Is Eating Local Really Important?

The simple answer to this question is absolutely, eating locally produced food is healthier for you, your family, and the environment. When you think of eating locally you probably think growing in your back yard or a farmers’ market and you’re not wrong those are my favorite ways to stay local! Going to a farmers’ market and discussing the variety of squash with the grower themselves and asking how they manage their farm is healthy, informative, and social. That being said, there is more to eating local than just farmers markets and home gardens.  

Before you go any further, I want to define what I mean by eating local food because you may not know but there is no universally accepted definition for “local” produce. Local is defined by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 as 400 miles away or within your state. That definition isn’t good enough for me, I would like to add that local also means responsibly produced. For a grower to truly be local in my book they must be within my radius that could be 400 miles away but also a responsible grower so that the benefit of eating locally geographically is not canceled by the growers management. There is no universally accepted definition, so you have to decide what is best for you and your family. As you read the benefits of eating locally, I think that your definition about what local means to you will become clear! 

Have you ever heard of eating seasonally? Eating seasonally is when you eat only what is in season at the time and avoid things that are out of season. That can be hard if you shop at a grocery store because all our grocery stores are set up to have most everything you could want year-round. Corn in April is easy to get at a grocery store and berries can be found in the fresh produce section year round. When you grow or shop locally it becomes natural to eat what is in season in your area. The food that is in season is in tune to our bodies needs because we also change with the seasons. Our bodies have different needs in winter compared to summer and these needs can be met in our seasonal foods. In cool months like spring and fall the fresh lettuces are fantastic for giving our bodies those fresh vitamins and minerals we need, and citrus fruits keep our energy and immune systems up! In the summer when the heat gets unbearable there is nothing like watermelon and cucumbers to rehydrate you. Shopping and growing locally you don't have to worry about being out of season because your garden and basket will be filled with just what your body needs. If you like me though like a blue berry smoothie at the first sign of spring, you can always preserve some seasonal foods by freezing or canning for the months they can't be harvested. That being said take our advice and each season eat your fill of all the good fresh harvest so that you won't have to worry about craving it till it comes back around next year!

While it’s better for your body it’s also better for the planet, food that doesn’t have to travel as far has a smaller carbon footprint. Some produce has to travel by boat and semi truck just to get to the Kroger near you! Local produce that only takes one trip in a truck to the market also usually requires less packaging. You can fill your bags full of produce without the guilt of all the plastic packaging you’ll have to throw away when you get home.

Food that has to travel also takes time which is why local produce is fresh, which we will talk all about in the Why Fresh is Best post next week! Produce that travels is never truly fresh like the produce you get at a local market or from your own garden. It’s good to know just where your food comes from and it’s easier to find out when it was harvested and if it’s organic, or if they use a mix of organic and non-organic practices. If you grow your own food, then you know everything about it and the farthest distance it travels is walking to your kitchen. When you shop locally you can know the farmer and it creates a community which has its own wonderful benefits.

When I buy from my local farmer, I know that my money is going to support a hardworking producer in my community, it’s not going to be used to pay for plastic packaging or a team of marketing managers. By buying from growers in your area you are investing in your community and its future. Your local farmer also has more freedom to grow more varieties of produce and can choose to grow heirloom or rarer varieties giving you more fun and nutritious options!  

Eating locally isn’t always easy but my favorite way is to grow your own food!

Next is to find farmers markets near you! This website is a great resource for finding a market in your area: https://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/googleMapFull.aspx 

There are also local delivery options which you can find through Community Support Agriculture (CSA) at this website https://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?lat=38.22&lon=-85.6942&scale=10&ty=6 

Finally, you can also go to the grocery store and try to read labels and be conscious about where your food is coming from even if you need to buy something that is not local. Try to think about whether or not it’s in season where it’s from so that you can still be conscious of nature's rhythms and get the most nutritious foods possible. 

When you make a choice to eat locally you are choosing healthier food options, building community, and supporting a healthy environment, so yes eating locally is very important and it can be very fun as well for social butterflies like me who just can’t get enough of talking gardening with people!

If you are a gardening social butterfly and love to talk gardening with other gardeners, or if you just want help making your home garden a success this year so you can truly eat local than join our garden Mentorship Club! Check it out at: https://www.guidanceforgrowers.com/reap-what-you-sow-academy or call us at 502-550-4109 for more information we'd love to help you!