Last November the New Oxford American Dictionary declared the 2007 Word of the Year to be locavore. Wikipedia defines locavore as “someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles.” Coined by Jessica Prentice from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2005, according to Wikipedia, the word reflects the fact that buying locally grown produce has grown in popularity. According to the USDA, farmers markets increased across the country from 1994 to 2006.

What is the importance of buying locally grown produce? As an article in the September edition of Country Living magazine puts it, “Knowing where your food comes from is a trend worth following.”

Eating locally helps the environment. Decreasing the distance food travels releases less carbon emissions, and small farms often plant diverse crops which reduce soil degradation. It takes 20 to 1,000 years for a centimeter of top soil to form. In the U.S. we have lost a third of cropland topsoil in the 200 plus years since our country’s founding.

Eating locally also helps out farms. Over 90¢ of every dollar you spend at a farmers market goes directly to the farmer who produced the food. When you buy produce at a grocery store, vegetables farmers get only 21¢ of your dollar.

Slow Food U.S.A. is a non-profit education organization that advocates eating locally produced food. The Slow Food International Manifesto declares, “Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.”

How do you start eating more locally grown food? Country Living lists four ways to start eating locally: join a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) group, eat in season, request it at grocery stores, and start small. The United States Department of Agriculture defines a CSA as “a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation…in return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season.” Type in ‘How to be a locavore’ in Google and you will come up with a slew of articles.
Last June the New York Post ran an article titled “How to be a Locavore” that gave three great suggestions to starting to eat locally produced food: picking a radius, planning your meals, and letting the seasons dictate your meals. Eating produce in season makes good environmental sense. The peaches you buy at the grocery store in December come from other parts of the world, such as South America.

A 2007 article in the San Francisco Chronicle suggested allocating about $10 per day per person in your household if you want to eat only locally produced food. The article also suggested deciding on exemptions before you embark on a locavore diet. Do you like to eat out often? PBS suggests finding out what restaurants in your area buy local produce.
Ehow.com also offers some great tips on becoming a locavore:

• Don’t be scared of a little dirt on your vegetables.

• Ask questions. You may be surprised to find that your organic apple from Whole Foods traveled three thousand miles to reach the store.

• Try new foods.

• Remember that even if something is in a package and looks clean, it might not be healthy. Trust your local farmer instead.

Every time you purchase locally grown produce from a farmer’s market you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing to your local economy and helping fight global warming. To find farmers markets or CSAs in your area; check out Local Harvest.

by Gina Marie Cheeseman

Gina-Marie is a contributing writer for Jolly Green Girl.

image source: flickr by prettywar-stl

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