Did you know most of the food Americans eat travels over 1500 miles to reach the plate? When I heard that, I was impressed. But the point was driven home when, in September, at the height of apple season here in the Northeast, my little organic co-operative received a box of apples shipped all the way from New Zealand. Was it even apple season down there? I started to look into this business of shipping food. I found that for every California calorie we eat, 87 calories of fuel are used trucking it here.
Certain things are imported (bananas, chocolate and coffee, for instance) that we simply can't grow here, so we just try to eat less of them. But my apples could have come from New York State or even Washington State, for that matter. Barbara Kinsgolver states in her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, that the U.S. exports 1.1 million tons of potatoes and imports 1.4 million tons of potatoes. I'm working hard to find the logic. There is a growing movement of people trying to consume mostly locally grown and produced food. They call themselves "Locavores". As the idea catches on, we are finding more local farmer's markets each years as well as other ways to buy locally like CSAs. Also, keeping your own kitchen garden is therapeutic as well as productive, not to mention a great learning experience for your kids. You can't get more local than your own backyard.
There are many more local farmers' markets than one imagines. In New Jersey alone, there are almost 100 farmers markets. There are also 150 pick-your-own farms here. The CSA (community supported agriculture farm) allows a family or a group to buy a share of the harvest throughout the season. Visit the Local Harvest website to find local farmers markets and CSAs in your area.
Of course, not all produce is available throughout the year. Locavores learn to be content with shopping for and consuming seasonal foods. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hearty winters stews and refreshing summer fruit salad seems to be what our bodies crave during those seasons. Eating certain vegetables only in season makes them become a treat; in Germany, asparagus season is almost a national holiday!
Naturally, you don't have to completely follow the 100-mile Diet to the letter. Even small efforts to buy and eat locally will be healthier for you and for the planet!
