I used to think local food was just a trend until I saw the numbers

For years I was all about buying whatever was cheapest at the grocery store, didn't care where it came from. Then last month I started tracking my carbon footprint with an app and saw that my dinner ingredients had traveled over 1,500 miles total. That hit different. So I tried a CSA box from a farm about 20 miles outside town for 3 weeks. The veggies were way fresher and I actually spent 15 bucks less per week because I wasn't buying stuff I didn't need. Now I'm not saying I'm perfect or anything, but the transport part of my food emissions dropped by like 40%. Has anyone else seen a real difference with local eating or am I just getting lucky with my farm?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nathan1mo ago

Had a buddy who started doing a CSA two summers ago and his wife told me the bell peppers actually tasted sweet for once. @matthewmartin mentioned the mile difference with tomatoes, that's the same thing with their lettuce - it didn't go limp after two days in the fridge. He saved like 30 bucks a month just because he stopped impulse buying the snack aisle stuff at the store since the CSA box kept them full.

the_joseph1mo ago

That 30 bucks savings thing is a real selling point but I think that number depends a lot on where you live and what size share you get. Some CSAs run closer to 40 or 50 bucks a week for a full box, and that can eat up your grocery budget fast if you're not careful. The lettuce staying crisp thing is definitely true though, it's all about freshness when it's picked within 24 hours. But the impulse buying thing is real too since you get a box full of stuff you actually need to eat, which forces you to plan meals instead of grabbing chips. Just don't go into it expecting to save money every time unless you're already spending that much on produce anyway.

matthewmartin1mo ago

My CSA farmer told me the average grocery store tomato travels 1,500 miles, but hers travels fifty feet from the vine to my bag.