When I was young, produce was pretty much seasonal. We didn't get watermelons or strawberries in the winter. Or very good tomatoes for that matter. Now we eat grapes from Chile and Oranges from South Africa and tomatoes from all over the world, year round.
This complexity in our food delivery system is both a boon and a bane. The carbon foot print of a south african orange, is likely greater than the carbon foot print of a florida, texas or california orange. If the goal is reducing our individual carbon foot print, then let's face it...we're going to have to accept that some foods will be out of season.
There are a lot of great reasons why people should eat locally. Much, but not all of the time it can be done at a lower carbon foot print, simply because the food doesn't have to be shipped thousands of miles to get to your table. My favorite reason, is that it's likely to taste better.
In my neck of the woods, a local group called Conway Locally Grown which coordinates with local farms to bring a good collection of fresh, high quality foods, both produce and locally produced meats and milk, monthly by subscription.
This market is coordinating with local farmers to provide Conway with the freshest and highest quality fruits, vegetables, eggs, poultry, beef, pork, lamb, and dairy. All of the producers farm using strict standards that ensure clean, safe, humanely produced foods. The market will also coordinate with local craftsman to offer Conway locally produced artisanal crafts. All products sold at Conway Locally Grown are produced within 150 miles.
There are several networks that can help you find access to locally grown foods in your area.
Locally Grown Markets - www.locallygrown.net
Local Harvest - www.localharvest.org
Of course, you can visit your local farmers market, but be aware, that not all the produce you find at a farmers market may actually be locally produced.
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