Be intentional about your food choices.
It keeps us in touch with the seasons. Although supermarkets give us access to all food types all year around, all food has a season of production. Eating seasonally, we take in the greatest flavours. Seasonal food is also the most abundant and the least expensive. You will find new ways to prepare food and be surprised by the pleasure of seasonal cooking.
Extra flavour, freshness + nutrients. Farmers usually allow produce longer to ripen and harvest produce within 24 hours of purchase. When food is not harvested early for overseas shipping it is not only extra flavoursome but also a lot fresher. The produce spends less time between harvest and plate and therefore also contains more nutrients.
You know your food’s story. The further the produce travels until it ends up on our plates, the more difficult it is to track down facts about how it was produced and by whom. Your local farmers can tell you exactly how the produce was grown and what practices they use. Learning this makes you appreciate and enjoy your meal even more.
You support local farmers. Buying their produce, you support farmers and producers which also boosts the local economy. Money spent on local food is reinvested in the local economy and creates more jobs at other local businesses within the community. This also leads to more connected communities.
Better for the environment. It may be common in our global economy to buy foods that were grown across the globe, however, this only appears to be cheap and efficient. Eating local means generating less energy, emissions, food miles and waste as local foods have shorter distribution chains.
Eating locally is for everyone.
By Linda Hauns
