Buy Local and Save Money

Have you noticed the new signs for some of the produce in your grocery store? The ones that say, "Locally Grown?" I was at Publix yesterday and for the second time noticed a sign that said just that, and underneath it were green beans, zucchini and yellow squash all grown in Redland, Florida (a well-established farming area in Miami-Dade county), just 1 county south of me, less than 100 miles away.

Buying local really does make sense in a lot of ways. One, you get fresher produce because it didn't have to travel hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to get to you. Two, because it's fresher, it tastes better and it's healthier. Three, you've helped out the environment because you've cut down on the carbon emissions the traveling to market took. And four, you've helped support local businesses--a really good thing, especially in today's economy.

And speaking of today's economy, if you shop at local farmer's markets, you will actually save money. I stopped in at Southwest Ranches Farmer's Market, my local organic farmer's market, and you wouldn't believe the prices--75 cents a pound for big organic onions (the non-organic onions at the grocery store cost between $1.29 and $1.39 a pound); organic sweet potatoes were $1 each (at the grocery store, the non-organic sweet potatoes run $1 a pound); red creamer potatoes and baking potatoes were 59 cents a pound (at the grocery store, they run $1 a pound). Pickings were a little bit slim, but, remember, it's planting season here in south Florida, not harvesting season, and they still had a decent selection--oranges, pears, apples, limes, lemons, stunning scallions, lettuce, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, herbs, homemade salsa, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, hubbard squash, cucumbers, the end-of-season tomatoes, etc. The owners of Southwest Ranches Farmer's Market even install edible yards for your home, as well as selling an assortment of vegetable plant seedlings, many of which you can see growing right there on the property.

If you want to find your local farmer's markets and other locally-produced food, take a peek at Local Harvest and Slow Food. Both have extensive listings.

So shop local, save money and eat healthy!