Today, thanks to modern technology and transportation methods, we have an amazing array of food choices available to us at our local grocery stores. We have the opportunity to buy almost anything we like at any time of the year. There is, however, still a huge benefit in eating local, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Your Wallet – When Produce is in season locally, it is more readily available. The basic law of supply and demand means that the higher the availability of a particular crop, the lower the price will usually be. Your fruits also do not have to be shipped from a different country or grown in a hothouse, both of which use resources that not only push up the cost and damage the environment, but can also affect the quality of your produce.

Your Health – You will be encouraged to try a wider variety of different foods and will have the opportunity to experiment with some fantastic, healthy seasonal recipes. Not only this, but because local produce does not have to travel long distances, it can be picked when it is ripe. Food that is to be transported must be picked before it has ripened and then refrigerated so that it does not spoil or rot. Produce that is picked when it is ripe has had more opportunity to get important nutrients from the plant on which it has grown and these extra nutrients can benefit your health in many ways.

The Taste – Possibly the most important part of any food! For some of the same reasons mentioned above, seasonal fruits and vegetables simply taste better. Produce loses flavor when it is chilled, shipped and left sitting around in warehouses. The further the distance it has had to travel, the longer it has had for the flavor to deteriorate!

It can be difficult at first to know when certain things are in season, especially when we are so accustomed to being able to buy a lot of produce all year round.

You can use this map from Epicurious.com to see what is in season in your local area. Check the labels at your local grocery store to find out what has been grown nearby, take a trip to your local farmers market or even visit this website to look for a Food Cooperative near you.

Photo by erindipity!