Some people must have their plane ride US Weekly fix and I do too, but it’s called “Fast Company.” I used to subscribe, but I actually prefer the immediate gratitude of seeing a new issue on the airport newsstand. No matter the magazine, from Ranger Rick to Sports Illustrated to Esquire, I always flip directly to the back page. In the current issue, Elizabeth Spiers takes on the “buy local” notion. “much of the buy-local  movement has nothing to do with geography. The emotional tenor, at least, is much more about shunning corporate behemoths. If the farmer next door happens to be Monsanto, you rethink buying local. What buying local really means is buying boutique-branded artisanal products that are crafted with tender loving care by actual human beings. Or what merely appear to be. Witness the success of the slightly-more-expensive-but-supposedly-made-with-love-by-seemingly small -companies Muir Glen, Kashi, Odwalla- owned by General Mills, Kellogg, and Coca-Cola, respectively. Large corporations certainly aren't unaware of local appeal and are happy to exploit it as a marketing tool...The challenge for the socially conscious consumer is to determine whether a "local" purchase actually achieves what it's supposed to achieve."

Sometimes our wines are passed over for less expensive, chemical-laced versions from BC wine factories in the interest of being "local." It's too bad because knowing your farmer isn't just a slogan- Farmstead Wines actually knows every farmer personally, and you can enjoy a delicious bottle of wine while supporting a small farmer who farms naturally with love. The solution to the challenge that Ms. Spiers presents is one that can only be resolved by truly understanding provenance of the products we consume. Often, supporting a local farmer means something more than an arbitrary mileage calculation. 

(Thanks to Hugh MacLeod for the cartoon. You should be reading his blog...http://gapingvoid.com/)