Why I'm eating locally this year

Lo-cal-tar-i-an noun: one who practices a diet of locally produced, sustainable food. [syn: locavore, localvore]

A few of the reasons I'm eating locally this year:

1. I like my food to taste good. Ever wondered how watermelons end up at the grocery store in December? Asparagus in November? Why most cookbooks assume you can get flavorable tomatoes for your Christmas dinner salad in the middle of winter? To eating things when they are in season!

2. Eating locally helps cut some of my dependence on fossil fuels. I'm not kidding, the fuel it takes to transport these items from around the world to my local grocery store is not worth the cost.

3. To shove it to the big guys – you know, the ones that designed square tomatoes for easier packing, and the ones that patent plant species and load them with suicidal genes so that farmers can’t save their seeds for the next year. Bye, bye absurdly genetically-engineered food.

4. For the perfect novelty of it all. I think there is nothing more intriguing than sinking my teeth into an heirloom vegetable named “Sweet Chocolate Pepper" or chopping into a "Georgian Crystal Garlic." Mmmmm.

5. To save money. All that talk of organic vegetables costing more may be true of those at your chain grocery store (they've been transported from all over the world), but I’m out to prove that it doesn’t cost more money to eat well if you do it locally.This is about eating well and, ultimately, improving my quality of life. Please take a look at my first posting in June. I hope you’ll follow me with some interest and give feedback when you are able.