Sunshine, longer days and warming temperatures are just a few of the things we associate with springtime. While everyone knows that springtime is a great time of year to get more active in the beautiful weather, people sometimes forget that this is also a great time to re-evaluate what you’re eating as well.
So start your spring cleaning in the kitchen. Look through your refrigerator and throw out any expired foods or things you don’t think your family would finish. Keep moving into the pantry; are there canned goods past their expiration date? Are there some unhealthy snacks you really don’t want your family eating? Throw them out or (if they’re not expired) donate them to a local food drive.
Remember, it’s a lot easier to eat healthy when you surround yourself with healthy foods, and springtime is a wonderful time of year to make that change. While you’re making a change anyway, why not work on eating local as well? Earth day is coming up this month (April 22nd), and eating local is just one step you can take to help the planet.
“Eating local” means making an effort to consume foods that were grown, gathered, hunted, or produced locally. This can be a great challenge in Alaska, and this challenge is evident in the fact that, according to the FDA, only about 5% of the food Alaskans eat is grown within this state.
While there are many challenges to eating local, there are also a fair amount of benefits:
- Local Food is Healthier. As soon as produce is plucked from the ground it begins to slowly decay. An apple you pick off the tree is healthier than an apple that’s been in the grocery store for 2 weeks. Because most produce takes weeks to get to Alaska, locally grown foods, harvested only days ago, are going to be healthier.
- Better Tasting. It’s no secret that the fresher the food, the better it usually tastes. Local food hasn’t traveled for weeks, so it is likely fresher and going to taste better.
- Better for the Environment. Another downside to purchasing food that travels thousands of miles is that it takes energy to get that food from the field to your plate. That energy is usually in the form of fossil fuels, which are limited and release pollutants into the environment. By buying local, you’re not just doing a good thing for your body, you’re doing something good for the environment.
- Support Local Economies. Your grocery bill is likely one of the larger parts of your monthly budget. When you consider the previously mentioned fact that only 5% of the food Alaskans eat is grown within this state; that goes to reason that a large portion of your monthly grocery bill is going to fund businesses in other states. While this isn’t necessarily terrible, I’m sure we’d all rather support our local economies instead.
So you want to eat local, but not sure how to start? Here are a few ideas to get you started, but don’t be afraid to explore some of your own:
- Investigate a CSA. CSA or Community Supported Agriculture is a different method of buying your produce. Instead of farms selling to distributors who then sell to you at through a grocery store, CSAs involve farmers selling directly to the consumer. By investing in a CSA, you purchase a “share”, or a weekly supply of food that the farm produces. Typically you only receive whatever is in season, however the specific items available vary from one farm to another. Some CSAs even offer meats, dairy, honey and fresh flowers in addition to fruits and vegetables. For more information on CSAs that may be in your area, check out www.localharvest.org.
- Farmer’s Markets. Another great way to purchase directly from a farmer is through a farmer’s market program. This option allows you to purchase exactly what you want while still supporting local farmers. Check the newspapers and local community boards for listings of markets near you in the summer.
- Grow Your Own. There’s nothing more satisfying than biting into a crisp, fresh vegetable that you put your own work into. Creating a garden doesn’t have to be a great amount of work, in fact, it can be as big or as small of a project as you want it to be. Don’t have any space? Try getting a plot at a local Community Garden, or look into the variety of methods of gardening indoors with potted plants.