KCFreePress.com

Even in February, Brooke Salvaggio does not go to the supermarket. Everything the Kansas City resident and her husband Dan Heryer need — whether it be grains, meat or produce — they obtain directly from local purveyors. It doesn't hurt that they also run their own farm, Bad Seed, which produces more than a hundred kinds of vegetables from its relatively modest south Kansas City location.

"My husband and I are psychotic locavores, so that's why we began farming," Salvaggio said. "We had to make a very conscious choice to transition into this kind of lifestyle." To complement the farm, the couple runs the Bad Seed Farmer's Market at 1909 McGee (currently closed until May) that brings together a variety of local food producers under one roof on Friday nights. For the like-minded, it's a one-stop shop for dairy, vegetables, meats, grains, herbs and other (sometimes random) products.

Of course, not everyone who wants to eat locally has Salvaggio and Heryer's skills and resources. "It's easy for me as a farmer who works with a million other farmers to just completely eat local food and stay out of the supermarket, but that's a lot harder for the average person who doesn't have those connections." Cognizant of this, Bad Seed hosts classes on gardening, food preservation, chicken-raising and more in order to equip people with the skills they need to be urban homesteaders. "We try to bring awareness to how you can possibly make good food choices on a daily basis," Salvaggio said.

But here in the midst of winter when fields lie dormant, how does one eat locally, particularly when the grocery stores are overflowing with cheap fruits and vegetables from South America?

Eating seasonally

"A lot of farmers that process their produce, grow greens, grow mushrooms, bake bread, and offer soaps and lotions like to keep their products available all year. We aren't just farmers for a few months. It's a four-seasons business," said Tena Bellovich, who runs a year-round farmer's market every Saturday at the Grand Court assisted living facility at 107th and Wornall.

Because produce is a little thin this time of year, Bellovich admitted that they offer organic vegetables shipped from the West Coast for those who cannot go without. "When the weather warms up, we have our own local produce" she said. But commonly available year round are locally produced delights like fresh bread, home-canned goods, eggs, honey, milk, cakes, mushrooms and greens.

"It's important for eaters to realize that produce may be limited but there are other types of local food that don't have a season that stops, like free range meats and cheeses and mushrooms," Salvaggio said. "Then there are storage crops like potatoes and squash and pumpkins."

Luckily, many of the foods available in the winter are the same foods we tend to crave: carbohydrate-rich pastas, stewed meats, root vegetables and hearty breads. "The seasonal food choices tend to make sense on a larger natural level," said Salvaggio. "It starts to make sense with your body, and then your cravings change."

Preparing for winter

For dedicated locavores, planning ahead is still important. Canning vegetables during the summer is a wonderful way to enjoy delicious meals in colder times of year. Likewise, sauces and stocks can be pressure-canned and stored indefinitely. These days Salvaggio and Heryer frequently enjoy homemade pasta with heirloom tomato sauce that they preserved during the height of the growing season in August.

Lest you assume that Salvaggio is hesitant to embrace animal products, she points out that winter is hunting season for deer, duck and goose. "For us it's like Christmas," she said. "It's such quality food, wild meat with so many nutrients." The Kansas City region is also home to a number of farmers who sell free-range, organic meat to the public.

Bellovich's favorite, locally produced winter meal? "Some black bread from the 'Little Bakery' with a huge green salad from Cedar Lane Farm. Maybe some pickled mushrooms on the side with a little of Richards goat cheese, topped off with Little Muddy Farms fermented cabbage. And DoubleDD Farms Chocolate Cherry Angel Food Cake for dessert." Needless to say, each of the foods from the purveyors she named can be obtained at the Grand Court Market, including the mushrooms she grows as owner of ShroomHeads Organic Farm in Freeman, Mo.

Going local, legally

With burgeoning distribution streams and a near critical mass of adoptees, local food seems to be positioned for mainstream acceptance. But Kansas City and its surrounding communities still have laws and codes on the books that can make it difficult to farm within city limits. Last year, Overland Park denied a permit for a man to keep four chickens — which he intended to use for eggs and compost — in his back yard. Overland Park residents must obtain special permission to keep chickens on parcels of land smaller than three acres.

Bad Seed had problems of its own with city codes in 2009, a situation Salvaggio describes as "an ongoing nightmare." Basically, Kansas City farmers cannot conduct any commercial activity on their land, including having volunteers working the fields, or farm-share members picking up their orders. Groups like the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture are working with farmers and the city to resolve these issues. In the meantime, Bad Seed is operating under restrictions imposed last year and are hoping to move to a new location.

Despite the obstacles, farming and local agriculture is gaining some traction. With a combination of home gardening, visits to farmers' markets and meals at local-friendly restaurants, it is entirely possible to live the life of a locavore in Kansas City. Options may get a little lean during winter, but quality and taste can still be top-notch.

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