Interest and experience essential in 'buy local'

I made an interesting discovery last weekend. The secret to ‘buy local’ depends on two things and two things only: public interest and ‘the experience.’

Fact is, both elements are interdependent; you can’t have ‘the experience’ if you don’t entice the public, but you won’t get public support if ‘the experience’ – or the attraction – isn’t in place.

Allow me the luxury of a couple of examples. We woke bright and early, as families with young children are wont to do, natch, and wondered how best to spend our Saturday.

Food is always a key consideration and pancakes at Blueberry Acres bright and early sounded pretty good. There were also games on the itinerary as part of their weekend celebration and that met the second requirement; fun-filled activity.

However, we had discussed as well an excursion to Noggins Corner Farm in Greenwich to explore their corn maze and an assault on the summit of their tire mountain. I sat like Libra in the living room, weighing options pro and con for a visit to one place versus the other and, after plenty of debate, the maze won out.

Mama had to work that morning, so it was up to me to marshal the troops, load up the car and light out with about as much gear as Sir Edmund Hilary had when he toppled Everest. Boots, shoes, coats, sweaters, gum (yes – gum! For some McGyver-like purpose in the ascent, no doubt!), water, hats: you name it, it was stuffed into the back of the car.

We were ready, but the maze was not. It didn’t open until noon and we were there shortly after nine. Drag.

But no parent worth his salt goes anywhere without a Plan B and, in this case, ‘B’ stood for Blueberry Acres, that is.

We arrived just as the day started to warm up and we had a blast. Our big girl got her face painted, the big boy munched happily on an apple provided onsite and they watched with mounting excitement as staff set up the games.

It was a circuit that included hula-hoops, an egg walk, sack race and a tandem ski course. They laughed like crazy throughout and were awarded Halloween treat bags and balloons for their efforts and participation when it was over. Small things to an adult, maybe, but huge – huge! – to a child.

And the great thing? After nap, we hit Noggins Corner, negotiated the maze, made a molehill of that tire mountain, climbed hay ‘til the cows came home, ate freshly-cooked corn and steered clear of the Haunted Mansion because of what our young man described as the ‘witchy-poo’ at the front door. Too scary, you know?

It was fantastic afternoon, one for the scrapbook, and the connection to local farms, markets, produce and ‘the experience’ will undoubtedly pay dividends as our kids grow up.

This is where local agriculture needs to be to survive the impending intrusion of urban sprawl. Farmers must educate young people about the value of all they do, and ensure that the learning experience is fun, relevant and worthy of a young person’s attention.

We know how crucial agriculture is to this region, but if the next generation doesn’t appreciate its value, we’re done. ‘The experience’ is what it’s all about, folks. The trick is to find a way to make it happen because that’s the future, baby.

The smiles on my kids’ faces last weekend told the tale, and I’m just sharing the wealth.