There’s a lot of really smart reasons to buy food grown or
produced locally. With the average meal traveling 1,500 miles from the farm to
dinner table, many buy local to reduce their impact on the environment. Some
folks buy local to put their dollars back into the local community or to
support family farms. A lot of people buy local because it means you’re getting
the freshest food possible.
Like us here in Portland,
you might have choices when it comes to grocery stores that buy from local
farms for everything from produce to meat and dairy. I’ll admit that we’re
pretty spoiled here with an abundance of really great markets that go out of
their way to support local farms. We’re able to enjoy fruits and vegetables at
their peak of ripeness from being harvested a day or two before we bought them
at the store – not 7 to 14 days like the produce being shipped across the
country (or world).
What makes that possible? A wealth of growers in the
Northwest who intentionally keep their farms small, manageable and sustainable.
They take great care in producing the very best for their communities. And
while they love getting orders from our local markets, these growers are
regulars at the weekly farmer’s markets across the region.
Even with all the choices we have in grocery stores, we make
our weekly trip (sometimes two or three times a week!) to the farmer’s market. The
kids love sampling new fruits and know that they’ll be rewarded with sweet
juicy peaches or finger-staining berries to enjoy on the ride home. We like
having the opportunity to talk with the growers about their farms and how they
tend to their crops.
Over the years we’ve learned that you can’t just look on
signs for their organic certification because many don’t feel that the process
is worth the hoop-jumping or fees, although they follow the guidelines, use
sustainable methods and no chemicals. We’ve also learned that you can’t simply
ask if “they spray” (for pest control) – many do spray, but with organic
materials just like I mist my tomatoes with soap water to keep unwanted bugs
away. By talking with the growers, we learn about their practices and have a greater appreciation for the produce we take home.
Last week I had the opportunity to taste locally-grown
celery that was picked at it’s peak of ripeness just a few days prior. Now, I
don’t know about you, but I’ve never gotten very excited about celery. I’ve
enjoyed ants-on-a-log and use it in soups or other recipes, but I’d never think
about eating it plain. Well, let me tell you that it was full of flavor and the
greenest green I’ve ever seen!
With the summer bounty at its peak, find your local farmer’s
market at the Local Harvest site, see what’s in season in your area right now,
and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to read:
How Do You Think About Food?
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