With New Year’s resolutions in full swing, many of us are thinking about what and how we eat. As a mom of three, I’m always trying to find an approach to food that is nourishing, wallet-friendly, and protects the planet rather than harming it.
While fad diets come and go, there is one approach that ticks all these boxes – and it goes back thousands of years. Eating local, seasonal produce is a small action that can have a big impact. The idea is simple: buy, cook, and eat food that was recently grown and harvested by a local farmer.
A great place to start is a visit to your local farmers’ market. It’s a fun outing, whether you go solo, with friends, or bring the whole family. You’ll find fresh, seasonal ingredients and meet the people growing your food – all in one place. (Click here to find a market near you)
We’ve reviewed information from doctors, dieticians, and farmers about this age-old way of eating, rooted in traditions as old as farming itself. Now, we’re sharing the top five ways that eating locally and seasonally can improve your health, protect the planet, support your community, and save you money – at the same time!
If you’re hungry or in a hurry, skip to the end to find out what’s in season right now. We’ve also included three of our favourite recipes to bring to your winter table this month.
If you visit a market and/or make one of the recipes below, we’d love to hear how it went! Were the recipes a hit? Did you make any changes? Send a message to community@myclimateplan.com to let us know.
1. It’s fresher and more nutritious
Studies show that between 10 to 50% of nutrients may be lost during the weeks between harvesting and arriving on the supermarket shelf. Local, seasonal produce is harvested at peak ripeness. This means it’s fresher and packed with more nutrients than food that’s been shipped long distances.
Eating with the seasons also means we are eating a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, as different items are available at different times throughout the year.
“It really enhances diet variety to shift with the seasons, because you don’t want to eat the same thing, week after week after week,” says Sherry Gray, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and a nutrition educator at the University of Connecticut.
This has many benefits to our health. Different fruits and vegetables contain unique nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. The more variety you eat, the more you benefit.
Plus, freshly picked food just tastes better! Think of the burst of sweetness from a strawberry picked off the bush in summer, compared to one that you buy from the grocery store in January.
2. It can help you stick to your budget
Shopping at a farmers’ market can help you stick to your budget because you’re less likely to buy things you don’t need. In big box stores, you’re surrounded by extra products like snacks and home goods. Farmers’ markets on the other hand focus mainly on fresh produce and local goods.
Plus, studies show that in many areas, the prices at farmers’ markets are the same, or even lower than at grocery stores. By buying directly from farmers, it’s possible to save money while getting fresh, high-quality food.
And even if the price is the same, by connecting with the farmer directly you can ask questions about how your food was grown. This way you know exactly what you and your family are eating – a big added value.
If you find that the produce available at your farmers’ market is much more expensive than the store, search online for some farms near you. You may find you can save a bit of money by buying directly from the farm itself if they offer that.
Many growers also offer an option called a community-supported agriculture, or CSA program. CSAs allow you to pay a set amount upfront to the farm. In exchange you get regular boxes of produce that you can pick up or have delivered throughout the season.
This option helps support farmers with their upfront costs, while giving you fresh, seasonal produce. Better yet, you may find that the prices work out to be lower than what you’d pay at the grocery store. Plus, many farms offer a sliding scale to lower-income families.
Buying from your local farmer can also save you money by reducing the amount of food you throw away. “Customers always tell us that everything they use from the grocery store needs to be used within a day or two. With farm fresh you’re getting produce that was picked recently. It just lasts so much longer,” says Christina Stanoulis, a small-scale regenerative farmer in Guelph, Ontario.
3. It can defend against climate pollution
Food production is a big contributor to climate pollution. It is responsible for about 25% of the pollution that is driving unnatural weather extremes around the world.
The farther your food has to travel between the farm and your fork, the more climate pollution it generates. The main sources are transportation, refrigeration, and storage. When you buy from a local farmer, it reduces this journey – also called “food miles” – and the climate pollution that comes with it.
But food miles are only one part of the equation. The methods used to grow our food also play a big role in how much they pollute our planet. When you shop at a farmers’ market, you have the opportunity to talk to your local farmers about the methods they use. This is something you can’t do at the grocery store.
“I absolutely love when customers ask me about our growing practices,” says Stanoulis. “If they’re interested, I’ll tell them each step of our process, and how the food and flowers they’re buying were grown on our family farm less than 10km away.”
Look for farmers like Stanoulis who use regenerative agricultural practices. Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming that restores soil health and protects theliving things in our environment. It helps fight climate change by working with nature instead of against it.
Learning about how your food is grown gives you the chance to support farmers who are keeping climate pollution low, and helping our life-giving soil thrive.
4. It supports local farmers and stronger communities
Choosing food grown by local farmers helps small-scale farmers thrive. Communities with thriving local farms are better prepared to face price shocks from climate disasters and supply chain disruptions.
Imagine a hurricane hits a big farming area in the southern United States, destroying crops and blocking roads and shipping routes. Many grocery stores in Canada get their produce from places like California, Florida, or Mexico, especially in winter. If roads are flooded, ports are closed, or warehouses are damaged, food shipments get delayed or cancelled. Even after things reopen, there’s often less produce available, which can make prices go up.
While extreme weather can still be a challenge for local farmers, they are close to their customers and can often bounce back faster. For example, a nearby farm not affected by the hurricane can still bring fresh vegetables, greens, or preserved foods straight to the market. They don’t have to rely on trucks or long supply routes.
Buying local can also create jobs for community members, and strengthen your local economy by keeping more money in the community. You’re not just buying groceries – you’re investing in your neighbors and their livelihoods.
Finally, shopping at a farmers’ market helps to strengthen community bonds. A study from the Project for Public Spaces showed that people who shop at farmers markets have 15-20 social interactions per visit. Compare this to the grocery story where the study found only one or two interactions per visit.
These connections help build trust and a sense of belonging among community members. They also strengthen networks of support. The result is communities that are better prepared to face challenges together.
5. It strengthens your connection to nature
Most store-bought food is packaged and shipped from faraway places. We don’t see the farmers, the land, or the process involved. While this offers convenience, it can make us feel disconnected from the natural rhythms of food production and the people who grow it.
Eating seasonally helps reconnect us to our food and where it comes from. Visiting farmers’ markets or even growing our own food at home can build an appreciation for the changing seasons and the natural cycles that sustain us.
What’s in season in winter in Canada?
While there will be slight variation across the country, here’s a list of what’s in season in winter from Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia: Apples, arugula, beets, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, kale, kohlrabi, microgreens, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pears, potatoes, rutabaga, spinach, squashes, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter radishes.
Three of our favourite seasonal recipes for January in Canada
These recipes are nourishing, delicious, and have seasonal winter produce as the star of the dish. I’ve made the couscous salad twice already this week because it goes so fast in our home. Even my three and five year olds love it!
Let us know which ones you try, or what your tried and true winter recipes are at community@myclimateplan.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Winter squash and spinach pasta bake
Warm Roasted Vegetable Harvest Couscous Salad
Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas
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