Sustainable Green Country is pleased to announce the release of our

2007 Local Food Guide for the Tulsa area

Green Country communities and residents face a number of challenges to their quality of life. Oklahomans have some of the highest rates of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, while ranking last in the nation for fruit and vegetable intake. And most of the limited produce we do consume is imported from great distances outside our state. Meanwhile Oklahoma farmers and rural communities struggle to survive.

The Green Country Buy Fresh, Buy Local Campaign will strengthen our local food and farm economy, improve the health of individuals, and revitalize rural and urban communities in Oklahoma by:

• Making it easier for Green Country residents, restaurants, retailers and institutions to find and purchase nutritious locally grown food and agricultural products.
• Assisting local growers and farm businesses to better communicate their positive economic, environmental, and social impacts in the community.
• Fostering relationships among farmers, consumers and like-minded organizations and programs.
• Stimulating the economic vitality of northeastern Oklahoma by encouraging more purchases from our independent family farmers and businesses.

Tulsa Metro shoppers spend over $2 billion annually on food at grocery stores and restaurants, most of it grown and processed far away from home. If we spent just five percent of our food budget on nutritious locally-grown products, this would amount to $110 million staying within our local economy each year.

Connecting consumers with local food producers contributes to the health of our families and our local economy, while supporting our neighbors and nurturing our civic pride.

The primary Buy Fresh, Buy Local activity this season is the production and distribution of the 2007 Local Food Guide, a listing of Tulsa metro area sources for locally produced food. For starters, the Food Guide shows the ten different farmers’ markets operating in the Tulsa area, listed by day of week along with market hours, location and contact information. Look for colorful posters with this information promoting markets in your neighborhood. In addition to farmers’ market info, the Food Guide includes listings for five local food markets, owned or operated by local farmers and ranchers. These stores are open regular business hours throughout the week, offering foods raised by their owners as well as by other producers in Oklahoma and elsewhere. Shoppers can look for Buy Fresh, Buy Local signage identifying foods grown in Oklahoma.

One other source for local foods listed in the 2007 guide is the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, where customer members can order a wide variety of local foods directly from farmers. The Food Guide also contains useful information on the seasonal availability of locally produced foods and reasons to buy local, when possible.

Future plans include expanding the food guide to list u-pick operations and individual farms and farmers wishing to connect directly with customers. Chapter organizers also hope to include area restaurants and grocers who offer foods from local farms.

Through these efforts, along with various media and educational activities, Buy Fresh, Buy Local aims to empower individuals, families and communities to support local farms while making healthy food choices.

Colorful posters and bumper stickers are now available for a very minimal donation. Contact Sustainable Green Country to get yours. Contributions of time and resources are always needed to help make this important work become a regular part of our community’s vital infrastructure.

For more information please contact:

Rita Scott, Sustainable Green Country, rejuvrita@olp.net, 918-640-5408; or

Doug Walton, Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, doug.walton@suddenlink.net, 918-686-6939