Did you know that most of the produce and meats that eventually appear on your dinner table were shipped an average of 1,500 miles! This represents US produce only, not the items shipped out of season from around the world. This travel time impacts taste, freshness, quality, and flavor. Transporting our food has an additional impact on our enviroment in the form of increased fossile fuel emmissions.

By purchasing locally grown products we maximize the nutritional character of our food. Our money stays locally and benefits our neighbors and our community. We preserve open space in the form of green fields and pastures for grazing animals. Fields, meadows, wooded areas, ponds and creeks, provide food and shelter for many species of wildlife who otherwise have lost their habitat due to development.

The closer the better. When you buy food that is locally grown, you are getting food that is fresher and therefore more nutritious, and you are helping your local economy. Supporting local food may be slightly more expensive, but in the long run it benefits your health, our local economy, and our culture.

What can you do?

Shop at the Salisbury Farmer's Market. Open every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 am to Noon. www.salisburyrowanfarmersmarket.com