Farmers Markets
Here’s something you probably didn’t know: Your food travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets to your plate. That just seems so excessive and counter intuitive you are someone like me trying to lessen their impact on the earth. Not only does that use a lot of fossil fuels, it creates more of a need for preservatives and pesticides. We are trying to eliminate pollutants sprayed on food not increase and create more of a need for them!
Buying produce that is only locally grown is kind of impossible depending on where you live. That’s the whole reason we started transporting produce in the first place. Nothing grows all year round in Pittsburgh so I am thankful for all the food that is transported in. With that said, I do believe that bringing food from across the world or even across the whole country is unnecessary. There are always stickers and labels on produce saying where it was grown. It’s a law. Start glancing at those little stickers. You may be surprised at how far away your food has traveled. Keep this in mind when your are grocery shopping for the week.
So let’s try to put an end to this excess food travel. I know farmers markets are not everywhere and all year round in most places but most have a seasonal one. Farmers markets are the cheapest and easiest way to cut down on food travel, buy seasonally, and cut down on your waste. Win, win, win! Supporting your local farmers is so rewarding for you and your community.
This website lists all the registered farmers markets in the country. You can search your state or city to find local markets to visit. It’s a great resource to reference if you are traveling and want to see the local farmers markets there (I did that in Colorado) or find one that is convenient for you visit regularly.
