There are about a million reasons why we love to buy our food locally, but we can start with just three.
1. Health & Safety. By choosing to eat locally, you know where your food comes from. You know how far it traveled, and within what time range it was harvested. The nutrients in food go down exponentially over time. When you purchase food in a traditional grocery store, you are buying food that has travelled on average two thousands miles, over a period of days weeks. By choosing food from Flagstaff CSA & Local Market, you receive the freshest possible food – harvested only 12-36 hours before it reaches the market. It’s hard to go back to conventionally sourced food, even if it’s organic, once you feel the benefit of local food! In an increasingly complex national food system, outbreaks of disease producing bacteria are on the rise. When these cannot be easily traced back to a source, we are vulnerable in unprecedented ways. If you buy your raw greens at the Local Market, you can feel peace of mind that these are never part of national recall. The farming and distribution of these foods are independent, small scale, and never reach contaminated distribution centers.
2. Taste. Local food tastes so much better! It’s fresher and as it comes from smaller farms, it’s grown with care. This translates to better, fuller, sweeter flavor, even in things like bitter greens! We challenge you to blind taste test the produce from the Local Market against any of the same item from a Sprouts, Whole Foods or Natural Grocers. Local produce will win the taste test every time!
3. Make a difference in your community. Your purchases at the Local Market supports small scale, local farms. Over 80 cents of every dollar spent at the CSA Market goes back to the farmer. Compare this with the national average: 17 cents for every dollar. Your purchase will have a significantly larger impact at the CSA Market than it would nearly anywhere else. Small local farms rely on a local purchase far more than do say, one of the five US organic mega-farms that most stores source through. All this altruism feels good and actually makes the food tastes better too!