We hear the slogan "eat local" over and over again, but what does it really mean? It's more than just eating fresher food. It's about preserving local food systems. It's about food security and common sense management of the pantry. Here in Oregon's Willamette Valley we have the agricultural potential to feed the valley residents twice over. And yet we grow rye grass and fescue for grass seed and more than ninety-five percent of what we eat here is imported. With the price of fossil fuels on the rise, this makes no economic or agricultural sense at all. Harry MacCormack of Sunbow Farm in Corvallis, Oregon has conceived a plan to turn this around.
The Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Valley Project is a step by step strategy to rebuild the local food system by increasing the quantity and diversity of the food crops that are grown in the Willamette Valley. The Bean and Grain Project also seeks to evaluate deficiencies in the food system infrastructure, build buyer/seller relationships for locally grown food, and compile information on organic and sustainable agricultural practices specific to this region. As the name of the project states, central to the task is stimulating the cultivation and local marketing of organically grown staple crops like beans and grains to provide a foundation for year-round food resources in the Willamette Valley. Go to Bean and Grain Project Report One to read the first chapter in the story of this work.
Below is a hyperlinked listing of all the Bean and Grain Project documents. The first column contains reports from the farm tours, farmer meetings, and market events held by the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project. They are listed in reverse chronological order and provide a complete history of the project. The second column contains Youtube videos, interviews, and articles related to the Bean and Grain Project work. The third column is a growing list of bean and grain recipes (submissions welcome) intended to introduce readers to an expanded diet of beans and grains. There may be no better way to stretch your food dollar and increase the nutritional value of your meals than learning how to cook with bulk beans and grains.
