Do you know where your food comes from?

Over the last few decades we’ve become accustomed to checking food labels for nutritional information like fat and sugar content and whether products contain any of those nasty trans-fats.  As we become more educated about how our food is grown we can seek out information on natural or organic content.

Green minded consumers are also encouraged to look at another part of the food label… the address.  Where our food is produced is getting an increasing amount of focus for a variety of reasons.   One reason that locally sourced foods are attractive is the low embodied energy that’s present.  Embodied energy refers to the amount of energy that goes into producing and delivering products to your door.  Foods that are produced locally don’t have to be shipped across the country or across the globe, so they avoid the carbon and other environmental impacts that come from long distance shipping.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Locally produced foods help grow and sustain local economies.  This in turn, keeps more of your money in your local community, feeding other local businesses, and increasing the potential of other locally sourced non-food goods with similar positive impacts.

There is an increasing belief that locally grown foods have the potential to be better for us as well.  Some non-local foods are over-injected with unnatural preservatives to survive the time and distance of journeys which are more easily avoided when grown locally.  Some local foods can help boost our immune system.  For example, research suggests that locally grown honey can help build our natural immunities to allergies because of the local plant pollens the bees ingest creating it.

Evidence of growing interest in locally grown foods can be seen in the increasing popularity of local farmers markets.  According to sustainability eco-guru Bill McKibben, local farmers markets are “the fastest growing part of the food economy – their numbers doubling every few years and sales growing 12 to 15 percent annually.”

We have some great local farmers markets in our own backyard.  Karen Bonafacico helped start the New Garden Growers Market in 2005.  “People are more focused on where their food comes from and how it’s grown“, says Karen.  “So much so that we’ve begun to outgrow our space and are talking to the township about using another part of the property.”  

The market is held just south of Avondale, PA at 8943 Newport Gap Pike (Rt. 41), in front of the New Garden Township Maintenance Garage.  The market is held every Saturday from the 3rd week of May to the 3rd week of October from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  The market requires that foods are grown by the sellers.  The market hosts a variety of products including fresh produce, grass-fed meats, baked goods, dairy products, honey and Karen’s own fresh cut flowers. More information can be found at their website, http://www.newgardengrowers.com/.

 “The food at farmers markets is fresher, it's friendlier, and it's better for the planet. Your food shouldn't travel more than you do!” says Holly Tyson who manages another fine farmers market in nearby Kennett Square, every Friday from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at 106 West State Street. 

Tyson stresses the roles these markets play bringing communities together. “We’ve tried to make the marketplace a locale again, a space for music and gathering, a place to hang out”, says Tyson. To support the community destination concept, the parking garage on N. Union has 3 hours of free parking on Fridays.  During the First Friday Art Strolls, the market features local musicians from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. So relax and stay awhile.  Their website is http://www.historickennettsquare.com/farmers.html.

You can find farmers markets near you in Pennsylvania by visiting the Buy Fresh – Buy Local website at http://www.buylocalpa.org/.  Delaware farmers markets can be found on at http://dda.delaware.gov/marketing/DE_FRMVENS.shtml.  So the next time you look for fruit for the fridge, consider a Delaware peach or a PA pear.