Green Tip: Eat Seasonal

Summer is close upon us, and with it brings a delicious array of fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables like strawberries, peaches, corn, tomatoes and zucchini among others. These delicious vittles when combined with beautiful weather make it almost impossible not to play in your garden, eat and shop outside at the local farmer's market.

By purchasing local foods in-season, you can help to eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, your food dollar goes directly to the farmer, and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Buying seasonal produce also provides an exciting opportunity to try new foods and to experiment with seasonal recipes. And it simply tastes better!

Local Harvest offers an excellent guide to local farmer's markets and spotlights small farms and communities who are doing their part every day to deliver the freshest organic produce straight to you, the buyer. Another great guide to in-season produce sorted by area, and early to later months can be found at Sustainable Table.

With all of these great resources available right in your backyard, there is no reason to be eating those week-and-a-half-old cherries from Illinois.