News
Folk singer promotes local farmers
5/1/2005
Folk singer promotes local farmers
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
By MATT DUNN
Now is the time to take advantage of what the county has to offer in terms of fresh food.
There are more than 30 farmers markets in Cumberland County, many of which are seasonal, where people can purchase farm-fresh foods straight from the grower.
Adrienne Young, an advocate for local farmers and performer at this year's Bridgeton Folk Festival, says it pays to buy your produce from these types of markets.
"You're supporting your local economy instead of corporate conglomerates," she said over the phone Friday, on the road with her band Little Sadie. "If you have your choice to hand your money to Frito-Lay or to your neighbor down the street, who would you pick? Buying local strengthens communities.
"You're not just slopping your money down on a conveyer belt and taking whatever it is you're taking. It's like a sacred exchange."
Three years ago, Young teamed up with FoodRoutes Network, a non-profit organization that promotes the importance of buying local food.
Around that time she released her first album, "Plow Till the End of the Road" on her own Addiebelle Records.
The album, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Record Packaging, romanticizes the toil of the local farmer. Packaged with a distinct antique look, it contains with it a small packet of wildflower seeds.
Her new album, "The Art of Virtue," will be released June 28 also on her record label, 10 days after she plays at the Bridgeton Folk Festival.
The album was inspired "by reading a lot of Benjamin Franklin," Young said.
"I love how he came up with a really practical application on improving your character on a daily basis," she remarked, then asking hypothetically "How many more cars be driving on the road? How long can we keep doing what we're doing?
"We can't sustain our society so we need to make some changes."
Young explained if everyone would buy from local growers, it would reduce the need for gasoline necessary to ship foods across the country.
"It would also reduce the amount of pesticides because you don't need to keep the produce fresh for two weeks," she added.
Young said one of the reasons people choose not to go to the market is convenience.
"It's easier not to think about the ramifications of all the choices you make when you just want to run by the (supermarket) on the way home," she said.
But the plucky songstress is confident she can change peoples' mindsets, even if it takes patience.
"It'll shift. It's just beginning to. It's just going to take some time," she said.
For more information on Adrienne Young, visit www.adrienneyoung.com or for more information about FoodRoutes, visit www.foodroutes.com.
An informational brochure that maps out every farmers market in Cumberland County is available at the county Planning and Development Office.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
By MATT DUNN
Now is the time to take advantage of what the county has to offer in terms of fresh food.
There are more than 30 farmers markets in Cumberland County, many of which are seasonal, where people can purchase farm-fresh foods straight from the grower.
Adrienne Young, an advocate for local farmers and performer at this year's Bridgeton Folk Festival, says it pays to buy your produce from these types of markets.
"You're supporting your local economy instead of corporate conglomerates," she said over the phone Friday, on the road with her band Little Sadie. "If you have your choice to hand your money to Frito-Lay or to your neighbor down the street, who would you pick? Buying local strengthens communities.
"You're not just slopping your money down on a conveyer belt and taking whatever it is you're taking. It's like a sacred exchange."
Three years ago, Young teamed up with FoodRoutes Network, a non-profit organization that promotes the importance of buying local food.
Around that time she released her first album, "Plow Till the End of the Road" on her own Addiebelle Records.
The album, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Record Packaging, romanticizes the toil of the local farmer. Packaged with a distinct antique look, it contains with it a small packet of wildflower seeds.
Her new album, "The Art of Virtue," will be released June 28 also on her record label, 10 days after she plays at the Bridgeton Folk Festival.
The album was inspired "by reading a lot of Benjamin Franklin," Young said.
"I love how he came up with a really practical application on improving your character on a daily basis," she remarked, then asking hypothetically "How many more cars be driving on the road? How long can we keep doing what we're doing?
"We can't sustain our society so we need to make some changes."
Young explained if everyone would buy from local growers, it would reduce the need for gasoline necessary to ship foods across the country.
"It would also reduce the amount of pesticides because you don't need to keep the produce fresh for two weeks," she added.
Young said one of the reasons people choose not to go to the market is convenience.
"It's easier not to think about the ramifications of all the choices you make when you just want to run by the (supermarket) on the way home," she said.
But the plucky songstress is confident she can change peoples' mindsets, even if it takes patience.
"It'll shift. It's just beginning to. It's just going to take some time," she said.
For more information on Adrienne Young, visit www.adrienneyoung.com or for more information about FoodRoutes, visit www.foodroutes.com.
An informational brochure that maps out every farmers market in Cumberland County is available at the county Planning and Development Office.
