*Why buy local?
animal welfare.There are countless reasons why buying local food is both rewarding and delicious, including enjoying the taste of fresh food, improved health and nutrition, environmental stewardship,support for family farms and rural communities, and ensuring
animal welfare.There are countless reasons why buying local food is both rewarding and delicious, including enjoying the taste of fresh food, improved health and nutrition, environmental stewardship,support for family farms and rural communities, and ensuring
There is also significant peace of mind in knowing where our food comes from. One of the biggest benefits to buying food locally is having someone to answer questions about how it was grown and raised. What goes into that loaf of bread? Can we be certain that the hog that is now bacon lived a life without suffering? How do we know those jalapeños are salmonella free?
Developing a relationship with local farmers gives us an "in" with our local food system. At farmers' markets we can get answers to questions like: When do tomatoes come into season? How might I use celeriac? Often, we can take a tour of the farm our food comes from. Some farmers are thrilled to share their knowledge and experience with their customers. Ask about the challenges your local farmers face and what they are doing to address them. It doesn't have to be complicated. Ask about the weather! Any farmer will be pleased to talk about how the growing season is going and how that affects the food they grow. Knowing local farmers can go a long way to simplifying buying local.
Another significant reason to buy local is to keep food miles to a minimum. "Food miles" refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to your home. The food miles for items in the grocery store are, on average, 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources.
In the U.S., the average grocery store's produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. About 40% of our fruit is produced overseas and, even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there. Notably, nine percent of our red meat comes from foreign countries, some as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
Our food is trucked across the country, hauled in freighter ships over oceans, and flown around the world. A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is burned to transport foods such long distances, releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants that contribute to global climate change, acid rain, smog and air and sea pollution. The refrigeration required to keep our fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats from spoiling during their long journeys burn up even more fossil fuel. In contrast, local and regional food systems produce 17 times less CO2.
*Information copied from www.sustainabletable.com
My favorite local place to shop:
2 of my favorite things Full Circle Market carries are local honey, and delicious yummy farm fresh eggs.
Full Circle Market has a lot of high quality products at great prices!!!
If there are any local places that you love to shop and would like to share with other readers please feel free to leave a comment!
Farmers Markets in our area:
Winchester/Clark Farmers Market, Inc.
Depot Street
Winchester, KY 40391
Tel. (859) 244-4860
Time of Year: July - October
Days of Week/Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 4:00P.M. - 7:00P.M.
Bluegrass Farmers Market
3450 Richmond Road Parking Lot of Pedal the Planet and Fast Signs
Lexington, KY 40509
Tel. (859) 624-1020
Jane O'Tiernan
Time of Year: May - Thanksgiving, Days of Week/Hours: Saturday,
8:00A.M. - 2:00P.M.
Lexington Farmers Market IV
2321 Sir Barton Way in Hamburg
Lexington, KY 40509
Tel. (859) 608-2655
Jeff Dabbelt
Time of Year: April - November
Days of Week/Hours: Sunday, 11:00A.M. - 3:00P.M.
Montgomery County Farmers Market
By-Pass (KY 686) Montgomery Square Shopping Center
Mt. Sterling, KY 40353
Tel. (859) 498-8741
Ron D. Catchen
Time of Year: June - October
Days of Week/Hours: Wednesday & Saturday
Paris/Bourbon County Farmers Market
720 High Street Corner of 8th and High Street
Paris, KY 40361
Tel. (859) 987-6614
Debbie Puckett
Powell County Farmers Market II
Main Street Clay City Baptist Church Parking Lot
Clay City, KY 40312
Tel. (606) 663-6405
Mike Reed
Time of Year: June - November
Days of Week/Hours: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, 8:00A.M. - Sell Out
Madison County Farmers Market
Lowe's Parking Lot
Richmond, KY 40475
Tel. (859) 624-9573
Myra Isbell
Time of Year: June - October
Days of Week/Hours: Tuesday & Saturday, 8:00A.M. - 12:00noon
No comments:
Post a Comment