Watermelon and Feta Salad made with locally sourced ingredients

We all have our own way of defining “local.” Whether it’s local music, local celebrities or local beer, we find ourselves valuing things original to the place we call home. Seeking “local” is an instinct that we all have to some degree.

When it comes to food, “local” takes on a greater value. It’s less about what it says to us or sounds like and is more about what it does for us.

Local food nourishes us in ways that old foods from far away cannot. Local food teaches our children where food comes from and improves our regional economy. And it adds another sensory level to our eating experience as we savor the satisfaction of knowing the farmer that cultivated our meal.

So why, even after the figurative billboard about these benefits has been erected, is the value of local still debated and the choice often ignored?

In the past 10 years, Douglas County has seen a surge of programs and initiatives supporting local food.

We have a Food Policy Council and Farm to School programs in our school districts. We have Market Match, which matches dollars spent at farmers markets for SNAP recipients (not to mention seven farmers markets to choose from across Douglas County).

Every middle school in the Lawrence school district has a productive student garden. And now we are planning a Local Food Hub that would bring processing, storage and distribution into the fold to achieve greater food accessibility for all. It would seem the local, state and federal governments have recognized the importance of local, and now it’s even easier to make the choice.

Here’s a simple suggestion to help guide your food choices: Replace the word “fresh” with “local.” These days the word “fresh” means very little when it comes to food and nutrition. Even the freshest items in some supermarkets are weeks old and have already accounted for thousands of gallons of diesel fuel. Many products have unpronounceable ingredients designed “to preserve freshness” and inhibit degradation.

When you replace “fresh” with “local” you are making a simple, conscious effort to demand more and bring our farmers closer to the point-of-sale. Local food now becomes an everyday expectation rather than the special occasion.

Enjoy the bounty of local food this summer. Get to know your farmer and ask for their food at your favorite restaurant and grocery store. Eat seasonally and let the instinct take over. Your family and your taste buds will thank you for it!

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Ingredients

1 pound local watermelon (I use Kevin Irick) cut in large chunks and seeded (or not)

4 ounces Goddard Farm Feta Cheese (available at the Merc)

2 ounces extra virgin olive oil

Cracked black pepper (to taste)

2 ounces local honey

1/2 ounce flat leaf parsley, stemmed

Directions

Watermelon is favored in my household, but any ripe, local melon will work nicely.

You can leave the watermelon in one big piece and serve with a knife and fork, or cut into bite-size pieces.

I like the crunch and flavor of watermelon seeds so I rarely de-seed the fruit.

Place watermelon on individual plates or single platter and simply garnish with remaining ingredients.

— Rick Martin is executive chef and owner of Limestone Pizza. He is a contract trainer for Lawrence Public Schools Food Service and the Kansas Department of Education Child Nutrition and Wellness, as well as a consulting chef for Just Food Kansas. He has been preparing food for the Lawrence community for over 20 years.