"Eating Close to Home"
Do you know that the average distance produce travels to get on your dinner table is 1500 miles? Eating fresh, local produce not only tastes great, but sustainable. Depending on where you live your climate may not grow certain foods. For instance, I would be hard pressed to find a local kiwi in Massachusetts. However, New England has the best darn summer squash anywhere around! Eating locally grown foods helps save energy (less fuel costs for food transportation). It is also a wonderful feeling to support your local economy and small farmers. Locally grown produce just tastes fresher. When purchasing from a farm stand, most of the products have been picked within the last 24-48 hours. They retain all their nutrients and amazing energy, which you then consume. Did you know that many tomatoes shipped out of season are picked green and then injected with ethylene gas to turn them red? It is amazing how long locally grown, fresh picked produce lasts. Lettuce from the grocery store wilts within a few days. Lettuce obtained from a farmers market can last up to 2 weeks if stored properly.

I recently spent a day working on a farm in my town. I worked my tail off weeding, picking green beans, and bunching carrots! I now have such a greater appreciation for farmers. It is an amazing feeling to eat something you just picked or recently planted. My family is part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which is also a great way to get local fresh produce and support your community. The process requires you to purchase a “share” of the farm and each week you obtain fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, and often flowers that are ready for harvest. And if you are concerned about the prices – you don’t need to be. The price you pay for such wonderfully fresh (often organic) produce from a CSA is typically much cheaper than the grocery store. You can find a CSA near you on www.localharvest.org/csa.

Checking out the farmers markets near you are also a fun family event to buy local (www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets). As civilization progressed, we lost track of our innate selves and our natural eating patterns. Our ancestors ate when food was available in that season. Eating with the season is a key component of the Ayurvedic diet originally established in India over 5000 years ago. There is a reason we crave cooling foods in the summer and warming foods in the winter. I encourage you to try to eat more locally. I am not a betting gal, but I would guess that you would find much more pleasure in preparing and eating the food on your plate.

Karen Burg, Epsilon Tau
Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach, Reiki Practitioner
www.Burgwellnesscoaching.com