The Importance of Buying Local

By now we've all heard the phrase "buy fresh, buy local." Why is this so important? What good does this practice do for the environment? Purchasing ingredients that are produced closer to the place where they are sold cuts back on pollution by cutting out extensive shipping. For example, it takes a lot of gas to drive strawberries from California to the east coast. Furthermore, the food is fresher when it is grown and sold locally because it is picked at its peak and sold quickly. Produce that needs to be shipped cross-country must be picked before it is fully ripe in order to prevent spoilage during shipping. By the time the consumer buys it, it has less flavor because it was not allowed to ripen naturally. Also, by purchasing locally grown ingredients you can support your local farmers. By keeping them in business we can keep our green space longer, and hopefully have healthy food around for many generations.


What does this mean for me? Most importantly, I shop at farmers markets as much as possible. To be honest this is a treat for me. There's nothing I love more than going to a local market (wherever I am in the world) to scope out local ingredients and specialties. I love to see whats in season and what is regional. It's such a fun challenge to just go to the market, see what looks good, and plan a menu based on what I find. Try it! Don't go to the market with a shopping list. Use your senses, buy what looks, smells, and feels good (chances are it also tastes good), and go from there. You'll be surprised at the results, because starting with better, fresher ingredients yeilds tastier results.


Since I already support local markets as much as possible, I think I need to go one step further. Maybe trying to grow some of my own ingredients? I have a sunless back patio, which would make things difficult. Another option is enrolling in a local food co-op or public garden. I have heard a lot of good things about these projects, so maybe it is finally time to get involved.