How to source locally grown vegetables and fresh produce
Sourcing locally grown vegetables, freshly milled flour, and locally farmed honey, meat, and eggs can be tricky when you live in the city, but Nordics know how to. Learn how to shorten the food miles with the Finnish REKO network using social media the Nordic way.
I arrive with my bike to the side of an empty market square and park my bike on the side of a parking lot. After a few minutes of waiting the first farmer vehicles arrive and park on the sides of the parking area forming an alley of locally produced food like in farmers’ markets. But these farmers have already sold all their products and they are just waiting for everyone to pick up their orders before moving to the next spot.
This is a Nordic REKO food ring for local consumers to meet with the farmers without a middleman in the food supply chain.
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What is the REKO network concept?
REKO is a food supply network without any member fees that functions regionally providing local fresh produce for locally aware consumers. REKO comes from the Swedish phrase Rejäl konsumtion which means Fair Consumption. This is a system started by a Finnish organic farmer, Thomas Snellman, in the Swedish-speaking area of Eastern Finland. In this REKO concept, the fresh local products are presold in the closed groups on Facebook and delivered bi-weekly at agreed selling places with a half-hour pick-up window.
REKO is based on the French AMAP (Associations pour le Maintien d’une Agriculture Paysanne) systeme that Snellmans French friend introduced him into. It has some similarities to the North American CSA (Community-supported agriculture) system too. Read more about REKO in Finnish from the REKO reilua kulutusta vuodesta 2013 booklet.
What does mean locally-grown produce?
Products like for example potatoes and carrots, that are grown and harvested near the place where it is finally sold and consumed. The point is to decrease the food miles, the long-distance food transportation, and the distance between the farm and the consumer to shorten the supply chain remarkably. Concentrating on buying and supporting local food production even now and then has several benefits.
Key points of why buy local food and the benefits of eating locally-grown food
So, why choose local businesses and buy directly from small farms rather than from a regular grocery store or local markets?
Seasonal produce
Eating seasonally gets so much easier. Local producers offer fresh in-season produce that is cultivated in their natural growing season and harvested in the peak season. The products are naturally ripe and at their best and not pumped up preservatives to increase the shelf life. You start eating seasonally almost by accident when you rely on the local growers in REKO.
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Fresh produce
Fresher produce is guaranteed. Less time for the food in the back of the truck, and you get the freshest products with the best flavors directly from the fields, farms, and forests. I have bought fresh herbs and micro greens, freshly milled flour, that is milled only the day before – which is amazing when living in the city.
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Less packaging and food waste
Less food waste and waste overall. Shorter distance decrease food waste during transportation. A substantial amount of packaging materials is needed to secure the product that is transported long distances. I have several times taken my own basket with me to place the eggs I have bought in the basket and left the egg carton to the farmer, as I have seen many others do as well. So no extra packaging is needed.
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Less harmful pesticides and more nutritious food
No pesticides. Many small-scale farmers grow food without pesticides. In REKO organic cultivation is encouraged and there are some biodynamic farms as well. Also when you know where your food comes from you can easily choose the products that are best for you and buy from the local farms you know. The nutritional value is better in freshly harvested produce than transported foods that have spent even weeks in the truck and then on the shelf.
Shorter food miles
Less time on the truck, the better for the environment too! Buying local food from a family farm shortens the food miles. Less transportation, so less money, gas, and energy go to waste when moving things around.
Support local production
Buying from local farmers you support small businesses and the local economy. Without intermediaries, you pay only for the product AND directly to the farmer supporting the local agriculture as well. When you have a direct connection with the person who has grown your food you have a great opportunity to ask any further questions if you are concerned about food safety issues or any other things regarding fresh produce or farming etc.
Community
When you use the REKO network you enter into a like-minded community. You meet the farmers, you meet local families, the people, who are interested in natural resources, healthy foods, and locally-grown food. It creates a lovely feeling at each short gathering.
What can you buy using the REKO food network?
- Locally grown fresh vegetables and herbs
- Freshly milled flours
- Fresh meat and fish
- Locally farmed eggs
- Locally farmed honey
- Fresh fruits and berries
- Freshly baked goods and foods
Basically, you can find any food, that someone has made, farmed, or grown locally and which is preferably organic too.
How does REKO work for a consumer?
REKO food ring functions within the Facebook platform. You can search for your local group and join in to see the offers the producers post on the group wall prior to the event. Ask for the local REKO group to join in, wait for the acceptance, and start using REKO as a consumer. Groups that I have attended function bi-weekly, which is perfect if you also do meal planning, so you can save up to buy a 5kg bag of flour instead of purchasing a 1kg bag now and then.
Each farmer puts their own post on the group wall with the products, sales sizes, and prices. Some add a few photos too. Some have five products in their selection, some have fifty. As a consumer, you can scan through the posts to see what you need and leave a comment on the quantity of the products you order.
The order is binding, and accepted by the farmer with a thumbs up or a quick comment. Sellers will tell in their post as well the payment methods and the latest time to order. Mostly the time is in the evening the day before but some accept same-day orders too.
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Reko food network for producers
According to a study made in Norway, the REKO network has remarkably filled the gap between farmers and consumers. The farmer gets a new market and the consumer gets local and fresh food. You can reach out to your local REKO group if you are interested in REKO as a producer.
How to find your closest REKO network?
To find a REKO food network in your local area go to Facebook, and click Groups. Type REKO in the search bar. Underneath Filters, click again Groups and filter with City, or choose the results “Near Me” to see if there’s a match.
For bigger cities like the capital area where we live, there might be multiple groups within one city so you can join the one that is closest to you. In smaller towns, there are fewer, but new groups are grounded every day, and you can even start a new group if you don’t have one near you. If you do not have one close to you, you can always gather a few interested consumers and producers and start a new REKO network.
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Well, how many REKO groups there are in the world?
There are already over 500 REKO rings across Scandinavia, and in recent years it has spread to over 14 different countries across the world.
Here are a few of the countries with REKO groups:
Have you used a food system to buy locally grown food?
Have you bought locally farmed or grown food with the REKO system or other similar? What did you like? Do you use it regularly or seldom? Let me know in the comments!
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Loved reading it and learnt so much! Thank you! Having fresh, local produce is good for us in so many ways!
Thank you for sharing Padma, I’m glad you enjoyed reading!
This is such an informative post! I’ve been looking for ways to source locally grown vegetables and fresh produce, and your tips are incredibly helpful. Supporting local farmers while getting fresh, delicious produce is a win-win.
Thank you, Catherine, for sharing <3