These days, there are often many options to choose from for the same foods in a grocery store. This is especially true with perishables like meat, dairy and produce, and it can be tough to know which is best without trying them all—and who has the time (or money) for that? One way to almost always ensure you will be getting the best, especially with fruits and vegetables, is to shop local produce for the holidays.
What are the benefits of shopping local this Christmas? For one thing, the food will taste better. It will also be healthier, as it is fresher due to the lack of travel time required to get it to you. There are also environmental benefits to shopping local. Here are some more reasons you should shop local produce for the holidays.
Better quality
While there are many reasons to shop local, probably the most convincing reason at the end of the day for most people is the quality. Local produce is often going to be of better quality than fruits and veggies grown elsewhere.
One reason for this is that it has a shorter distance to travel from the farm to your kitchen. Because there’s less distance to travel, the produce will be fresher. Vegetables and fruits always taste best when they’re picked fresh at peak ripeness. With local produce, you’re getting fresher, plant-ripened food that will taste better and have better texture.
Another aspect of this is that local produce is healthier. Fruits and vegetables that are picked early and shipped a long way are often stored in cold temperatures or transported with gases to preserve freshness. This often leads to them having fewer nutrients than local produce.
Environmental impact
When you buy local, you’re reducing your carbon footprint on the Earth. Because the food does not have to travel so far, fewer emissions are released by trucks hauling it long distances. There’s also usually less packaging involved with local produce—sometimes the farmer will even be able to reuse the packaging used to transport their goods to the market.
Local produce also rarely uses mass production techniques like monoculture or GMO seeds. This helps protect genetic diversity in our crops, which not only provides variety in our diet, but also acts as a safeguard against disease or blight disrupting the agricultural food chain.
Economic impact
When you shop for local produce, you’re also supporting your local economy. By doing this, you’re putting money into the pockets of local farmers and merchants in your community, rather than faceless corporations with headquarters in another state or country. Not only are you supporting a local small business, but that local farmer will be more likely to spend their money in your community and support other local merchants, which helps the local economy thrive.
There are many benefits to shopping local this Christmas, and hopefully one or all of the reasons described here will resonate with you. When you need the best local produce for the holidays, visit Horner’s Midtown Market today!