Your Guide to Eating Local on the Avalon

 

On average food travels 2 400 km to get from field to fork. It also contains ingredients from about five different countries, and not including our own. If you're into visuals, that distance is about from here to Florida. Travelling to the sunny south may be ideal for a vacation, but when it comes to our food travelling that far- well that's a different story. Much or our food in the grocery store may come from afar, but did you know that there are 28 different producers of local food here on the Avalon? What are the foods and where can you find them? You'll want to check out Buy Local! Buy Fresh! It's a website to help you find locally grown food right here at home. From naturally raised poultry and meats, traditional root crops, and pesticide, herbicide free fruits and veggies, there's certainly something grown local for everyone. The Buy Fresh! Buy Local! site comes handy with a seasonal produce guide and map outlining the location of various producers. Launched in April this year, it's jam packed with great information for those looking to add a little local to the summer diet, and with warm weather just around the corner there's no better time than the present to gobble up some home grown eats.

There are big benefits to eating local. One of the most well known is that it's good for the environment, benefit #1. The reason being is it doesn’t have to travel far to arrive to get on our table, and so it helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions and improve carbon footprints. Benefit #2 and 3: Peak ripeness of food. The fact that local farmers don't have to worry about products while en route to our rock in the sea means food is picked at peak perfection. Purchasing local at this time of year and throughout the summer and fall, means you're usually getting fruits and veggies that were picked less than 24 hours ago. That may just translate into a higher nutritional product (a big benefit says the dietitian) as food doesn't sit on a truck or boat while traveling to us. Benefit #4: Local also promotes cultural diversity. Farmers are growing varieties of culturally diverse ingredients locally so traditional recipes from different heritages can still be honoured and prepared fresh close to home. Did you know that European style sausage, heirloom cultivars, and wheatgrass are produced here on the Avalon? Benefits #5 and 6: Local foods empower people, both consumers and farmers. Some say that every dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. Buying from a local farmer stimulates purchases at other local businesses too, which can help communities to grow and improve. The stronger our farmers get, the more we be sure food and livestock can be grown and raised here for generations to come. Shopping locally also gives us a chance to engage our growers, plus it can be educational and fun. Come on, who doesn’t love a trip to the farmers’ market! We get to learn something new about our food, including when the freshest produce is in-season, and often see the animals where some food comes from. My last proposed benefit is one that is subject purely to personal preference, but I think most of you reading will also agree. Taste. Fresh picked Newfoundland blueberries just taste better. In my opinion anyway, but that may very well be biased, having lived here almost all my life. Benefit #7 as taste -I'll let you be the judge.

For more information on Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Visit www.avalonfresh.ca. Peak produce months are just around the corner, so why not help yourself and your fellow farmer by getting yourself familiar with where you can buy local, fresh and nutritious foods right here on the rock!

As seen in The Telegram June 18, 2012