http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-do-we-define-local-for-produce.html
How Do We Define Local for Produce?
By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Green Living Executive Producer
“We should be producing the fullest variety of foods to be
consumed locally, in the countryside itself and in nearby towns
and cities: meats, grains, table vegetables, fruits and nuts,
dairy products, poultry and egg …” notes farmer and author
Wendell Berry.
Almost all environmentalists are in agreement
that eating local, seasonal food saves energy from transporting
food from many miles away and needing less refrigeration, and
supports local farms.
This is all well and good, but how should we define local?
The average mouthful of food travels 1,200 miles from farm to factory to warehouse to supermarket to our plates. Much of it comes from countries many more thousands of miles away. The United States is the largest food importer in the world.
The most commonsense principle to follow is that the fewer miles the food travels from the farm to your table, the better.
Calculate the distance it takes to get the food to you, and choose the closest producers. Your town is closer than the far reaches of your state, for example; your state is closer than a farm two states over; if you leave in the East, Florida is closer than California; if you live in the state of Washington, Florida is closer than Brazil, and so forth. No matter where you live, search out local farmers’ markets whenever possible. Best of all, try starting a garden!
More on Green Kitchen Tips (50 articles available)More from Annie B. Bond (3188 articles available)
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52 comments
add your comment »Good stuff
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great idea,wish it was easier to find out where the produce comes from,its still pretty cold here so there have been no farmers market types going on,but there will be soon
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thanks
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I am at an age where time is my own. So when I go out my grocery list goes too, because wherever I go I'm sure to pass by either the chinatown markets or the market fields/greenhouses. "Capers" organic is also on my bus route. So the options are limitless.
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My family has been utilizing local farmers markets for many years.I hope to be buying direct from them for many more years.
Thank you.
Great article!
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Awesome!!!:) This is great I do this & I'd rather give my local farmer my money before the greedy polluting companies. By shopping locally I am creating less pollution. It's also a good idea to grow some of your own food if you can. You can grow vegetables on a balcony if need be. One seed creates many meals.
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Urban Harvest in Houston has locally grown organic produce available on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I recommend it highly!
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great tip
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kind, vegan grocery stores are needed, for farmers markets in snow don't happen outside, & when inside usually offer fish etc..., plant based consumers don't want to be exposed to bacteria eating dead animal flesh when a vegan,(one whom utilizes only plants for nutrients). maybe the government not having to subsidize vegan farmers like farmers raising animals, can utilize that saved money to subsidize vegan grocery stores, helping plant farmers further in plant based grocery stores economy, for plant based customers, that doctors claim our intestinal tract is plant based, for eating animals leaves an acidic ash causing colon cancer. kind
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have a healthy earthworthy weekend
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