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1. Why should I eat locally grown foods?

• Connection - Eating local connects you to the seasons, and it also connects you to the people who grow your food.
• Fun - Make it a family tradition to go to the farmers market each week, visit a u-pick apple orchard, or plant your own vegetable garden. No matter how you approach eating locally, you are sure to have a good time.
• Preservation - Do you value our agricultural green spaces and traditions? It may seem simple, but purchasing local food means more money goes directly to our farmers, ensuring the preservation of agricultural lands and traditions.
• Safety - If you are concerned about food safety issues, buying local can help alleviate some of your fears, especially when you buy direct from the farmer. Most farmers enjoy telling you about their farm and farming methods, and some even offer tours.
• Taste - Local foods taste better because they are picked at the peak of ripeness and sold to you generally within a day. In comparison, non-local foods travel 1,500 miles on average, which means they often ripened in a box rather than on the vine.

2. Where can I find locally grown foods or value-added products?

One of the best places to find local foods is at a farmers market, as you can meet the people who grow your food. Joining a community supported agriculture (CSA) program is another great way to eat local, as you will receive a box of produce and other goods each week during the growing season. If you are looking for local foods in retail groceries or at restaurants, check out our Local Food Maps. And don't forget- you can also find local food in your own yard or at a community garden. Learn more about growing your own food.

3. What crops are available seasonally in our region?

When you make the switch to eating local, you also switch to eating what is seasonally available. For a listing of seasonal foods in our region, check out the Harvest Calendar from the New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association.

4. What is this vegetable, and how do I cook it?

When you start eating local foods, you may ask yourself this question from time to time. Don't worry - some of these foreign local foods will soon be your new weekly favorites. If you need a recipe, ask the farmer you bought the item from, or look around online or in a farmers market style cookbook.

5. What resources are available to me?

The Agriculture Collaborative hosts monthly meetings on a variety of topics, many of which are of interest to crop and livestock producers. Sign up today for our e-newsletter and learn about upcoming meetings and workshops or view our past meeting topics online. Our local food blog and our events calendar can help keep you up to date on what is happening locally and nationally with local foods and agriculture.