~Eating locally grown food can be a better buy, can be less harmful to the environment and can be a provider of more nutritionally dense foods for you and your family.~
Two things that I have been working on increasingly implementing in my life are shopping locally and minimizing waste.
Why? Because shopping locally can come with an incredible amount of benefits to you and your family, and reducing waste is better for the planet, along with being better for your pocketbook!
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What do I mean by “locally?”
I mean:
–shopping at your local farmer’s markets
-shopping at local farms and produce stands
–becoming members of a local farm’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program
–buying handmade products that are created within your community
–shopping at stores owned by your neighbors, and fellow community members
1. Where we shop matters, because where we spend our money matters.
-We essentially “vote” for what we want to see more of when we spend our money.
Money means demand and with that money, farmers and proprietors can continue to connect us with what we want to buy.
-Shopping locally also helps keep our money within our own community.
Your money is going to a neighbor, and they are able to continue to provide this exceptional service for you and your family.
-A local shop is also incredibly inclined to sponsor your child’s team fundraiser, as local businesses like to involve themselves within the community. Supporting local shops, supports our entire community.
2. Locally grown food tends to be more nutritionally dense
-The longer a food spends out of the ground, off of the vine or off of the tree, the less nutritional value that food retains.
(For example, studies conducted at the University of California have shown that Vegetables can lose 15 to 55 percent of Vitamin C within one week of harvesting.)
***Alternatively, local farmers may have picked your produce a day or two before you buy, as opposed to weeks or maybe months prior. This significantly mitigates the amount of nutrients that may be lost.
-Sometimes, if a farmer knows that their produce will be traveling for long distances before you are able to eat it, they are likely to harvest them early. That means, they are harvesting them long before peak ripeness and they may be sacrificing a product’s optimal maturity and nutritional availability.
(Did you know that Apples sometimes sit in a warehouse for MONTHS before they are even on certain store shelves?)
3. Buying from a local farm often means that your produce tastes better.
-Have you ever tasted an Apple straight off the tree? Or tasted a Tomato straight off the vine?
They’re incredible!
-You can truly taste the difference in both Fruits and Vegetables that have been freshly harvested, versus those that have been picked weeks prior.
-Freshly picked Fruit is often juicier and sweeter, and Veggies are often crisper.
4. Buying from a local farmer is often a better buy
-Price points are often lower from a local farmer because they don’t have to factor in transport prices, and packaging costs.
-Farmers are often inclined to work- out a deal. (Especially if they’ve gotten to know you.)
As it gets later in a season or later on the market day, farmers often sell their produce at a lower cost than during peak season and in the early morning.
-With all the added benefits you are receiving within your community and within your body, you are actually paying for more than simply the physical product you purchased. You are paying it forward to ensure the continued availability within your community and for the nutritional benefits that you and your family receive.
-If you join a CSA, your entire box of produce is already assembled and ready for you to pick-up on your predetermined day. That means, no needing to wander through the isles and no having to stand in a check-out line. This saves you time, and energy that you would otherwise be spending.
(When you join a farm’s CSA program, you pay in advance in either a lump sum or installments, for a share of the farm’s harvest. Then, you receive a box of a pre-arranged amount of farm fresh produce. Often, pick-up is once a week, sometimes once every two weeks.)
5. Locally grown produce is often larger, and is found in added varieties
-When produce is able to wait to be picked until its peak of perfection, it is often able to grow larger because it was left longer on the vine or tree and was able to fully mature.
(The last time I bought Collard Greens from the farmer’s market, they were larger than my face!)
-Farm stands often sell produce in varieties and colors that you would be hard-pressed to find in a grocery store. Did you know that Cauliflower can also be Purple, or Orange? Did you know that it’s the same for Carrots? And before frequenting farmer’s markets, I hadn’t ever seen or heard of a Canary Melon or a Romanesco Cauliflower!
(When you see color, think phytonutrients. Different colors mean differing variations of vitamins and minerals are present.)
-Bigger, more variety, and differing distributions of vitamins? That sounds like a better buy to me!
[If you are looking for a recipe that can easily incorporate any type of locally grown Tomatoes, check out my recipe for Pico de Gallo.]
6. Less environmental impact
-Produce procured at the farm is frequently packaging free! That means less plastic in your life, and presumably less plastic that is being produced!
I like to continuously keep my reusable bags in the trunk of my car, so I can always be prepared for roadside stands or shopping at the store.
-If you are eating food that is grown within your community, that means that it isn’t being transported across the country or shipped in from overseas. That’s less gas and emissions being used and produced for your food to reach your plate.
-Buying something without any packaging enables you to reuse things you already have.
That means, there’s one less thing in a landfill, and there’s one less thing that you have to buy. (For example, I like to reuse my Peanut Butter’s glass jars as Loose Leaf Tea and Bulk Spice containers. This saves me from spending money on a container, from spending more on an item with a lot of packaging and allows me reuses an item I already own.)
7. You are able to be better connected to the process of growing and consuming your food
-Whether you buy your produce from a local farm, from the farmers market, or from a roadside produce stand, buying locally allows you to be better connected to the process of producing and consuming your food.
-You are able to meet the farmer, talk to them about their growing process and procedures, and learn more about the products you are procuring from them. They are also able to offer you personalized recommendations for other produce products you may enjoy!
-Before speaking with a farmer, I never would have dreamed of trying Collard Greens.
But, based on what prior produce I’ve enjoyed, a farmer was able to recommend additional produce picks. And they were awesome!
-Quite often, local farms are not Certified Organic, but they are using organic growing practices. The process for becoming certified can be long and expensive, and sometimes certain farms are not able to afford certification. That’s why it’s important to talk to your local farmers. You could have high quality, local, organic produce right under your nose and not even know it! (This happened to me!)
-Many local farms offer farm tours.
Visiting the farm where your produce is grown can help both you and your children better understand, feel connected to, and develop an appreciation for the process of growing and harvesting.
-There are even some farms that offer PYO (pick your own). If you aren’t able to grow it yourself, a great way to be involved is to pick it yourself.
-Currently, I am not in a position where I am able to plant a garden “at home.”
Visiting my local farm has allowed me to show my son the farming process from planting to harvesting and helps me personally feel like I’m more involved in the process. It has also allowed me to develop a deeper appreciation for my food. To experience first hand the process of planting, tending and harvesting has made me less likely to waste and has facilitated an incredible gratefulness for every bite of food on my plate. I love having the ability to show my son this process and for me to have the opportunity to facilitate an appreciation for farmers and the entire growing process.
Finding a farm or farmer’s market near you
-Now that you know so many of the incredible advantages to shopping locally, you may be wondering where you could find a local farm.
-My favorite resource to use is www.localharvest.org.
There, you are able to search by zip code for local CSAs, farms, farmers markets, and more!
You are even able to refine your search to specific selections you are seeking, such as Fruits and Nuts.
-Alternatively, you could always do an old fashioned Google search.
A few keywords can generally hook-you-up with an incredible amount of information.
Ready for an adventure?
~From larger, more nutritionally dense, better tasting produce that’s available in increased varieties, to the ability to put a face to your farmer and to experience the farming process in its entirety, buying and eating locally can bring you and your family a bunch of remarkable benefits.
Once you’ve found a farm near you, grab your reusable grocery bags and head out for an adventure. Who knows what you may find is available to buy or is growing nearby!
If you, or think someone you know, would find this blog post informative & helpful, don’t hesitate to share this with them. 🙂
I’d love to see photos of you visiting your local farms and farmer’s markets. Feel free to tag me @crunchyveggiemama in the photos you share of yourself on Instagram, or Twitter.
Until next time,
Peas, Love, and farm fresh Produce,
~Stephanie
As a vegetarian I find this post lovely and yummy! The pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Great post! I so adore local shopping. It’s definitely fresher with more nutrients and it also supports your local farmers. I even like the natural imperfections you find in local veggies and fruits. Thanks for all the tips and ideas.
This is awesome information! Thank you! In my quest to reduce my plastic use I have been exploring options on how to cut down on food wrapped in plastic. I’m also trying to have a more plant based is diet – I can’t wait to peruse my local market!