I know this post was supposed to go up yesterday, but after the sad news regarding my half marathon, I really felt the need to do a “Little Things” post instead! Thank you for all your kind words and support about my running decision!
My Top Five Reasons to Buy Local
1. Less nutrient loss. As I discussed on Tuesday, the sooner you get your produce after it is harvested, the more nutrients it will have.
2. Lower fuel usage. A lot of the produce at your grocery store may have been delivered from the other side of the country, or even the other side of the world! It takes much more fuel to transport the produce from afar than it does to get it to your Farmer’s Market or co-op.
3. Support local businesses, and your local economy. This is pretty self-explanatory, right? Plus, there is nothing better than a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery down the road!
4. Lower or equal costs. This one actually depends on where you live and what you are buying, but the fact that the transportation costs are lower definitely helps. In Madison, the immense size of our Farmer’s Market means that there are a lot of competing stands, so prices are lower. In the summer and fall, I can fill 2 or 3 grocery bags with produce for a mere $20! If you only have a small Farmer’s Market available to you, it may be slightly more expensive, but Farmer’s Markets aren’t your only option! There are also CSAs (Community Supported Agricultures) and many local farms have U-Pick options for the fruits or vegetables they have in season..
5. Better variety of produce. Local farmers will often grow more varieties of produce than you would see in the grocery store. I first discovered my favorite variety of apples, Empires, when I went apple picking at a local orchard!
For more information about being a locavore, Mae just had a great post about it!
Giveaway Notice!
Check out Emily’s FoodTee giveaway…these shirts are adorable!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much for the link! I can’t wait until the summer markets when we have different varieties of fruits… I love the winter veggies but the only fruit is apples.
I love fresh baked bread from the farmers’ market- you’re right, there’s nothing else like it!
This list is great, would you mind if I linked it in my post from yesterday? Thank you!
I know, I agree I always wish there were more fruits to choose from besides apples and sometimes pears…oh well!
I love this post–simply and to the point and oh so true. I feel like I could name a million reasons why local food is better — my personal fave being better TASTE
thanks for posting!
-Kelly
It’s part of my new challenge for myself to buy more local food! I appreciated this post a lot!