Eating Locally

For about a year now my family has made locally grown foods a significant portion of our diet. Last year I grew most of the food we ate from early June through the end of October. We only eat meat once or twice a week, so most of what we bought at the grocery store was condiments and staples such as salt, sugar, rice, bread, and pasta.

In December, we moved into a new house, and I didn't have enough time to prepare the ground for a new garden of the size we had last year. We really only had a few options to continue eating locally grown foods: farmers' markets, roadside stands, and Community Supported Agriculture programs (aka CSA).

Farmers' Markets: I love them, but they're not practical for us to purchase all of our foods there. My wife and I both work. The market hours are limited, and we inevitably miss the market and end up buying our produce at the local grocery store.

Roadside Stands: Too unpredictable. You never know what they will have or when they will be open. They're nice for surprises, but not for a regular food supply.

CSA: This was our choice, and we love our local CSA: Fulton Farm on the campus of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=205. The basic idea: You pay at the beginning of the season for your vegetables and go pick them up at a designated place every week (or two). For us this works the best. We usually have more than enough produce (we often end up giving away some to family and friends). The quality and variety of food is outstanding. The pick up time and place is consistent, so it's easy to plan around, and we love being part of such a positive and progressive endeavour.

Why is eating locally grown food better than imported?

1. It's fresher, therefore it tastes much better.

2. Local is more nutritious. Related to freshness. Also small scale farmers usually do a better job of caring for their soil, plants, animals, and environment.

3. Buying local supports the farmers near you and not some gargantuan agricultural company in another state or even country.

4. Buying local reduces pollution, including greenhouse emissions. Bottom line - the food doesn't need to be shipped, flown, or trucked thousands of miles to your table.

5. You can even meet the people who grow your food.