Slower Food: Sailing Produce From Vermont to New York City

When buying vegetables at the Union Square Greenmarket, “local” is a squishy term. As with any urban farmers market, the farms that bring their produce to 14th Street in Manhattan have to make a trek from a bit farther out than Brooklyn. Driving vegetables down from the Hudson River Valley is certainly less carbon-intensive than flying them in from California, but still.

What if the fruits and vegetables and other products were floated there? That’s the idea behind The Vermont Sail Freight Project. The Project’s barge, Ceres, recently made its maiden voyage from Ferrisburgh, Vermont, to the New York Harbor, stopping at towns along the way to host dock-side farmers markets.

A camera was on board along with the 24,000 pounds of cargo that made the trip to New York City, and the resulting video for The New Yorker offers a sailor's-eye view of the beautiful boat’s expedition.

In his story about Ceres for the magazine's recent food issue, Mark Singer points out that headwinds forced the crew to resort to an outboard motor to make the journey south, but future, fully wind-powered voyages are in the works.

Related stories on TakePart:

• A SNAP Farm Stand? USDA Expands Access to Fresh, Local Food

• Eric Ripert and City Harvest Feed New York City’s Hungry

• Farmers Market Cheats: Drama Unfolds in L.A.

Original article from TakePart