Now that I've blogged several times about a particular local food or drink, I wanted to begin to explore the question, "Why Local?". I know that eating locally grown or produced foods gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling but besides that what are the actual benefits of doing so? Over the next several weeks, I'll figure this out and share my findings.
Benefit #1. Local (and seasonal) food tastes better.
The other day I attempted to eat a cherry tomato from some tropical location way south of Montana and I literally had to spit it out. My thoughts drifted back to those big beautiful heirloom tomatoes I got at the farmer's market last summer that I was happy to eat like an apple. My entire life I thought I didn't care much for tomatoes then I had one of these beauties and realized I just didn't care for store-bought, pre-packaged, long distance tomatoes. The superior taste stems from a few causes.
First, once a tomato or pear is picked or an egg is laid, the clock starts ticking. The longer it takes for the item to get from its source to your mouth, the more it will loose taste because of its age. So if you're eating an orange from Florida that had to be shipped to Montana, you're not getting the full flavor as opposed to an apple that has been grown in the Bitterroot and picked within the last few days or even hours. This is true not just for produce but cheese, eggs and sauces.
Second, the giant mass-producing farms that provide Montanans blueberries in February have to grow varieties that have a long shelf-life which may not be the best varieties when it comes to taste. Local growers can pick and choose what they grow based on how good they taste, not on how long they last.
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