My Dad, eater of Joyva jelly rings, Kosher beef tongue, and the biggest bags of salad you've ever seen, moved from New York (where I grew up) to Bristol, Pennsylvania with his wife Paula several years before he died. So it's with quite a bit of pleasure that I've recently discovered the website Buy Local PA, a site committed to spreading the good food gospel throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania. The Buy Local PA site is terrific - inspiring, well organized, easy on the eyes, and full of good information, like this list of reasons to buy locally grown food:
THERE ARE MANY GOOD REASONS TO BUY LOCALLY GROWN FOOD
YOU'LL GET EXCEPTIONAL TASTE AND FRESHNESS
Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life.
YOU'LL STRENGTHEN YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY
Buying local food keeps your dollars circulating in your community. Getting to know the farmers who grow your food builds relationships based on understanding and trust, the foundation of strong communities.
YOU'LL SUPPORT ENDANGERED FAMILY FARMS
There's never been a more critical time to support your farming neighbors. With each local food purchase, you ensure that more of your money spent on food goes to the farmer.
YOU'LL SAFEGUARD YOUR FAMILY'S HEALTHKnowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations.Buy food from local farmers you trust.
YOU'LL PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
Local food doesn't have to travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials. Buying local food also helps to make farming more profitable and selling farmland for development less attractive.
BUYING LOCAL IS EASY
Use our website to find a farmer, farmers' market, farm stand, CSA, restaurant, retailer, or other local food outlet near you. When you buy local food, you vote with your food dollar. This ensures that family farms in your community will continue to thrive and that healthy, flavorful, plentiful food will be available for future generations.
One of the things I especially like about the site is its focus on local, sustainable foods other than produce, including "farmstead cheeses, varietal wines, [and] pasture-raised lamb."
