Are You LOCAL?!?

Last week I was driving around town and noticed a new roadside veggie stand opened. This always brings a smile to my face because it means summer is here and frankly, even though I operate a veggie stand, there can’t ever be too many.

I slowed down to check out their sign board. Cantaloupe…Corn…in May? It was the same sinking feeling I have walking into Wal-Mart in October and seeing Christmas decorations. Cantaloupe…Corn…In May!? Something they’re selling may be local but it sure ain’t cantaloupe and corn.

If you go by the government’s standard (400 miles), you could get in your car, drive to New York City, buy an apple and claim you’re buying local. But we’re a smarter breed here. We know that local means your neighbor, the fellow you recognize from TriStar or the farmer who makes the front page of the Record for growing a state champ pumpkin.

Buying and eating LOCAL and SEASONAL is all about celebrating the moment in the moment! And taste, oh yeah, taste, taste, taste!

May is for eating and freezing ever juicy strawberry one can get their hands on. It’s midway through the two-month gorge on asparagus. May is the wonderful in-between month when one mixes fresh greens with earthy carrots, turnips and beets.

Eating in the season is one of the most sensual treats Mother Nature provides. Who wants to water it down with melons and corn planted in the winter and trucked in from the deep south?

So visit every road side veggie stand you come across this summer. And when you do, ask them what’s LOCAL and what’s SEASONAL. If they give you a blank stare swing on by the Dug In stand and we’ll point you to the real local.

Thanks as always for stopping by, Carolyn

#Local