Day 16: Buying Locally
Originally published: 16th April, 2020 on Facebook and Instagram
BUYING LOCALLY
A lot of our conversations with regard to sustainability are intertwined with food production, transportation, storage and consumption. Well, if you really think about it, food is one of our existential goals! We love it, we enjoy it and we need it to sustain ourselves.
When I first moved to the United States, I had a hard time buying groceries. Some of the things … yellow squash, celery, zucchini etc. weren’t vegetables I was familiar with. But then, as time passed, I slowly learned. I tried new recipes, learned from family and friends, even incorporated some of these into Indian cooking.
Then, I discovered the local farmer’s market and everything changed for the better! Particularly in the summer and early fall, the market has the most juiciest fruit and vegetables, freshly baked bread, dairy, and other locally sourced foods. It changed my outlook about food and brought me closer to the people who grow it.
Buying locally,
(1) Gives us a sense of community, to help sustain local businesses and sustain their livelihood
(2) Encourages small farms to grow a variety of crop in a small area of land, thereby enriching the soil and creating genetic diversity
(3) Provides us with more fresh ingredients (better than those stored for long time)
(4) Encourages you to cook with local ingredients, and thereby, not depend too much on frozen food/vegetables that you are more “familiar” with (I had this issue as a non-native)
(5) Reduces carbon footprint due to less packaging, distribution and storage costs and energy
Did you guys explore your local farmer’s market (back when we were allowed to)? Do you have recipes to share?
Ref: https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/buylocal.html
