More consumers are on lookout for local produce
With each passing day, it seems there's more bad news on the national tomato front.
Since April 1, nearly 115 in Illinois (43 in Chicago alone) have been sickened and 1,000 nationwide are suffering from symptoms of Salmonella Saintpaul, initially linked to raw tomatoes. The stats make this the worst food-borne outbreak in a decade, the AP reports.
(AP)
Even as the Food and Drug Administration gave the "all clear" last week to eating all kinds of tomatoes, and questions remain about the origins of the salmonella-tainted tomatoes -- harvested months ago -- the region's tomato crop is fresh off the vine and showing up at local farmers markets.
With the FDA saying that crops being harvested now are OK, Illinois Farm Bureau spokesman John Hawkins believes this just might create a new crop of locavores.
"I think what it's going to do, it's really going to give the homegrown, local grown movement a big boost," Hawkins said.
Even big-box retailer Wal-Mart is putting out feelers for locally grown produce, Hawkins said.
"They're going to start meeting with growers to find local sources for tomatoes and other vegetables because they want to make sure they can get a safe source of food."
If Brooklyn, Wis.-based Tomato Mountain Farm is any indication, Hawkins' prediction might have traction.
Dennis Fiser, farm manager at the 12-acre, certified organic farm that features dozens of different tomatoes, says business is surging and he owes that not only to loyal customers but the hefty number of newcomers.
"And a lot of stores and startups have come looking for produce and products to carry in their store," Fiser said.
For anyone with questions or concerns, Fiser said he assures customers that the water they use is tested annually, that no herbicides or pesticides are used and that they are careful the crops are protected from neighboring livestock.
Anyone who wants to get a look firsthand is welcome to visit the farm, just south of Madison, Fiser says.
Likewise "farm boy" Andrew Lenting says he and other Smits Farm employees are happy to take questions about their farming process in suburban Chicago Heights.
People will learn the tomatoes are plucked off the vine the day before they go to market, he said, a common refrain for small operations like Smits and Tomato Mountain.
Learning where your food comes from might not be the most fascinating conversation in the world, but it might be the start of a healthier diet.
Curious about an unusual edible or kitchen tool? E-mail the Food Detective at ldonovan@suntimes.com.