Published May 9, 2017
Eating with the seasons. While there are a few frigid months in Chicago that put farming—for the most part—on hold, eating locally allows consumers’ taste buds to experience the seasonality of their location, like eating fresh greens in the late spring and apples in the fall. This month consumers in and around Chicago shouldn’t have a problem finding fresh lettuce, spinach and radishes at their local farmer’s market.
Meet your veggie halfway. Buying locally attaches less miles to your fruits and vegetables, and therefore creates a smaller carbon footprint. Due to their consistently warm climates Florida and California produce most tomatoes for the United States, distributing far and wide to cities including Chicago. In the summer, however, the Midwest’s climate is warm enough to grow these delicious fruits, and many local farms take advantage of this window of opportunity. Going with the local option—weather permitting—gives consumers the same delicious foods but with fewer miles attached. Why should we let vegetables do all the traveling?
Build community, support your local farmer. Every farm has its own unique story and set of growing principles, and we think those are worth knowing! We love learning about the farms we work with, like Windy City Harvest’s Rodeo Farm, which is currently growing spinach for one of our upcoming events in June. Working with local farms also supports local economy. Taking part in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is a great way to consistently buy locally. By paying a fee at the beginning of the season, consumers receive a share of the harvest each week (or sometimes twice a week) with different varieties of fruits, vegetables and occasionally meat. CSAs come in all different sizes, prices and range in what produce they offer. In fact, some CSAs even allow their participants to harvest their own produce!
– Johnny Sudekum, Sourcing Specialist
Find a list of Illinois farms that offer CSAs here. We hope to see you at the farmer’s markets soon
