Why Eat Local Foods?

“If you eat, you are involved in agriculture”– Wendell Berry, philosopher and farmer

Eating local foods is not only good for your health but also our environment.  Here are four reasons why it’s important to support your local farmers.

Freshness

When you buy local foods directly from your local farmer or farmers market, the produce is harvested the same morning it’s sold.

On the other hand, supermarkets sell produce that were harvested weeks before the fruits and vegetables could reach their peak ripeness and top nutritional value.  This is to ensure that produce can survive an average of 1500 miles of transportation time, (longer if it’s imported from other countries).

Seasonal

Locally grown foods have the added bonus of being automatically in season.  Farmers sell what they are able to grow in their particular region and climate.   Seasonal produce keep your meals interesting and provide you with a rainbow of nutrients throughout the year.

Environment

Local foods travel only a few miles, in contrast to produce brought in from other regions which travel on average about 1500 miles.   Buying local foods reduces fuel expended and minimizes air pollution from truck exhausts.  But it also eliminates excessive packaging which is needed to transport food over these long distances.

Community

When you buy from your local farmer you ensure that the money goes directly to the farmer and local economy;  not huge corporate retailers.  You also create a direct connection, community feel, between you, where your food comes from, and your local family farms. 

A Word from Michael Pollen