1 – Local Food Tastes Better Because It Is Fresh
Often the food you find at the farmers market or from your CSA has been picked within twenty four hours of you receiving it. Fresh food means sugars haven’t converted to starch, and vitamins and minerals haven’t degraded.
Eating fresh food always tastes better. It is crisp and juicy, firm, and full of flavor. Eat your food soon after buying it, or learn some ways to preserve it!
2 – Local Food Tastes Better Because It Is Ripe
Local farmers can harvest their food at the peak of ripeness. Non-local food has to be shipped and stored before it gets to you. Much of the produce is picked under ripe, so that it won’t spoil before it arrives at your store.
Ripe food tastes best. Plants want you to eat ripe fruit because that is how they spread their seeds. Thus, fruit is the sweetest, juiciest, and most delicious when it is at its peak of ripeness.
3 – Local Food Tastes Better Because There Are
No Sprays or Waxes on the Food
Much of your produce has been treated with waxes and sprays to make it last longer so it can withstand shipping and then sitting in your market before you buy it. Produce that hasn’t been treated will still smell and act as it should right off the plant. You will get the full sensory experience when you eat it, making it tastier.
Just because a food has a longer shelf life, doesn’t mean it tastes better. You want your food to breathe, so you can be sure it is fresh and ripe.
4 – Local Food Tastes Better Because It Is Seasonal
Ever tried a tomato out of season? Yeah, I don’t like them either. Food eaten in season is grown in ideal conditions for the plant. And that seasonal produce is full of flavor and delicious.
5 – Local Food Tastes Better Because
It Comes From Small Diverse Farms
A diverse farm is likely run with less pest pressures, and healthier soils. The diversity of multiple fruits, vegetables, and animals combine to make healthier and more delicious foods.
Plants grown in healthy soil have a fungal network below the soil, helping them find the nutrients they need. Healthy soil comes from diverse plants, not monocrops.
6 – Local Food Tastes Better Because It Is Grown for Taste
When you sell locally, you can grow the best tasting varieties of foods. You don’t have to worry about uniformity in appearance, and you don’t have to grow for longevity. Buying uglier produce simply means that it wasn’t grown for someone’s eye, but for their taste buds instead.
Local farmers have the ability to adjust their crops to meet their customers’ interests, rather than selling to marketers. They know that their food doesn’t have to last a long time, and that customers want delicious foods.
Local farmers can grow heirloom vegetables, fruits, and animals. Heirloom animals may not grow as fast or as consistently, but they may taste better. Produce that grows irregularly but is delicious can be sold locally.
7 – Local Food Tastes Better Because You Can Taste Test It
Your farmer may let you taste test what you want to buy before you bring it home. That way you can ensure you get exactly what you want. Often a farmer will offer samples at the market so you can decide which variety you might want to take home with you.
8 – Local Food Tastes Better Because
Local Farmers Know Their Food Best
Talk with them! They can offer suggestions on how best to prepare their foods. And you, in turn, can request if they can grow something different that you might be interested in trying. It’s a great collaboration, one that allows you to best enjoy fresh, ripe, seasonal local foods!
