It is getting to be spring out now! That means lots of rain and lots of sunshine as things start to warm up. Our bleak and barren fields will be full of fresh new plants in no time. That means a lot of fresh new produce coming to market. Why am I excited about this when I can get whatever I want at Wal-Mart year around? To put it simply, the locally-grown and in-season stuff is always better. It tastes better, you know where it came from and if its responsibly grown, and it’s even better for your nutrition.
DOES IT REALLY TASTE BETTER?
YES. When it’s in season, its in the prime conditions for it to grow and be the highest possible quality you could get in your area. This is opposed to getting your produce year-round from a mass producer of products. When it comes to the large-scale food companies, they grow with the intention of making as much as possible and that it doesn’t spoil. This leads to produce that has less quality and flavor to it, and most likely, isn’t even that fresh. Have you ever gotten a pack of strawberries in February for Valentine’s Day just to realize they taste like nothing? It’s frustrating.
WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? WHERE DID YOU GO?
Buying from local farmers is beneficial in multiple ways. First off, you are putting that money into the pockets of a hard-working family in your area. That’s going back into the community, and not into the pockets of some huge box store or factory. You also have to take into consideration the environmental impact of buying from big factories and box stores. All the farming had to be done somewhere far away and then be shipped over. Over 50% of all fruits and 33% of all vegetables are coming from outside of the US. Many people say that this is just not feasible and that produce is expensive. They have to buy from Wal-Mart and Kroger because it’s the cheapest option. While that might be the case with certain things, that isn’t true for it all. There are things at local farmers markets that are very competitive or even cheaper than most stores. Get out there and check it out!
HOW ABOUT NUTRITION?
There is a point to having food that grow during a certain season. I know, seems like a pretty simple concept, right? Some scientists set out to see what the difference was between the seasons for broccoli. One variety was grown in the spring, another in the fall (the proper season). What the researchers found, was that the vitamin c content of the fall broccoli was 2x as high. It stands to reason that the fall being the most optimal season, allowed the plants the best possible chance to grow and mature. In the spring, its much harder for the plants to follow the cycles they need to, and are often harvested early. This leads to the big companies using ripening agents and protective film layers over food to keep it from spoiling. Unfortunately, the artificial ripening process causes the foods to not develop all of the nutrients and taste they usually would.
Eating seasonally is a newer thing here in the western world. It’s practiced in a lot of different healthy cultures in the world, but we have been pretty far behind the curve when it comes to that. If you have a local farmers market, it can be a source of some great food, and healthy, more affordable options. Support your local farmers!
