EAT FRESH
5 Benefits of Eating Local and Seasonal
Why consider eating food that is local and seasonal? There are a lot of decisions to consider when buying groceries every week, from what to buy and from where. It’s a personal choice depending on availability, practicality, and affordability. In reality, it may not always be possible to purchase locally and according to the season, but here are five compelling reasons to consider:
1. Food is fresher and tastes better
Buying local and seasonal means having fruits and vegetables recently picked from the field. When fruits and vegetables are left to ripen to full maturity before being harvested, there’s a difference in taste, texture and naturally contain more nutrients. Crops coming from hundreds of kilometers away have to be picked early and refrigerated to ensure they don’t spoil during the journey. Chilling can also reduce the flavour.
At Les Jardins d’Esmée, we gather most of our produce a maximum one day before or even the same morning they are sold. This means, anything you buy from us is guaranteed to be fresh and recently harvested. You’ll be bringing home fruits and vegetables that haven’t been sitting in a transportation truck or a refrigerator for days.
2. Know where your food comes from
Buying straight from the source means you’ll know a bit more about the conditions your food was grown in. You’re more likely to know what area they are coming from and what regulations are in place for growing organic food. Buying from a local farmer also means you can ask questions about how they grow their food on site. When buying fruits or vegetables out of season, you’re less likely to know details of where they’re coming from or practices of cultivation in a different country.
3. Less packaging involved
Fruits and vegetables in a grocery store can be found in bulk but are often pre-packaged and sometimes in plastic. Think about cherry tomatoes, herbs, cauliflower or greens beans. Buying local or straight from a farmer means less, if any packaging is needed.
4.Builds sense of community and helps local economy
In our busy lives, it seems like community building and getting to know your neighbour takes a back burner. Buying within your community or not to far from it, you’re supporting the businesses around your home and getting to know people in your neighbourhood. You’re making those simple but important connections.
5. Reduce transportation
Transporting food over long distances negatively impacts air quality. We all see those large food trucks on the motorway every day without fail. Purchasing locally from businesses within your community helps to decrease how far your fruits or vegetables needed to travel to get to you. And also buying within season means you’re focusing on what’s locally produced instead of sourcing food from far away in another climate.
