For about two months, we’ve been getting produce delivered every Friday from Farm Fresh to You. We started for a few reasons: it would be convenient not to have to stock up at the store every week, we’d be supporting local farms, and we’d primarily be eating fresh, seasonal produce.

They have a farm about a two-hour drive from us, so we decided to visit last weekend for their “2nd Saturday Farm Fest.” It was a chance to see where some of our food comes from, relax with a picnic, and pick some fresh veggies for ourselves.

The veggie of the day was…beets! I picked an armful, as you can see in my photo.

There are some great benefits to getting food from farms near you.

• Local food – Instead of traveling 1,000 miles or more (the typical distance for grocery store food), your food will come from your region – usually within a few hundred miles or so. You’ll be boosting local or regional economies (and supporting farmers, farmworkers and their families) and helping to reduce carbon emissions from interstate or international transportation.

• Seasonal food – Even though we’re accustomed to getting any food we want at any time of year, nature doesn’t really work that way. When you buy food from your regional farms, their work is based on the seasons. So, you can’t get strawberries all year. But the best part? Everything tastes better in season. Food just bursts with flavor.

• Organic food – Many farms that are serving local or regional markets are farming organically. That means that they don’t use toxic chemicals, such as pesticides and herbicides to grow their food. And that means you don’t ingest toxic chemicals by eating their food.

It’s been fun getting a box of just-picked fruits and veggies right at our door. Each week is like Christmas – we open up the box to see what “Farm Santa” brought (We could check online, but I like the surprise.)

And I love that it’s becoming easier and easier for people to connect to the farmers in their region. Here are two easy ways for you to explore getting your food from farm to table:

• Shop at farmers markets. They’re fun, lively and full of yummy, fresh food to choose from. It’s not just fruits and veggies – usually there are local eggs, honey, cheeses, and more. Find a farmers market near you.

• Join a CSA or sign up for local farm delivery. This usually connects you with a specific farm to support. You get a scheduled delivery or local pick-up of the freshest produce. With a CSA, you’re usually buying a membership that helps the farm budget throughout the year, and with local farm deliveries, you usually get billed depending on the frequency and types of orders.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with local food. Do you grow your own food, go to farmers markets, or get CSA or farm deliveries? What do you love about local, fresh, organic food?

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