I’m happy to see this. While supporting the development of our local food system is important, I think non-food items get overlooked in the discussion of supporting local farms. There was a time not so very long ago that most of the things we buy didn’t come from Asia. Most things used here were made here–furniture, apparel, housewares, cosmetics, paint, tools, vehicles, you name it. And the raw materials for most of these things came from the farms and forests in the same region.
Making local food a major part of your diet is important for your health. But making other local products part of your life is important to the economic health of your community.
Maybe Frijolito Farm needs to start making candles and lamp oil. I’ve been thinking about getting back into making soap, and I’ve recently learned how to use soap to make laundry detergent. Firewood might be another option. I don’t know that I’d sell cords of it, but I imagine I could compete with the grocery stores that I’ve seen charging so much for a tiny, wrapped bundle of split wood.
