There is more to buying local fresh foods than meets the mouth. Of course, our first reaction to good food is loving the taste. But the benefits of buying local go far beyond love at first bite.
Be it fresh greens or sweet corn, tomatoes or asparagus, strawberries or cherries – all of our fabulous local Michigan produce, freshly picked and eaten within hours of harvest, is love at first bite. There is a very significant taste difference between freshly harvested versus picked days ago, shipped hundreds or thousands of miles, and hanging out at grocery stores for days. However, the benefits of local buying don’t end with taste.
Many vegetables and fruits begin to lose nutritional value as soon as they are harvested. Studies show the average piece of produce will lose 30% of its many key nutrients within 3 days. Spinach can lose 90% of its nutrients within 24 hours of harvest. Produce that needs to travel more miles in a week than you might in a year, need a longer shelf life. Sometimes that means harvesting them in a very green/unripe state, further reducing their nutrient content. Freshly harvested, local produce doesn’t just taste better, it is better for you. Choosing food that is produced a few miles away versus hundreds or thousands of miles away is a better choice.
When you purchase from a local food producer, be it fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy or eggs, you are putting your money right back into our local economy. Much of the money I make as a local farmer gets spent right back here in Newaygo County – car repairs, restaurants, plumbers, builders, farm purchases, antique shops, massages, doctor’s visits, purchases at local farm markets/roadside stands, grocery stores, greenhouses, and on and on. Not so with profits made on produce raised out of state or out of country. Those profits are spent miles away with little to no effect on supporting businesses and livelihoods here in our county. The closer to your home the produce is raised and purchased, the more likely it is that your money will be spent by your local farmer close to home, supporting other local businesses, maybe your own or one you work for, in a beneficial, circular economy. It’s a win-win for helping local area businesses thrive.
In addition to all of these advantages of buying local, you have the advantage of forming a relationship with those who produce your food. Many of my customers have returned for decades and we look forward to their annual visits at our roadside stand. We truly enjoy seeing them, chatting with them, and catching up on each others’ lives. As farmers, we are proud of the fruit and sweet corn we provide for them. They know that we stand behind our produce and strive to sell them our very best. We sometimes do “self-serve” honor system sales when we have to head back out to the fields or orchards to pick more. There is that mutual trust, knowing that the vast, vast majority of the time, there will be no theft in our absence. It is a mutual trust, built by both sides- farmer and customer. It’s a very rewarding part of farm life. They look out for us by being considerate and honest and we look out for them by providing fresh foods. Trusting your food producer means they have your best interests and health at the forefront. Our family eats the exact same fruit and sweet corn that we sell to customers. Our customer’s health and safety are one and the same as ours. Thankfully, there has never been any food safety issue/outbreak on our farm, but I know, and more importantly, our customers know, that if there ever were an issue, we would take instantaneous steps to halt any sales and get the word out immediately via social
media, our website, local news, phone calls, etc to assure no one contracted any foodborne illness. It may be days or weeks before you’re likely to hear of a distant food producer recalling products that have already caused widespread illness.
Local food purchasing makes a whole lot of sense for so many good reasons. Thank you when you make the decision to experience close encounters of the food kind by buying local. It brings you more flavor, freshness, and nutrition while building up relationships and trust. And, it supports your local farmer which in turn, strengthens our local, circular economy.
