Buy your fresh produce locally while it is in the season to integrate green living with frugal living. Purchasing locally entails purchasing produce from local farmers’ markets, produce stands, and co-ops rather than big box supermarkets. Buying in season entails purchasing fruits and vegetables that are currently ripening and being harvested. Both methods save you money.
Advantages of Purchasing Locally
The following are the advantages of purchasing locally:
- Environmental friendliness: Purchasing locally is more environmentally friendly because the produce does not have to be shipped or transported into your area by plane or truck. Grocery stores get their produce from all over the country and the world, and long-distance transportation means more pesticides, gas, oil, and energy are used.
- Building local economy: Buying locally can also help the local economy because you support local farms and farmers rather than growers worldwide. When you buy locally grown produce, you support a local economy in every step of the process. You’re helping local growers, transportation, and merchants, which helps your city and state’s economy.
Advantages of Purchasing In-Season Produce
The following are the advantages of purchasing in-season produce.
- Better taste: You won’t be disappointed with the taste if you buy your produce in season. Fruits, in particular, ripen and taste best during the seasons they thrive. When you buy produce out of season, the quality of the flavor is compromised.
- Cost advantages: Seasonal food is typically less expensive than out-of-season produce, owing to the fact that far less effort is required to bring you in-season produce. Fruit can grow on its own in the right season, requiring less time and labor. This translates into the most cost-effective produce for your kitchen.
- Increased variety: If you shop with the seasons rather than the same produce every week, you’ll have a much richer and more varied collection of vegetables and fruit. You can find new ways to experiment and enjoy new recipes with this variety of produce.
Buying in-season, local produce is one of the best things you can do for your family when grocery shopping. You can feed your family the best-tasting, healthiest food while saving money.