Where you buy your food matters.
It matters for your health – locally grown food is more nutrient dense, and far less likely to be treated with chemical pesticides, herbicides, or ripeners. It matters to the farmers and producers they put great care and passion into what they do, and their livelihood depends on your patronage. It matters for our future – locally grown food is more sustainable in the long term, especially as climate emergencies and logistical delays are becoming more common. But most importantly, eating local matters for our community. By keeping your dollars local, you’re supporting Western New York in a direct, long-term way.
When it comes to buying food that was grown or produced locally versus commercially, the benefits are clear. And, according to Caitlin O., a Buffalo attorney and mom, it’s probably easier than you think.
It’s super easy for me to find local food options that can be delivered,” says Caitlin. “It’s easy for me to find stores that carry local food and it’s a short drive to go to a farm stand or a farm to get the food directly there.”
As cost of living continues to rise, many consumers worry that buying local food will be more expensive, and impact their ability to feed their families on a budget.
I think it’s always worth paying a little bit more for local,” said Monica, Buffalo resident and local food enthusiast. “You’re guaranteed the quality, and also you’re supporting our local community. And if you don’t support these communities, then we’re not going to have them as an option for our future.”
Local food depends on the weather and changing seasons, so when it comes to eating locally it’s all about catching different produce at the peak of their growing season. And buying in-season is actually the best way to keep your food costs down.
With the issue of seasonality comes a question of access – if buying local food depends on growing seasons, how can shoppers commit to eating locally beyond the summer months?
Asparagus in May. Strawberries in June. Cherries in July, Blueberries and peaches in August. Grapes and raspberries in September. Snap peas in October. Parsnips and turnips in November. The growing season in Buffalo is actually quite long, and each month brings an abundance of new items to farmers markets and local food shop shelves.
I buy local food even in the winter when you’re not planting and growing at the farm,” says Caitlin.
Many foods, such as apples, root vegetables, cabbage and kale, grow well into the cooler months and store well for year-round consumption. With a little help from greenhouses, there is a variety of fruits and vegetables that can be grown year round on local farms.
Local food producers are usually operational year-round, and many products like honey, maple
syrup, grains and fermented foods have long shelf lives.
Ultimately, choosing to buy local food keeps money in our local economy. Each dollar that you spend at a local farm stand, small food producer or farmer’s market goes directly to a member of the Western New York community, who is far more likely to spend that dollar locally themselves.
Says Emily Savage of Savage Wheat Project and Savage Wheat Bakery, “When you’re feeding your community, your community grows strong.”
The act of choosing local food is something consumers should feel good about. Aside from the health and economic benefits, slowing down to consider and appreciate where your food comes from can help calm the daily rush of our lives.
It’s kind of a respite from my day to day, which can be rushed and focused on convenience,” says Caitlin. “When I have local produce in my house or I plan a trip to a local market, it kind of gives me a chance to pause. Buying local also kind of gives me the peace of mind that I’m feeding my family something healthy.”
How can someone help do their part to support our local food system and community? First, seek out resources to help you find farmer’s markets near you. Research which stores prioritize locally grown food. Explore local food producers and the retailers who support them. Right now it’s easier than ever, as Western New York is at the height of our harvest season. Farmer’s markets abound with local food options, and it’s a great way to meet the farmers and producers and ask them how you can shop locally in the off-season.
“It’s really cool to be able to say, I ran into my farmer when I was at the farmer’s market, and you get to meet people and know what’s being ethically grown and picked,” says Monica. “Eating locally is where I start my meal planning.”
Eat Local WNY offers a number of resources on their website to help you track down local food. It also offers a local food pledge, created to help encourage WNYers to increase their consumption of local food by just 10% this year.
To learn more about local food availability, access and benefits, to hear more stories from the local food community, or to take the Eat Local WNY Food Pledge, visit eatlocalwny.org.
This series is sponsored by Eat Local WNY.
Eat Local WNY is an initiative aimed at increasing local food consumption in WNY. We believe food connects a community, and everyone in that community plays a role in making sure we have a healthy, sustainable food system. Growers grow and harvest produce, while being good stewards of the land. Producers source their ingredients from local growers and create food products we all want to eat. And consumers support growers and producers by buying their products at farmers markets, farm stands, through CSAs or through FreshFix, a local food delivery service. When we all do our part, our community thrives. Because when we buy local, we all grow local. eatlocalwny.org
The initiative is supported by FreshFix and the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions through funding by the USDA.