Why local?

Nesting is in full swing around here and I have to say it's one of my favorite things about pregnancy! It always feels good to get things cleaned out and tackle the "some day" list TODAY.

Anyway, part of that cleaning out is purging old magazines. I flip through to be sure I'm not tossing a recipe I really wanted or anything like that and then into the recycle bag it goes. In doing so I found a page from my Summer 2010 Edible Austin magazine that was soooo simply stated and yet has been the inspiration we've turned to as we continue to make more and more green decisions in regards to our eating habits. If you need some inspiration to push to the next level...or even just get started....here's a push:

Why eat local?
Fresher: Conventional produce in the U.S. travels over 1,500 miles from farm to fridge.

Healthier: Many fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides and herbicides contain twice the amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants than their sprayed peers.

Greener: Producing one ton of fertilizer requires as much as 33,000 cubic feet of natural gas. The global food chain accounts for roughly 1/3 of global warming.

Supports our local economy: With local, direct sales, farmers keep 100% of food sales. With conventional sales, ONLY 9 CENTS of every food dollar goes to the farmer, with the rest funneled to suppliers, processors, middlemen, and marketers.

Also, each dollar spent on local food can generate $1.50 to $3 for the community. If we bought 15% of our food locally, we'd ring up 2/3 the total agriculture subsidies farmers receive.

Now I can purge that page and if one of you...even one of you visits a farmers market this week (who normally doesn't) then I can count it a double win! Make me a winner?!