The National Resources Defense Council has a great tool that allows you to select your state and time of year to find out what fresh foods are currently available. NRDC’s site says that the majority of produce grown in the U.S. is shipped for approximately 1,500 miles before it’s sold. Foods are often picked before they are ripe and full of the optimal amount of nutrients. In addition, transporting foods around the country in trucks, ships, and planes hurts the environment by releasing greenhouse gases and producing more toxins for us to breathe in. Try to eat local and organic produce whenever you can to stay healthy, support local farmers, and to help reduce global warming, air pollution, and toxic pesticides.
Here are some examples of fresh foods that will be available in early April:
- New York: apples, carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips
- Washington: apples, bamboo shoots, cauliflower, garlic, green onions, herbs, leaf lettuce, mushrooms, peas, spinach, and winter pears
Visit the NRDC: Eat Local page to find out what’s fresh near you.
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Hi, see also this reporting an interview about shopping fresh and local, cheers, keep up the good work, you have been added in our blogroll – cheers
http://nirmalamagazine.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/shopping-at-the-periphery-of-the-supermarket-is-safe-today/