Food is better when it doesn't travel too far

Here's a new term to consider: Localtarianism. It does organic one step better.

A growing number of people aspire to a diet of seasonal, locally grown food. Some benefits are obvious: There's nothing like the taste of a homegrown summertime tomato from a roadside stand.

Fruits and vegetables grown close by are usually more nutritious, too. They spend less time from farm to table compared to produce picked and shipped thousands of miles, so fewer nutrients are lost. Local produce is also more likely to be picked at peak ripeness, in contrast to mass-produced foods that are often picked early to compensate for days in transit to faraway markets.

But proponents of localtarianism say the benefits go further than flavor and nutritional value. Buying local benefits communities, too.

"The real impetus for me is to strengthen our local community economy and to protect it environmentally," said Mary DeMare, general manager of Chatham Marketplace, a cooperative grocery store just north of Pittsboro, which stocks a wide range of organically and sustainably grown foods, largely from local growers.

"Smaller farms usually are more diverse. They rotate their crops, they use chicken droppings to fertilize, they plant fruit trees. So they're less susceptible to outside forces," DeMare said.

Like other food co-ops in the state, Chatham Marketplace is owned by local residents who buy ownership shares in the business, entitling them to a refund based on the amount they spend.

As I spoke with DeMare by phone, Stanley Hughes of Pine Knot Farms in northern Orange County dropped by with a load of sweet potatoes to sell. Hughes is known for the superior-tasting organic sweet potatoes and collards he grows.

The relationship the store enjoys with Hughes illustrates another advantage of localtarianism: Buying food grown by your neighbor builds trust.

In the wake of last year's E.coli outbreak -- traced to mass-produced, organic spinach from California -- more of us have become aware of the value of knowing our farmer. In fact, some small farmers don't even bother to go to the expense and administrative hassle of getting their crops certified as organic. Their customers know how the food is grown, and that's good enough for everyone.

Does it cost more to buy locally grown food?

"Our locally produced foods are slightly more -- 10 to 20 cents more for a pound of sweet potatoes, 10 to 50 cents more per pound for carrots," DeMare said. "But the flavor and quality are worth it. We're about to get Sunny Slope tomatoes [grown hydroponically in a greenhouse], and I can't wait."

And according to DeMare, the carrots produced by Piedmont Bioveggies are so good, they can't keep them stocked.

Although it is difficult to eat locally 100 percent of the time, moving toward being a localtarian is getting easier. Shopping at a food co-op is one way. A list of food co-ops throughout North Carolina can be found online at www.coopdirectory.org/directory .htm.

Farmers markets, roadside stands and subscriptions to community supported agriculture -- or CSA -- farms are other options. For a list of CSA farms in North Carolina, go to www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/csafarms.html.

With the growing season upon us, it's a great time to think about buying local. Your community will benefit, and so will you.