What do farmers markets have to do with nature or the environments? In many respects, nothing is more natural than locally-grown food - or better for the environment.
Welcome to this week's edition of Something Wild. I'm Rosemary Conroy for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
One of the best things about summer in New Hampshire is that there are more farmers markets than ever before.
Now, you may be asking yourself: what do farmers markets have to do with nature or the environments? Well, in many respects, nothing is more natural than locally-grown food - or, quite frankly, better for the environment.
Most of the fruits and vegetables found in our local supermarkets travel between 1500 and 2500 miles before reaching your table. Buying a head of lettuce from a local producer, therefore, conserves gas, reduces air pollution and cuts traffic congestion on our nation's highways.
And, to top it off, you are directly supporting your local farmer. And that economic support is crucial. These days, most farmers face ever-increasing pressure to sell their land to developers.
Yes, we do need places for people to live and work, but do those places need to be built on our best farmlands? Someday, as the cost of shipping food continues to rise, we may regret paving over all those acres of flat, well-drained soil.
Besides cutting pollution and preserving the character of our communities, farmers markets and local farms provide something more immediate - fresh, good-tasting food. Can anyone argue that a tomato picked weeks ago and shipped cross-country compares with the luscious taste of a fresh tomato?
Yes, those hothouse tomatoes may be convenient, and we certainly can buy just about any fruit or vegetable any time of the year. But local produce in-season serves what some may call an even higher purpose. It keeps us connected with the natural cycles of the earth during our all-too-busy lives.
And the places where we find that produce, once a week in our town commons our local schoolyards, helps us connect with each other, too.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, NHPR and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
For Something Wild, I'm Rosemary Conroy.
