Someday, I hope to be almost completely self-sufficient on our little homestead, but being still in our first year here we are not even close. Throughout the summer, a large amount of our food came directly from the garden, but now as winter rolls in all that remains is a bit of frozen kale, zucchini, and some dried herbs. Next year, we have plans for growing more food in the garden and definitely more canning and freezing (a chest freezer is a must… the zucchini filled our entire freezer!). In the meantime, I feel so grateful for an amazing community filled with farmers using organic and sustainable growing practices. They are incredible. All summer our little town had two thriving markets, and even through the winter we have a smaller market to fill our bellies with local squash, root vegetables, and greenhouse greens.
You may wonder why this is so important to me? You can go to the grocery store now, and buy organic tomatoes in the middle of winter…
But, how far have those tomatoes traveled and how much pollution have they created to arrive neatly packaged in your grocery store? Besides that, they don’t taste nearly as good and the nutritional value lessens as they age. Nothing tastes better than food on the table from either your own garden or from a farm nearby. The difference is staggering. There are certain foods my kids just will not eat from the grocery store anymore… tomatoes being one of them, along with blueberries, strawberries, cucumbers, butternut squash… I could really go on and on. The boys will sit at the table and ask if we grew the veggies on their plates, and if not they’ll go through the list of their favorite farmers to find out where it came from. There is nothing better for a picky eater than being so closely connected to their food. Really, is there anything better for any of us?
By buying local, you’re also supporting your local economy, and directly helping small farmers rather than agribusiness and corporations. You can find many farmers who may not be “certified organic” but their growing practices go above and beyond organic requirements. Often, it’s good for your wallet as well… have you seen the cost of organics at the grocery store lately?
If you’re not sure where you can find locally grown food in your community, check out Local Harvest. They have farms, farmers markets, and CSA’s you can search in your area.
