Buying Local

Buying local has become a more popular venture. With the growth of farmer's markets, more people are buying goods from vendors who are close to home. As my sister mentioned in her blog, it is not enough to simply recycle. We need to be mindful about what each of us can do to reduce the amount of waste we produce. I plan to check out the book about the 100-mile diet. It's intriguing to think about the possibility of minimizing my footprint on the earth.

I joined a local CSA (community supported agriculture) last year and am loving it. From the end of May through November, I get fresh produce on Tuesday evening that was picked Tuesday morning. I've tried vegetables that a) I've never heard of b) would be scared to buy and c) have no clue how to prepare (e.g. purslane, Japanese turnpis, sorrel). They always provide recipe ideas, so that you have somewhere to start. It's been great. They even did a comparison of what it would cost to get the veggies at a couple grocery stores in town, and the CSA won. Locally grown, organic, and fresh- you can't get much better than that. I SO miss it in the winter. I'll have to improve my canning/freezing know-how!