Tired of Your Produce Being Jetlagged by the Time You Eat It?

Posted by Lesli

Aaaahhh! Spring has sprung! If you were too busy to notice that the first day of Spring was a few days ago, take a moment now and savour what this means...Soon we can put our winter boots away (Hello Sandals!)...Pack up those wool sweaters...and, yes, even start thinking about summer meals in the sun!

Summer means more time barbecuing, more salads and best of all - more fresh, local fruits and vegetables to cook with, meaning you get to go shopping at the nearby Farmer's Market! There's few feelings (food related) as satisfying as knowing the lettuce you're nibbling on, or the strawberries you're noshing are from within a 50 mile radius of where you live. Maybe you've never really thought about it? Well, maybe you should...

Supporting local growers by eating foods grown locally is part of the Slow Food Movement.

Have you ever questioned the integrity of your grape tomato, flown in from Mexico, to be sold on your grocer's produce shelf. When was it picked? How much chemicalization occurred on those cute little tomatoes? How many people handled those tomatoes? I often ask these questions...But, alas, in the dead of winter, when I need tomatoes for my rather delicious Greek Salad, I'm not likely to refuse the tomato that doesn't have a detailed travel itinerary.

But, when this time of year comes around, I relish in the fact that I do have a choice and that's what makes buying locally great. We can ask the vendors at our Farmer's Markets all of the questions we want about the food we're about to purchase. And in most cases we can go away with our Farmer's Market goodies knowing that we are getting the freshest and healthiest produce possible - which makes eating it alot more enjoyable...

TAGS: Barbecuing, Choice, Farmers Market, Freshest, Grape Tomotoes, Greek Salad, Healthiest, Jetlagged, Lettuce, Local Growers, Mexico, Nibbling, Nosh, Salads, Savour, Slow Food Movement, Spring, Strawberries, Summer Meals, Sun, Tomato
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