Why Buy Local?

Buying your fruit and vegetables from a local producer has many advantages, both for you and for the environment!

 - Locally grown produce is, by its very nature, seasonal; is there anything tastier than the first new potatoes or tomatoes of the season?  Baby carrots, succulent raspberries and, of course, broad beans, are all full of flavour when eaten within 24 hours of harvesting – produce flown half-way around the world simply can’t compete!   We even look forward eagerly to the first frost of the autumn in anticipation of our first parsnips, sprouts and other winter vegetables.  Buying seasonal produce reminds us how lucky we are to live in a green and fertile part of the world, and educates our children about their local environment.

 - Local produce, grown specifically for sale at local markets or for a veggie box scheme, will typically be harvested either on the day of the market or the day before, so that it reaches the customer in the freshest of conditions.   Our salad bags, for example, are picked and packed on the same day as the Wallingford Local Producers Market and will then last all week in the fridge.  Not only is our produce as fresh as can be, it will also last longer than shop-bought produce, thus reducing wastage.

 - Local produce is kinder to the environment because it only has to travel a short distance to reach the customer.  If the producer has organic status, or is in conversion to organic, then the environmental benefits are even greater.

 - Local produce is usually sold to the consumer by the person who has grown or reared it, so you can often ask them questions about the varieties they use, listen to their hints and tips for successful growing and give them direct feedback about their produce.   And isn’t it reassuring to know exactly where and by whom the food you eat has been grown?

 - Buying local helps to support the local economy, as the money you spend goes straight back into other local shops and services.