The ‘locavore’ movement is by no means new. The term, created to describe those that eat food produced locally, has been around since the early 2000s; if you frequent your local farmer’s market or even produce your own food then you know what the movement is all about. “Local” is a bit of a hard term to concretely define but it has been determined by many that local food is produced within 100 miles of your home.
Eating locally produced food has an incredible amount of benefits, from environmental to personal health; so much so that it would be quite the task to list them all. For that purpose, here are 5 reasons why you and your friends should become ‘locavores’.
1. Connect With Your Community
In the age of online dating, automated drive thru screens, and simply texting an emoji to order pizza, we seem to be moving further and further away from human interaction within our communities. Even grocery stories are adding more and more self- checkout registers. When it comes to eating locally and visiting your farmer's market you have no choice but to interact with people around your community. Depending on the size of your farmers market it is estimated you will interact with an average of 15-20 people per visit, compared to the 1-2 people you will interact with at a grocery store. If you live in a small town this interaction will become more intimate as you visit your farmers market more often; vendors will begin to notice you, conversations will become longer and will no longer consist of small talk. Those of you who have been to farmer's markets before know how jovial the atmosphere can be, so get out there and connect with those in the community. Who knows, you might make a few friends
2. Help The Environment
I am no scientist, but various reports from scientists have stated that global warming is a real thing. With the average meal traveling some 1500 miles from farm to plate, your trips to the grocery store aren't doing a whole lot to reduce your carbon footprint. Trucks transporting your food across the country are pumping harmful emissions into the atmosphere, not to mention the trash that is produced due to all of the materials it takes to package food. By buying produce at your local farmers market you're buying food that was produced nearby and often within 100 miles. I'm no mathematician either but I know there is a lot less exhaust pumped into the atmosphere during a 100 mile trip than there is on one that's 1500 miles.
3. Support The Local Farms
Farmers are an integral cog in the societal machine. They feed us, clothe us, and make sure we have the ability to get from Point A to Point B. However, like a lot of important professions, farmers don't receive the pay their impact deserves. With large corporate farms dominating today's food industry local farmers have a hard time earning a living, often having to find another job on the side to supplement their income. With today's average farmer receiving less than 10 cents on the dollar of food they produce, buying directly from the farmer helps cut out the middleman allowing them to make more money. Locally-owned retailers return three times as much of their sales to the local economy compared to chain retailers, because the farmer has more money he is able to contribute more money to the local economy as well; by supporting local farms you are in turn supporting yourself
4. You Get A Better, Healthier Product
Studies have shown that produce quickly begins to lose nutritional value once it is picked. Since food at the farmers market has only been picked within the past couple of days its nutritional value is higher than that of the produce at your local grocery store; not to mention its close proximity means it is allowed to ripen longer leading to a better taste as well.
5. Lower Price
Who doesn't like a bargain? It isn't always the case, but its often cheaper to buy most of your produce at the farmers market than it is to buy it at the grocery store. Now, some items like milk and meats should probably be purchased at the grocery store because they can get pricey when produced locally, but why not save money when you can? Visit the farmers market first and then stop by the grocery store on the way home to finish off your grocery list.
Farmers markets are beautiful places; a variety of foods, colors, and people mixed with an incredible atmosphere just can't be beat. Its not practical to do all of your shopping at farmers markets, sometimes grocery stores are just too convenient, but we should all make a conscious effort to support local farmers whenever possible. So, next Saturday set your alarm, call up a couple of friends and head over to your local farmers market; you're guaranteed to enjoy it and start Eating Your Zip Code.
