3 Ways to Eat Local Food

| Sunday March 14, 2010

Dietitians of Canada have dubbed March Nutrition Month, and they are urging you to 'celebrate food from field to table': to take the time to eat less processed food, grown locally in a sustainable way, and enjoy those foods with family and friends. Eating locally produced foods, the so-called 'locavore' philosophy, benefits both our health and the environment.

This reminded me of a moment last summer when, while staying at a cottage near Pugwash, Nova Scotia, I stopped by a tiny farmer’s house to buy some veggies but couldn't find any beets for the salad I’d planned to make. The young girl working laughed, then marched out into the field to pull the most beautiful beets straight from the ground.

I felt like such a city girl.

Find your inner country girl and celebrate Nutrition Month with 3 easy ways to find local foods:

1. At the grocery store: Outside of harvest season, it can be tough to find locally grown fruits and veggies. Focus on local crop specialties and supplement with frozen goods: often less expensive but just as nutritious when flash-frozen at peak ripeness where they were grown. Don't be shy to ask your grocer to offer more locally grown foods.

2. At local markets: Learn what’s grown close to you and when it’s in season. To find your nearest farmer's market, visit LocalFoodsPlus.ca in Canada and LocalHarvest.org in the US. Every state/province regulates their farmer's markets, so do your research about the standards and guidelines applicable to your area.

3. Dine local: Research restaurants in your neighbourhood that cook with local ingredients. We like Il Fornello's "All Ontario" menu and Fresh, which has a number of Toronto locations.

Are you a locavore with a tip to share?

by Kate Comeau