It’s now mid-spring, which means the season’s fruits and vegetables are finally in! Mid-May and early June are the peak season for wonderful produce like strawberries, asparagus, kale, and the first watermelons and peaches. But these foods can be fragile, and often spoil mere days after purchase.

To get the most out of your groceries, here are some tips to keep produce fresh longer without any equipment:

• Place countertop fruits like apples and pears out of direct sunlight. Leave them in an open bowl rather than in bags, which speed the ripening process (conversely, if you want to ripen fruit, reverse these rules).

• However, mushrooms last longer in a paper bag, so you get a green light there.

• Separate fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, and place them in ventilated bags (not plastic, which harms the environment) But put berries in their own sealed container.

• Especially keep tomatoes, avocados, and bananas separate form everything else.

• Keep herbs and stalky vegetables like asparagus and celery upright in a glass of cold water, or even in a vase for a fragrant bouquet.

• Buy local produce so you know that it is fresh off the farm

• Prevent potatoes from sprouting by storing them in a dark, cold place away from other vegetables. Potatoes emit ethylene when they age, which spoils other produce (Except onions. They like each other for some reason). And keep potatoes away from places that are too dry to prevent them from wrinkling like an old man.

Eating local: Buying to Support your Community

We've all heard about the benefits of eating organic, "green" food, but less people realize the importance of eating locally-produced fare. Economically and environmentally, supporting local businesses remains important. 

Buying from neighboring companies not only reduces pollution outputs, but it also strengthens the merchants in your area. And with farmland rapidly disappearing all across America, the importance of supporting small farmers, growers, and artisans has never been greater.

Although consuming enough fresh food often poses a challenge for students, a lot of wholesome local food is within easy access in the SPU campus and its surrounding boroughs. One of the benefits of living in the Seattle is this abundance of great places to buy locally-grown produce year-round, and I encourage students to take advantage of it.

March is the peak season for great foods like cauliflower, carrots, cabbages, artichokes, and oranges. And with spring just beginning, more tasty edibles are sure to follow. Even if you don’t care for “rabbit food,” nearby vendors still offer other delicious foodstuffs like bread, cheese, soda, grains, honey and nuts. 

Eating locally also gives one a whole catch of health benefits. Food that travels less retains more of its nutrients and reduces the chance of bacterial contamination. And with E. coli and salmonella outbreaks becoming more common, knowing the exact county your produce comes from will give you more peace of mind (unless the outbreak has reached that area, in which case contact your produce provider right away). If nothing else, attempting to eat local food offers a great way to add variety to your diet.

The most exciting way to support local growers is to visit the nearby markets, which usually overflow with delicious Seattle-based food. Ballard and Fremont have their weekly Sunday markets year-round, and Queen Anne hosts a seasonal farmer’s market that is starting up again June 6.  The Madrona Farmers Market on Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Union St. also begins its run May 18.  And of course Pike Place Market offers an exciting, interactive place buy regional products while sampling Honeycrisp apples, Marketspice tea, and chocolate pasta. Once July rolls around, look for the “Oh My God” peaches; they are the best that I have ever tasted, and grown within 30 miles of their stall.

Another easy way to support local growers is by shopping at grocery stores that purchase their supplies from local farms and vendors. Luckily, Seattle contains many such stores: Whole Foods, PCC, the Metropolitan Market. Though these can get a bit pricier than other grocery outlets, they come with a strong history of supporting local merchants with ethical practices.

Other small Seattle-based food companies offer tasty fare as well. These include Macrina Bakery, The Essential Baking Company, and Theo Chocolates – all of which are within walking distance of SPU.

If you don’t have time for shopping, there are even organic organizations that deliver fresh, seasonal produce to your doorstep.

To learn more about your options for eating locally, click here for a comprehensive list of nearby markets, farms, and delivery companies. 

What Are We Throwing Away?

Over the past few weeks, the sustainability staff has carried out a waste audit to determine how much of the waste from campus apartments could in the future be diverted away from landfills. While rifling through garbage wasn't exactly pleasant, the results found were pretty staggering: over the course of the audit, a full 80% of waste from campus apartments was material that could either be recycled or composted. That means only 20% of the garbage was actually waste!

Some SPACE To Grow

SPACE's organic garden, on 4th and Dravus

Brittany Raab was busy weeding and harvesting when I showed up to SPU's community garden, run by the campus club Seattle Pacific Agriculture for the Community and Environment (SPACE).  As current president of SPACE,  Brittany has spent much of her summer working in the garden, which is just over a year old.  The garden was started by Kate Steensma and Alice Vander Haak, both of whom graduated this past June.

Where the Farm Meets the City

Food is a critical component of our lives. Not only does it sustain us, but it is integral to our culture and community. Unfortunately f

or many of us, we have become severed from the entire food process. Our food comes to us boxed and sealed, readily available at the nearest supermarket.

But there are many good reasons for us to examine how (and where) our food is produced.

Industrial agriculture is currently the world's largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, much of which comes from transportation and unsustainable farming practices. Also, the vast majority of meat, eggs, and dairy products sold in American grocery chains and restaurants comes from animals raised in intensive-confinement systems that impose significant stress on the animals in pursuit of production efficiency. These and other issues make food an important topic when thinking about sustainability. As we look for ways to protect our resources for future generations, here are two great options for making sustainable food choices:

The Sustainable Table

Tonight at 6pm, Seattle Pacific Agriculture for the Community and Environment (SPACE) is hosting a showing of Food, Inc. in Science 112, to be followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the PCC Farmland Trust and Agros International.  Recognizing the important role that food plays in sustaining healthy communities, SPACE manages an organic garden on campus (near the corner of 4th and Dravus) and donates a portion of each harvest to a food bank or non-profit.