors. If you’d like to get your hands dirty, consider volunteering for a weekend or longer. Farms listed onGrowFoodandWWOOF-USAtypically offer room and board in exchange for help.
•Go on a foraging expedition– Spend a day exploring the wild and/or publicly-accessible edibles in your own neighborhood or town. Contact your local native plant society or check sites likeFallen Fruit,不ighborhood Fruit,Urban Edibles(Portland), andForaging.comfor maps, organized outings, recommended field guides, and more.
•Take a class– Learn how to can, raise bees, make cheese, or cook seasonal produce at an evening or weekend class. To find courses in your area, check community colleges or contact like-minded restaurants, shops, food bloggers,Edible Communitieseditors, andSlow Foodchapters for recommendations.
•Throw a canning party– Preserve the summer bounty of fruits and vegetables and invite some friends over to make it extra fun. This is a great opportunity to learn from and with each other. For resources and tutorials, join the Canvolution atCanning Across Americaand check out our post on How To Pickle Just About Anything.
•Relax with a book– If we had to recommend one book for locavore summer reading, it would be Barbara Kingsolver’sAnimal, Vegetable, Miracle. If you’ve already read that, have you read all the books on Michael Pollan’s list,The Food Movement, Rising? Or, for some recipe inspiration, check out our review ofLucid Food. Whatever you read, take your book out to park, botanical garden, or other outdoor space for some sunshine and scenery!
Are you doing a staycation this summer? Tell us what you have planned!
Related: A Summer of Service: A Different Kind of Staycation
(Image: Emily Ho)