Eating Local: Separating Fact from Fiction (But Beginning with the Funny)

Friday, September 7, 2012

Anyone who reads my blog knows that my regular shopping spot is the farmers’ market, which is the beginning of many great meals indeed. In fact, a number of of my posts are dedicated to the topic and filled with photos of gorgeous produce. Below are links to a few of them from my hometown and abroad where you can see pretty pictures and read a few funny stories that will leave no doubt in your mind that I am crazy about local produce.

• For the Love of Farmers’ Markets: Borough Market and beyond (London England, UK)
• Apple Day in London (London England, UK)
• Getting Local, NYC Style: Union Square Greenmarket (New York NY, USA)
• More Urban Farmers’ Markets: Getting Local in Chicago (Chicago IL, USA)
• Summer’s Bounty: Bet You’ll See Something New (Boston MA, USA)
• Black Friday for Foodies (Boston MA, USA)
• Local Produce in February? Farmers’ Market Five! (Cambridge MA, USA)
• Winter Oysters: Local, Sustainable, Delicious, Nutritious (Cambridge, MA, USA)
• How to Grow a Healthy Little Locavore (Boston MA, USA)
• A Few Good Reasons to Shop at the Farmers’ Market (Video) (Boston MA, USA)

See? I wasn’t kidding. A quick glance of these posts if not a full read (come on, read them all, you’ll be happy you did!) demonstrate clearly that I am nothing less than ebullient about eating locally. I’m like a kid in a candy shop and the confection is sun gold cherry tomatoes. Indeed, there’s many, many more posts on my blog that discuss this topic: just search farmers’ markets from the home page.

All that said, as a scientist I am irked by the fiction and folklore that often surrounds food issues. (Um, you know, that’s why I have a blog about this stuff and teach classes on it and all.) The amount of ill-informed opinion at best or anti-science at worst is truly staggering, and a day rarely goes by where I’m not sobered if not flabbergasted by the ubiquity of misinformation. Thus, I’ve been meaning to address the whole “local” thing for a while now to shed some science on the issue, which I’ll do in an upcoming post or two in the coming semester. But for now let’s begin with a bit of levity (as I’m wont to do) to get the conversation started.

Stay tuned for more to come on this important (and tasty) subject, but in the meantime it’s always a good idea to question critically where you’re getting your information from, including who’s giving it and why, to help you separate science from anti-science when making decisions about what to eat.

And, until then, at least always make sure your fruits and vegetables are free range.