Celebrating local food week

Danielle Boudreau - Registered Dietitian

Today marks the beginning of Local Food Week.  This past Saturday, I had the chance to kick off Local Food Week by attending my local farmers’ market.  I bought a bunch of fresh vegetables while I was there including rhubarb, asparagus, kale, and mini cucumbers. I also got to spend the morning getting some exercise by walking around the market on a beautiful, sunny day.  What more could you ask for? 

Why should you consider buying seasonal, local produce?

1.Help support local farmers and preserve local farms

2.Save money
Typically, seasonal produce is less expensive than food sold outside of it’s typical growing season.  If we think about the principle of supply and demand, there will be a greater supply of any given fruit or vegetable when it’s in season.  This allows producers and grocery stores to sell the product for less.  Local food can be less expensive because it doesn’t have to travel as far to get from the farm to the market or grocery store.

3.It may taste better
This is subjective, and it depends on the transportation/storage times prior to you purchasing your produce. In general, if your fruits and vegetables are reaching you faster because they are grown locally, they will probably be fresher and taste better.  However, I can’t guarantee that local food will taste better. 

If you want to buy seasonal fruits and vegetables, take a look at Foodland Ontario’s Availability Guide here to discover what is in season.  If you want to buy local produce, look for the Foodland Ontario logo when picking your fruits and vegetables at the grocery store.

For local, seasonal produce and a fun morning on the town, check out your local farmers’ market!  For those of you in Oakville, your local farmers’ market opened Saturday June 3rd and will be open every Saturday from 8am-2pm until October 28, 2017.  You can find the Oakville farmers’ market at 115 George Street.

Let us know in the comments below how you plan on celebrating local food week!

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