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June 22, 2007

8 Reasons to Go Local with your Food

Over at MSN, they write about the many benefits of eating locally, one of which is the eco-factor. By eating locally grown foods, transport of said produce is decreased, and therefore nasty greenhouse emissions are reduced.

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Agricultural researchers state that “eating local capitalizes on our concern about the climate, the energy we use, and a disconnect that more and more people feel from the environment and where their food comes from.” and that “eating local usually means that your food comes from within 100 miles from where you live, but some define “local” as encompassing your region’s watershed, no matter the mileage”.

The other benefits listed for eating local are:

  • taste- produce on average that has traveled less, is fresher
  • healthier crops, due to less handling from travel and also more nutritious as some foods lose their nutrient value over time
  • eating and buying local food keeps the money in your community, as much as 90 to 100%
  • social, many folks want to reclaim a connection with rural life
  • safety, as foreign or far way produce is more susceptible to accidental or intentional contamination and widespread outbreaks
  • lower cost, many folks have compared prices from markets vs. the local big box and found surprising results, local on many items is cheaper
  • earth-friendly, less transport equals less energy and oil use

Depending on where you live, it may not be feasible to eat local all year-round, as some produce is season dependent. But even if you go local 6 months out of the year, you will benefit from all of the above.

Want to know if there is a farmers market in your area? Go to localharvest.org and with a zip code entry, you will get a list of local farmers and other sustainably grown food vendors.

Here is reason number 8 to visit and patronize for local fair at farmers markets, they are fun, too! , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Why shoud you eat local? Here are 8 Reasons…

If you have been meaning to eat local, and just have not had the right motivation, read this article….

Trackback by Anonymous — June 22, 2007 @ 11:25 am

Well done. But now I’m hungry. You get my vote!

Comment by Theresa111 — June 22, 2007 @ 1:23 pm

Our local farmers’ market just started up for the summer. I buy produce there and listne to local music, too, every weekend.

Comment by Daisy — June 22, 2007 @ 1:31 pm

hi—theresa111: thanxs for the vote. being hungry is a good thing. hehe.

hi—-daisy: thanxs for visiting, how sweet that your local farmers market has music, too. even more fun. nice!

Comment by Missy — June 22, 2007 @ 4:00 pm

This is great info. Most joe blow doesn’t know about the difference between local and organic. Thanks for clarifying it! :)

Comment by max — June 22, 2007 @ 6:56 pm

no prob, max. i do what i can to educate the masses. lol.

Comment by Missy — June 22, 2007 @ 7:01 pm

Thanks for the post! I love shopping at the Farmers’ Market. The grocery store produce does begin to compare to the fresh fruits and veggies at the market. But I know I’m lucky being in California because we’ve got markets all year long.

Comment by Alison — June 26, 2007 @ 4:43 pm

Hi—Alison: Thanxs for the visit. I love farmers markets too. Since moving to a small town (from Chicago), i don’t quite have the variety i did in my former city, but there are a few around that i like.

Comment by Missy — June 26, 2007 @ 6:06 pm

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