Years ago, people went to one market or general store to pick up all of the groceries and household items on their shopping list. Today, we have a variety of choices when it comes to purchasing food and beverages, from super stores and warehouse clubs to farmers markets and joining a CSA in your community.
CSAs and farmers markets are similar in that both offer local, homegrown produce to customers at prices that are often much cheaper than at the grocery store, however they can differ in price, convenience and quality depending on where your food was grown. Regardless of whether you shop at a market or join a CSA, you are receiving fresher, higher-quality produce because it hasn’t been treated with the chemicals or preservatives necessary to mass-distribute and ship it around the world.
What is a CSA?
CSA, or community-supported agriculture, is a program that lets you purchase “shares” from a farm in exchange for a weekly delivery of fruits, vegetables and other farm products like milk, eggs and dairy.
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Tune in Friday morning on April 15 to Live with Regis & Kelly for the first of a two-part segment on how to grow your own spring salad. Matthew Benson, a contributing editor at Organic Gardening magazine, will show you everything you need to know about starting your own organic garden. He will discuss fertilizers, planting seeds and protecting them from unexpected frost. Plus, Benson will discuss cool weather vegetables that you can take pride in serving as part of a home-grown salad.
This segment combines two of my passions: sustainable food and healthy eating. Not only are organic vegetables good for your health, they’re also good for the planet’s health. Check your local listings for exact show times.
Organic Gardening magazine is a valuable resource to gardening enthusiasts who are interested in cultivating their own food.
Subscribe to Organic Gardening here.
While much attention is paid to the environmental benefits of organic produce, the local food movement is starting to also make real headway. No matter how your food is grown, if it’s shipped from across the U.S. or even from another country, that’s a long way for your food to travel.
Locally grown foods are fresher because they don’t have to be picked before they’re ripe for shipping, and are less likely to be subjected to different means of preserving freshness. Many fruits and vegetables must stay in refrigerated trucks, which increases the amount of energy the trucks consume.
While there are some extreme locavores out there, introducing more local food into your diet isn’t as hard as it seems. Plus, eating locally puts more emphasis on eating fresh, non-processed foods that will benefit anyone trying to lose weight. When you eat locally, you’re also supporting the local economy. Here are a few simple ways to eat local.
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There’s a lot of great stuff about this time of year. One of the best, and maybe the least known, is the availability of the Pick Your Own Farm. Also called U-Pick or PYO, these farms are wonderful places to take your family. In some cities, these businesses are referred to as agri-business, basically business that occurs on a farm.
In the United States, picking your own berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), apples, and vegetables is most common. Pumpkin patches, often with associated corn mazes, hay rides and wagon rides are common in the fall. Urban legend has it that You Pick Farms started after WWI, when labor was hard to come by and farmers were short on workers.
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Tune in this Monday, May 17 to the Rachael Ray Show to learn how to eat healthy at the summertime events like amusement parks and the ballpark.
From corn dogs to soft pretzels, find out the healthiest treats to grab once you get off the roller-coaster. And while you’re spending a summer evening watching America’s favorite past-time, find out which snacks at the ballpark will hit a home run with your diet and which treats strike out.
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