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Are You A Locavore?

It's simple, really. By purchasing local foods, your money is going directly to the local farmer, and you also enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed vegetables and fruits that are often grown organically. Besides the fact that local foods simply tast better, you are eliminating the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, not to mention the rampant use of pesticides used in large-scale farm production.

Eating Seasonally
An important part of buying local is making an effort to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season in your area. Our global marketplace allows us to buy foods grown virtually anywhere in the world all year round, but these options are not usually sustainable, especially when a piece of fruit has traveled from across the world to your table. Take a moment to find out what's in season right now where you live.

If you're up for some really sustainable living, take the 100 Mile Challenge
What is that, you ask? Exactly what it sounds like: you challenge yourself to eat only foods grown, produced and sold within 100 miles of your home. Anywhere from a week to a year... the length of the challenge is up to you. Find your 100 miles.

Yardening: Absolutely Local.

What's better than paying money to water that lawn? Saving money on the garden you could be growing there instead!

A 10x10-foot plot can grow hundreds of dollars worth of great food and if the kids help they are more likely to help eat up the produce. Even in winter, you can easily grow salad greens such as lettuce, spinach and kale.

With the economy the way it is, perhaps it is time to stop spending Saturdays mowing the lawn and start growing fresh organic food in part of that area. You can easily start your own garden for about $10!

Growing our own food has been essential to human civilization until very recently, but the garden is making a comeback! Nothing is fresher or more organic than produce grown with your own hands and collected from right outside your door. Plan your garden with vegetable and fruit varieties that are well suited to your climate, and if you're a beginner, stick to herbs and vegetables that are easy to grow and produce well.

salad garden

Some Easy-to-Grow plants:
-tomatoes (cherry or heirloom)
-squash
-butter lettuce
-basil
-kale
-spinach

Harder-to-Grow:
-carrots
-celery
-asparagus

Check out some online guides for helping you find the right techniques and species for your victory garden:
lawn reform coalition logo
find regionally appropriate plant species and design ideas to reduce or replace your lawn.
plant a victory garden
Plant your own Victory Garden to protest big ag companies and big oil.

Everything you need to know to get started!

Online Guides and Directories to help you find sustainable, fresh and organic food grown near you.
Eat Well Guide
   

locavore iPod app find local foodLocavore
Automatically detects which state you're in and shows you what's in season and what's coming in season soon. Also shows locations of nearby Farmer's Markets and where fruits and vegetables are grown nationwide.

Click HERE to download Locavore from iTunes
Click HERE to see/get more iPhone apps

find a local farmers market
Find A Farmers Market, SCA or Co-op Near You
 
eatwild - source for grass fed meat
don't want to grow your own food?
Find out how to find it in the wild!		  

 

By increasing the consumer demand for local search marketing and local advertising, we can bring awareness into our society as a whole and build up our local markets.