Eat Local

One of my other favorite parts of summer is all the fresh food and the farmers markets! The strawberries, blueberries, peaches, tomatoes, basil, mint, etc. are all aaaaaamazingly fresh and delicious! It is so easy to use fresh, healthy produce to make wonderful meals all season long. That’s why I picked #eatlocal as this month’s mission! It’s really a layup. Who doesn’t love to eat?! More specifically, eat good, healthy food?! I’m certainly a proud member of that camp. Bring on the fruits and veggies! In addition, if you are part of a CSA or have local farmers markets nearby, you may be able to get fresh eggs, meat, and maybe even seafood depending on where you live! One of the great things about the Capital Region (of NY) is that we have a plethora of farmers markets every weekend. If I can’t make the ones on Saturday, there are others on Sunday, and a good handful of them are year round.

Ideas for #EatLocal

Farmers markets

As I mentioned above, I love going to the local farmers markets. They’re great places to go and get out in the community, chat with people, grab some delicious food, and support local farmers. Many farmers markets also sell things beyond just fresh produce. The ones near me also feature local breweries, cideries, and distilleries, fresh flowers, homemade pasta, homemade condiments (peanut butter, the best pesto in the world), eggs, and crafts (soap, paper press products, and fabric crafts). If you are looking for a farmers market near you, I highly recommend the National Farmers Market Directory on USDA’s website here. It not only tells you where the markets are located, but if you have specific wants or needs – for example if you’re looking for a market that sells prepared foods and accepts credit cards – you can include those filters when searching.

Eat what’s in season

If you don’t have access to a farmers market, eating what’s in season could still help you #eatlocal. Many grocery stores source from local farms to get seasonal produce. In the grocery stores by me, they generally call it out if the food is from local farms; often times indicating which farm and where it’s located. If this isn’t the case by you, I’m sure a quick stop by the customer service desk could answer your questions.

Plant a garden – and eat from it

Another great option is to plant a garden! There are a lot of studies that say gardening has great health benefits – it’s a stress reliever, can reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s by up to 50% (!!), can help you sleep better, and reduce your risk of a myriad of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, and high blood pressure. For years I have tried to grow a garden at my house, only to find that I have a plethora of wildlife in my back yard that enjoy the garden MUCH more than I do…or should I say they enjoy it before I do. Someday though I will have a garden! And it will be glorious. If you do not have the same problems as I do, or if you have the ability to fence in a garden, I suggest you try it out. There are a lot of benefits, and you get rewarded for your efforts with yummy food! If you live in an apartment, or otherwise can’t grow a garden where you live, community gardens are another option to explore. Many offer programs where extra produce is donated to food shelters so that’s another great win.

If you’d like to read more about the health benefits, there are some studies and articles here, here, and here.

Local food restaurants

My last suggestion is to support local businesses that source their food locally. A few years ago there was a surge in interest in the 100-mile diet. I noticed locally that this growing awareness/desire to #eatlocal resulted in new restaurants catering to this lifestyle. These restaurants either work with farms directly to see what is growing each day/week/month and build menus around what is fresh, or create supply chains of farms to support their existing menus. If you’re someone who eats out more than cooks in, this would be an excellent way to incorporate #eatlocal into your life. For locals – two of my favorite “locally sourced” restaurants are the Iron Roost in Ballston Spa (omg waffles, for REAL!) and New World Bistro in Albany.

This mission also ties back nicely with June’s mission to #makelesswaste. To maximize the #eatlocal mission, I suggest creating a weekly meal plan. Although there are other farmer’s markets here during the week, I am not able to go to them (I have a 9-5 style job and can’t cut out during the day). To make sure I get the right foods, enough food, and plan for how long fresh food keeps, I need to make a meal plan. I cannot operate with out one. I even plan breakfasts, lunches, and snacks too. That way, I know everything I plan to eat that week and don’t have to try to come up with ideas on the spot. Hanger is real folks! Plan ahead 😉

Produce is also compostable, unlike processed foods that contains lots of unpronounceable ingredients, which means your waste footprint is also smaller. If you started composting back in June, this should fit right in. If you didn’t and are interested in composting, you can check out my posts about it here and here.

I also have a Pinterest Board for you guys on #eatlocal! There are a lot of pins about which foods are in season, but you can also find pins about canning (to preserve those fresh fruits and veggies!) and helpful tips.

One last thing, if you’d like to follow along and track your #eatlocal progress you can do so on this month’s tracking calendar: August Mission Eat Local.

What are your favorite ways to #eatlocal? Share in the comments below!