1. Shop your local farmer’s market each week for fresh, local and organic real food from the earth.
2. Put a face to your food. Get to know your farmer and ask if they have a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture.) If yes, sign up! I love my CSA. Each spring, I graciously send them a nominal fee ($250). In return, I get 18 weeks of delicious and nutritious, locally grown organic food This is the way to go! You can’t buy a month’s worth of organic, local, seasonal food at your local grocer for less than $250 a month. Click here to find a local market in your area.
3. Help your wallet and your waistline by growing your own food. For 10 cents worth of seeds, you can grow more than a dollar’s worth of produce. Start with a small planter of herbs or tomatoes. If you’re feeling more adventurous, invest in an Earth Box. Or, do it up right and have the experts at Teich Garden Systems set you up with some raised beds.
4. Join Slow Food USA. Their motto/mission/philosophy is: “Slow Food is good, clean and fair food We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work, and that all people should have access to this good and clean food “
5. Eat mindfully and be aware and conscious of the food you consume. Ask yourself: Where did my food come from? Was this animal treated fairly? Is my food organic or are there hundreds of harmful pesticides sprayed on my food? How many miles did my food travel to get on my plate? If you’re eating a coconut or pineapple it could have traveled more than 2,000 miles!
6. Be grateful for your food. Take a few minutes when you sit down to eat and enjoy a few deep breaths with your eyes opened or closed and connect with your food. Give thanks to the rain, sun, soil and all of the hands that made your meal possible-from the farmer, to the trucker to the produce manager and the store checker. Chew slowly and mindfully.
7. Try a 30 Day Eat Local Challenge. This September I am interested in leading a group in an eat local challenge. Are you interested? Let’s do it! Read more about being a localvore.