Locavore, food miles, and all the trendy lingo...

It seems like an innocent enough idea: deciding to eat only what grows locally. Choosing to not purchase food that was driven/flown/shipped a large distance before it arrived on your plate. What a good consumer you are!

But-

Considering that your local tomato was likely grown in a greenhouse, watered via an irrigation system, grew plump and juicy in a climate controlled environment...

I think that what we need to focus on is where your food came from. I mean where it really came from. Not Shoprite, not even South America. But knowing that your yogurt came from Happy Valley Dairy Farm in upstate New York. They may not be certified organic (simply because they use antibiotics on sick cattle, eventhough the treated animals are pulled from milking until all medication has left their system. Organic farmers must put down any and all cattle that have infections.) but you really know what you're eating and the story behind it all.

This is one of the benefits of shopping at your local farmers' market. Not only do you know that the food wasn't trucked in from Mexico and ripened in the flatbed of a truck, but you can talk to the growers, ask them how they like to prepare the food, and make a connection.

And maybe I am biased because I am the daughter of an independent business owner, but when you support local farmers (and local business in general) you know that your money is sending their kids to college, paying off the new tractor, and making the life of your neighbor a bit easier.

So forget the lingo. Buy good food from people and farms that you know and want to support. Beef is exceptionally hard on the environment (all those cow burps) so lighten up on the red meat. Try as much as you can to stay local, but don't deny food from a little further away.