Eat local, Holliston! We’ve all heard of buying local, but what about eating local? Locovore is a new buzz word, but it’s something our ancestors did long before us. Locovore is the practice of eating food that is grown locally, and the benefits to our communities are numerous, including:

-supporting local businesses; creating jobs in our region and increasing our employment/tax base

-preserving valuable farm land and open space in our community

-reducing our carbon footprint

-and let’s be honest, eating local fresh food just tastes better!

Together with other area Agricultural Commissions, we hope to promote seasonally available agricultural products grown or raised within our region. So when you’re out and about around town, snap a picture of locally grown products from our many farms, and post it to our Facebook page, and let’s all start eating local.

Did you know? Strawberries do not ripen after they are picked. So… if you want a strawberry that actually tastes like a strawberry, eat local! And not something that was picked a week ago, and shipped 3,000 miles.

Did you know that eating local lettuce is actually safer? According to the CDC, one in six Americans get sick from food — many of them from salads — because the more steps there are between you and your food’s source the more chances there are for contamination. Food grown in distant locations has the potential for food safety issues at harvesting, washing, shipping and distribution. This lettuce was grown in Holliston by Upswing Farm.

Are you struggling to get your children (spouse, significant other) to eat more vegetables or drink more water this summer? A Cornell University study shows, that if kids (and adults) grow their own vegetables, they’re more likely to eat them. Stop by your local farm stand and pick up a few seedlings and start the Eat Local Challenge. This mint infused water is an excellent way to quench thirst and introduce kids of all ages to eating fresh herbs.

On a budget? Ask your local farmer if they have any “seconds”. The veggies or fruit may not look as nice, but it tastes the same, and it can save you money. There are many ways you can preserve the harvest for year-round enjoyment — drying, canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing. As an example, I recently bought 9 lbs of apricot “seconds” for $5 and made 6 pints of apricot jam. That’s a huge incentive to Eat Local!

This is a great reminder that when you EAT LOCAL, you’re also helping to preserve valuable open space in our community! Open space that will be enjoyed for many generations. Local foods preserve green space and farmland. The environmental question of where your food comes from is bigger than its carbon footprint. Buying foods grown and raised closer to where you live helps maintain farmland and green space in your area. If the land was sold to developers, taxes would increase because of services like roads, schools and emergency services.

When you EAT LOCAL, you support farms that give back to our community! Olivia, an employee at Upswing Farm, is holding a CSA Summer Share that is headed today to the Holliston Food Pantry. During the 2017 growing season, Upswing Farm donated over 500 lbs of fresh, locally grown produce to the Holliston Food Pantry, and over 4,000 lbs to organizations like Boston Area Gleaners.

It’s easy to EAT LOCAL when we have four farm stands in town and when our farmers sell at local area farmers’ markets, like today at the Ashland Farmers’ Market. Arcadian Farms has a nice selection of fresh peaches, blueberries, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and much more at their farm stand (Norfolk St) and every Saturday at the Ashland Farmers’ Market.

It’s estimated that the meals in the United States travel about 1,500+ miles to get from farm to plate. This long-distance, large-scale transportation of food consumes large quantities of fossil fuels. We currently put almost 10 kcal of fossil fuel energy into our food system for every 1 kcal of energy we get as food.

Transporting food over long distances also generates great quantities of carbon dioxide emissions. In order to transport food long distances, much of it is picked while still unripe and then “gassed” to ripen it after transport.

Did you know that tomatoes are grown year-round, locally? Visit your Holliston farm stands (July to September) for vine- ripened, soil grown tomatoes, and cross over the town line to Hopkinton’s Water Fresh Farm for hydroponically grown tomatoes in the colder months.

Buy local tomatoes at:

• Arcadian Farms, Norfolk Street
• MacArthur Farms, Concord Street
• Outpost Farm, Prentice Street
• Upswing Farm, Highland Street, entrance on South Street, Ashland

You can further reduce green house gases by composting your food waste. Learn more: https://www.mass.gov/lists/home-composting-green-landscaping

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