June\u2014fresh local strawberries are here\u2014in your own backyard\u2014or at a local Farmers Market.\u00a0 Fresh peas, spring onions, fresh beets, the first of the summer\u2019s cucumbers and squash—they\u2019re all in season!\u00a0 Perfect timing for National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a huge fan of eating fresh\u2014whether it\u2019s from my garden, a generous neighbor or co-worker sharing the bounty from their garden, or a hard-working farmer selling his or her produce at a farm-stand or Farmers Market.<\/p>\n
The only way to get truly fresh produce is to pick it yourself or buy it local.\u00a0 When I get it local, I know it tastes better, because it\u2019s picked at the peak of freshness–not picked green to be artificially ripened with ethylene gas in transit.\u00a0 And the flavor hasn\u2019t degraded because it was picked ten days ago,.\u00a0 Instead, it was picked today\u2014or yesterday at the earliest.<\/p>\n
I know it\u2019s better for me because it\u2019s not just flavor that tends to degrade with time, but nutrients, too.<\/p>\n
I like to grow what I can grow.\u00a0 Because I have to garden in sunny patches between trees, I don\u2019t have enough space to grow everything I want.\u00a0 Things like corn, watermelons, and cantaloupes take more space than I\u2019ve got.\u00a0 But local farmers have the room so I let them grown what I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Did you know that, on average, food travels approximately 3000 miles to get to your local grocery store?\u00a0 Think about the amount of fossil fuels involved in shipping or the amount of plastic in packaging.\u00a0 Grow it yourself and food only travels the few feet between your backdoor and your garden.\u00a0 Buy it from a local Farmers Market and it might have traveled a few miles\u2014but nowhere near 3000!<\/p>\n
If you lack space, then grow what you can\u2014fresh herbs or fresh baby greens in a pot in a sunny window.\u00a0 Then buy what you can from a farm-stand or Farmers Market. \u00a0That\u2019s the best way to celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"