Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? As part of our farm’s educational programming, we know you can’t just teach kids “where their food comes from” without talking in tandem about “where good health comes from.” The topic of knowing how, who, and where your food is produced is very important to achieving a healthy diet. By eating locally and seasonally you can get a vast array of nutrients instead of getting stuck in the 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, and an onion routine. Additionally, the food you get from your nearby farmer is freshly harvested when you buy it and has not been losing its nutrient value as it ages in transit to the grocer.
Here are a couple good resources for you to check out this National Nutrition Month–first, an article about how to use every morsel of the vegetables you buy and how to add extra nutritional value by adding unexpected ingredients to old recipe favorites (like avocados in chocolate mousse!). Second, the folks at Slow Food have released the film “Locavore: Local Diet, Healthy Planet” for free on their website touching on the impact of food on health, environment, and economy.
As you consider what you can do to optimize your nutrition please consider supporting your local farm and a seasonal diet by renewing your CSA membership or being a member for the first time. This not only brings you the freshest seasonal vegetables around, but also supports our urban farm and agriculture & nutrition education.