Why Eating Local is Important For Your Community

May 4, 2021 |Sweet Bites

by Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN for the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission

Have you ever stopped to think about where your food comes from? It’s likely that you’re eating food throughout the day that is sourced from farms and farmers (some locally, some not so locally), perhaps without thinking twice about it. 

But for farmers, things are different — this is their livelihood. So, how can we, as consumers, make sustainable food choices that support our farmers?

Visit a Farmer’s Market – For starters, hit up your local farmer’s market instead of the grocery store. Often times, farmers bring their own produce to the market, so by cutting out the middle man, you’re more likely to get quality produce at a lower price. 

In fact, many farmers who provide for their local communities offer organic produce. If you’re not sure where the closest farmer’s market is, check the database of farmer’s markets across North Carolina. The NC SweetPotatoes website also has a section on local growers throughout the state. 

Visit Farms Directly – When you visit a farmer’s market, if you meet farmers whose products you like, consider visiting their farms directly. By doing this, you’ll get priority picks of their crops, probably at a lower price than the farmer’s market. Plus, you are building a relationship with them. For an added bonus, schedule a tour of the farm before you visit, so you can see the production of all your favorite foods with your own eyes – this can be a great kid-friendly activity too!

Buy In Season – Furthermore, by buying directly from the farmer, you’ll inevitably be getting fresh seasonal produce. Buying in season reduces the need to import out-of-season produce that has a long travel journey. The selection may be much smaller than the grocery store, and not all produce will be available all of the time, so become familiar with which produce grows during which seasons in the region where you reside. Some produce, including sweetpotatoes, are grown year-round in North Carolina, but for produce with shorter seasons, stock up and freeze, can or preserve it for when it is out of season.

Join a CSA – Another way to invest in a single farm is to join a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. CSA groups deliver produce from farms weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, depending on your needs. You pay up front, and the group does the rest. Some CSA groups provide produce only, while others include additional local food options like dairy products, meat or eggs.

Setting aside the practicalities of eating local, our farmers are also a wealth of information at our fingertips. Most farmers are passionate about their work and would love to answer any of your questions about local farming. 

Here are some questions you can ask them:

Did you grow or raise this? Asking this guarantees that the vendor is honest about their business and is not buying and reselling the product. Plus, this opens the door for them to elaborate on their practices, which may answer more of your pending questions.

How do you grow or raise your products? You know the “what” and the “where,” but when you’re trying to eat sustainably, the “why” is just as important. 

When was this picked? One benefit of local sourcing is that the produce is much fresher than what you buy in the store because it doesn’t sit on shelves for long. To find out how much fresher, ask for yourself! The farmer can also offer more information about the ideal time to pick the produce and when its ripeness will peak.

How should I store or prepare this? Especially when you start sourcing sustainably, you’ll probably encounter produce that may be new to you. Check out our recipe archives, and/or learn from the experts themselves! 

What do you grow during each season? Even if you’re educated on the seasonal pickings of your area, not all farmers grow all produce. By asking what this specific farmer grows, you can learn a little more about their specialties.

As mentioned earlier, sweetpotatoes are in-season all year in North Carolina. May is National Egg Month, and if it wasn’t obvious already, NC eggs are also available year-round, and pairing the two results in a nutrient-dense recipe full of flavor!

North Carolina egg farmers are committed to improving sustainability and relying on local ingredients whenever possible. For example, in North Carolina, 85% of corn is from local farms, and in most cases, the farthest any feed will travel is 50-60 miles from the farm. This all helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the overall environmental footprint of farming. 

You can grab these two ingredients from your local farmer and whip up a delicious dish.

If you need ideas on where to start, give the following recipes a try: 

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