Locally Grown Food Tastes Better

[Anne-Marie McCormack]

There are several orange groves not too far away from where we live. I was visiting one of the groves one day and asked the farmer- is your fruit Organic? He said, "It costs way too much to get that label-we've been growing our trees naturally for two generations- would you like to try some?" Trust me, a taste was all I needed- I was sold. I have never tasted oranges and gratefruit so rich in flavor. He staggers his harvest so there are only a few months in the year when there are no oranges available.

They have other fruits and vegetables sometimes too. Some of the farmers get together and help each other sell their produce.

So, I made a decision- if I could get locally grown food made the old fashioned way, that's what we would do. I was fed up of buying organic fruits and vegetables from wholefoods and the local grocery store It has reduce our carbon foot prints- and the food is frsher and they can wait until it is ripe before it is picked. It has a higher nutritional content than food picked and shipped thousands of miles to reach us. With that in mind here's an interesting article about eating local grown food.


In our modern age of food preservatives and additives, genetically altered crops and E. coli outbreaks, as with the recent spinach debacle [September 2006], people are increasingly concerned about the quality and cleanliness of the foods they eat. Given the impossibility of identifying the pesticides used and the route taken to grow and transport, say, a banana from Central America to our local supermarket, foods grown locally make a lot of sense for those who want more control over what they put into their bodies.

Locally Grown Food Tastes Better
John Ikerd, a retired agricultural economics professor who writes about the growing “eat local” movement, says that farmers who sell direct to local consumers need not give priority to packing, shipping and shelf-life issues and can instead “select, grow and harvest crops to ensure peak qualities of freshness, nutrition and taste.” Eating local also means eating seasonally, he adds, a practice much in tune with Mother Nature.

Eat Locally Grown Food for Better Health
“Local food is often safer, too,” says the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD). “Even when it’s not organic, small farms tend to be less aggressive than large factory farms about dousing their wares with chemicals.” Small farms are also more likely to grow more variety, says CNAD, protecting biodiversity and preserving a wider agricultural gene pool, an important factor in long-term food security.

Eat Locally Grown Food to Reduce Global Warming
Eating locally grown food even helps in the fight against global warming. Rich Pirog of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture reports that the average fresh food item on our dinner table travels 1,500 miles to get there. Buying locally produced food eliminates the need for all that fuel-guzzling transportation.

Eat Locally Grown Food to Help the Economy
Another benefit of eating locally is helping the local economy. Farmers on average receive only 20 cents of each food dollar spent, says Ikerd, the rest going for transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and marketing. Farmers who sell food to local customers “receive the full retail value, a dollar for each food dollar spent,” he says. Additionally, eating locally encourages the use of local farmland for farming, thus keeping development in check while preserving open space.

Take the Eat Local Challenge
Portland, Oregon’s EcoTrust has launched a campaign, the Eat Local Challenge, to encourage people to eat locally for a week so they can see—and taste—the benefits. The organization provides an “Eat Local Scorecard” to those willing to try. Participants must commit to spending 10 percent of their grocery budget on local foods grown within a 100-mile radius of home. In addition, they are asked to try one new fruit or vegetable each day, and to freeze or otherwise preserve some food to enjoy later in the year.

How to Find Locally Grown Food Near You
EcoTrust also provides consumers with tips on how to eat locally more often. Shopping regularly at local farmers’ markets or farm stands tops the list. Also, locally owned grocery and natural foods stores and coops are much more likely than supermarkets to stock local foods. The Local Harvest website provides a comprehensive national directory of farmers’ markets, farm stands and other sources of locally grown food.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: [e-mail].

EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are

[Brenda Lee]

I agree completely, especially when locally means your own back yard!!! Grow what you can, support youself! When you eat a fruit that God has given YOU the ability to grow, it tastes even better! Not to mention the spiritual connection shared though the apprectiation of such gifts! Show appreciation for yourself, you planet and OUR SPIRIT!!! Eat locally, think globally!!!