Tips and Advice - Local Food

Parents are increasingly buying organic foods for their families. But you may wonder, is it worth it? Is it really better? Should I be doing even more? Beyond eating organic, be sure to consider eating local.


Eating organic when you can is important for several reasons:

• Reduces your exposure to pesticides and unhealthy additives
• Protects our soil and water
• Provides higher nutrient levels

(The Organic Trade Association provides a list of 10 reasons to choose organic foods.)

But, if you’re looking to do more, consider adding more local foods to your family’s diet. Transporting foods, organic or otherwise, over great distances uses more oil and increases air pollution. Buying local minimizes those issues, supports the local economy, and preserves farmland and biodiversity, as local farmers can produce varieties of plants that may not be hardy enough to be mass-produced and trucked across the country. Ramps, for example, make an appearance in Washington, DC, area farmers markets each spring. A cousin to the leek, they grow wild in West Virginia and farmers have not yet managed to cultivate them for commercial production.

Wondering how to get started? The easiest way is to visit your local farmers market. As a first step, buy what you need for one night’s dinner. You may be surprised to find that in season produce can even be cheaper than what’s at the grocery store. Right now, asparagus and strawberries are fresh and abundant. Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org ) is a great resource for finding farmers markets near you.

In future articles, I will share additional facts and resources about eating local, as well as recipes for the foods that are in season. Please comment if you have questions or tips of your own!