04/22/2023
On this Earth Day consider our local farms and farmers, who work hard when preserving our planet, like Grandview Family Farm, Chubby Bunny Farm, Hazel Blue Acres, Macomber Farms. Firetrail Farm, Swan Song Farm and Hayton Farms Inc. and Flourish Organic Farms and introducing two new farms Reconnecting Roots Farm and Tiny Stem Microgreens.
Many of our farms have CSA purchases available now, or starting May 13th when the Farmers Market opens you will be able to purchase produce and flowers at the Farmers Market.
Here are things to think about locally grown produce on Earth Day.
It's Often Pesticide Free: Many local food producers choose to use organic and natural pest repellants to preserve the health of the food they distribute. Foods produced by large-scale agricultural operations are often mass sprayed with pesticides.
It's Preservative Free: Locally grown food doesn't require long trips to be transported across the country until they reach their final destination. For this reason, food doesn't need to have any preservatives and other chemicals added to it in order to keep it fresh during transit.
It Offers Improved Nutrition: Eating locally grown food can help deliver high-nutrient content. This is for several reasons, including the lack of chemicals and greater freshness. Local food is also a better way to ensure you eat seasonally. When you eat food that is grown within its natural season, the flavors are much fuller, and it tastes better.
It Preserves Small Farmland: When local farms are established, eating local protects farmland. Without small-scale farms, the land might otherwise be developed for industrial or commercial use. Additionally, farmland attracts other types of biodiversity and gives animals, insects, and birds a place to live and thrive.
It Reduces Food Miles: When we compare local farm-grown food to imported food, the differences can be numerous. Imported food is shipped sometimes hundreds or thousands of miles to arrive at the supermarket. "Food miles" is a term used to describe the distance that food has traveled, from the place it was produced to the place where it will be sold to the consumer. The more food miles accumulated during food transportation, the more fossil fuels are consumed. This transportation causes greater carbon emissions. Reducing food miles helps alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce air pollution, and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.
It Promotes Accountability: When food is raised and grown locally, the consumer better understands how and where their food is being produced. This awareness encourages local farmers to use sustainable agriculture practices and be more accountable to safe ecological practices, which may include not using pesticides or implementing systems that are less resource intensive than commercial agriculture. Many local food producers will actively pursue an organic certification to further improve the nutritional value of their food and reduce their environmental impact.
