Eat Locally, Eat Well

This September is officially “local eating” month. The challenge is to eat food grown within a 100-mile radius of home, while enjoying the process and, indeed, eating well.

Why eat close to home?

Produce that is shipped at a great distance is usually not picked at the peak of ripeness, because it needs to last. That’s why buying at farmers market is a tastier experience-the food is both very fresh and very ripe. Also, long-distance shipping uses a lot of fossil fuel, which is environmentally damaging.

September is one of the easiest months of the year to eat locally; food is abundant. At our Saturday Farmers Market last week, I spotted grass-fed beef, oysters, mussels, pork sausage, eggs, chicken, duck, olive oil, cheese, goat yogurt, and an amazing array of fruits and vegetables, including grapes, Italian prune plums, new apples and pears, many varieties of tomatoes, okra, squash, beans, and herbs.

To find out more, go to locavores.com, eatlocalchallenge.com, and 100milediet.org. I’m taking up the challenge and will report my results later in September.