Buying local is not just about saving some money, supporting local farmers and the local economy, but about knowing where your food comes from and having a direct connection to the people or farms who produce the food.Benefits of Buying Local Foods:
1. Budget friendly
Shopping at a local Farmer's Market was Number 6 on Saving Family Green's 10 Tips to Buying Organic on a Budget.
Farmer's Markets are an absolutely terrific way to save on fresh produce, meats and even dairy products. Not all items found at Farmer's Markets are Organic, however many people argue that Local and Fresh are just as important, if not more so than Organic. Many times Organic items are shipped across the county or even from another country. While many local farmer's practice farming that is not Certified Organic, it's really close or their practices are just as good as an Organic farmer, they just are not large enough to afford the Certified-Organic certification costs.
You can read more about deciphering Organic Food Labels in a past Saving Family Green Sustainable Saturday post here.
Read about The New Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat Organic
2. Fresh Foods
Eating local gives you access to fresher produce that does not need to be sustained by chemical or other enhancements to ensure a longer shelf-life. There are many health benefits to especially produce that is fresh from the fields or being picked.
3. Strengthens Local Economy
Supporting local farmers keeps dollars in your community and economy. It helps ensure that your State's agricultural traditions remain strong and keeps people working the lands that have been in their families for generations.
4. Direct Connection to Food Grower or Producer
Buying local foods allow you to develop a relationship with the person or people who are growing or producing your food. Something you can't do even when purchasing USDA Organic items from popular retailers is ask the person who raised the cattle how their cattle are grass-fed or when the eggs from their chickens were laid (for example).
5. Lessens environmental impact of transporting food
The shorter the distance food has to travel from farm to table reduces fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions involved in transporting food around the country.
To find local CSA's, farmers markets, restaurants among other information on purchasing locally produced food:
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If you live in Ohio:
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association - Good Earth Guide to Ohio Organic & Ecological Farms & Gardens
Fresh Connect (Local Matters)
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