None of my close friends pay any attention to the eating local stuff, although they do frequent farm stores sometimes.
I have thought about canning, but I don't know if I'm up to the work. My husband is more knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. It will be strawberry season here very shortly and the season is pretty short. There are plenty of pick it yourself places around. But, I have a vivid memory of blueberry picking with my younger son when he was in 8th grade... we decided we wouldn't be very good farm workers, as we both came out of there with tons of scratches from the bushes, as our technique wasn't very good!
I love going to the farms on my Jamis. I have gotten to know the farm owners pretty well; they always ask me about my bike, how much I ride, etc. One time I decided to stop when I was on my road bike, but I had my backpack. They actually came out and inspected my bike!