Meet Your Local Farmer

Image Gallery Delicious, farm-fresh food is available, you just have to know where to find it. ISOTCKPHOTO/ALISON STIEGLITZ

Looking for food that’s fresh, local and sustainably produced? For many of us, that food can be found nearby at the very farm from which it originates. 

Recent news about the side effects from artificial colorings and preservatives, the decline of nutrients in mass-produced food, and the unappetizing practices of industrial beef production have made the choice crystal clear: Bypass all of that and buy as much food as feasible from local farmers you can get to know and trust. You can go straight to the source and purchase food from a farmer, shop at a farmers market or join a CSA (community supported agriculture). With the latter, a “subscription” will buy you a season’s worth of foods from a coalition of farmers in your area. 

These days, it’s surprisingly easy to locate your local dairy, grass-fed beef producer or vegetable farmer thanks to these handy Web sites:

Food Routes. This site features not only the “hows” of buying local, but also the “whys.” Food Routes is a nonprofit organization on a mission to close the distance between people and their food. The organization has even inspired a group of “Buy Fresh Buy Local” chapters across the country. Check to see if there’s one near you, or start your own!