Have you ever heard of people eating what is ‘in season’. This means purchasing and consuming foods that are harvested locally. For example, in Michigan apples are in season from August to October. During these months local farms will be harvesting and selling their apples. My purchasing then means supporting local business, preventing additional fossil fuels to be used to ship their product, and having the most nutritionally dense fruit at that time. When buying apples out of this time it means that the fruit has to be shipped from an area where it is in season. In addition to all of the previously mentioned effects, this also increases the price you will be paying. This is why apples may be $0.99/lb between August-October and double the price all other months.
An easy way to make sure you’re eating foods that are in season and supporting your local farmers is to sign up for a CSA box. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Each program can work in a different way but generally, the consumer will pay in advance that way the farmer has capital and does not have to take out any loans at the beginning of the season. Then, each week the farmer will deliver what they harvest to the consumer. It is a win-win for both parties involved. The farmer is guaranteed payment for his crops and the consumer gets seasonal foods and the potential to try something new!
Visit https://www.localharvest.org/ to find a CSA program near you!
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