Growing and Buying Locally

Take a walk through your market and you will notice apples from New Zealand, oranges from Israel, strawberries from Mexico and cauliflower and broccoli from Argentina or Brazil. But what does it mean to the consumer for these fruits and vegetables to travel thousands of miles? It means less flavor because the produce must be picked before it is fully ripe in order to arrive at the market without bruising. It also may mean lower costs to the consumer because foreign workers are paid less than American farm workers. For consumers in Chicago, even those fruits and vegetables coming from Florida or California are picked while they are “green.” – they ripen in cold storage, on your kitchen counter or they never reach full maturity.



Produce from neighboring farms, on the other hand, is picked when fully ripe in the early morning hours before driving the relatively short distance to a farmers’ market. Of course, the cold winters of the Midwest shorten the growing season and the consumer must buy the delicate fruits and vegetables from warmer states.

This summer, take advantage of the many farmers’ markets around Chicago. Smell the fresh berries when they come into the market. Taste a juicy apple from Wisconsin or a crisp carrot from Illinois. Become a partner with your local farmers.