Autumn Harvest

This weeks bounty from the local farmers market brings us some beets, carrots, onions and squash, all grown within the state of Illinois. Eating locally grown produce is good for local small farmers, your health and the environment for the following reasons.

1. The cost of fuel to transport produce from thousands of miles away adds up and is added to the cost of the product. Plus the amount of pollution released is higher when trucks travel the interstates to deliver that ear of corn or that head of lettuce from the West Coast.
2. Most of the time, produce found in your local farmers market was pulled from the ground in the past 24-48 hours. This means more nutritional value is left in that ear of corn or bunch of scallions because it hasn’t has as much time to sit around in warehouses on the way to the mega-mart.
3. When you eat local, you tend to eat what is in season, which means fresher, tastier foods. Autumn is a good time for root vegetables. If you go to a big supermarket this time of year, you might find things like grapes, oranges and other produce which has been stored for months at a time rather than being picked fresh.
4. A British study tracked how much of the money spent at a local food business stayed in the local economy, and how many times it was reinvested. When you buy direct from local farmers, your dollars stay within your community, and strengthen the local economy. More than 90¢ of every dollar you spend goes to the farmer, thus preserving farming as a livelihood and farmland. Buy local and support the local economy.
5. Studies show that people shopping at farmers’ markets have 10 times more conversations than their counterparts at the supermarket. So it’s also a social thing. You can also build a relationship with the farmers and actually know where the applesa are grown and whether they use pesticides or not.