Locavores, obscure no more

The movement to eat locally grown foods gains momentum

By Jessica Sherifdeen

December 6, 2007

Eating local foods is more than just a trend; it’s become a way of life for many people. These people share a passion for protecting the environment; they believe that, by eating foods grown nearby rather than far away, they help reduce the greenhouse gases emitted in transporting goods and gain a closer connection to the food they eat.

They also fervently believe that local food — often picked perfectly ripe — just tastes better. In addition, many plants cultivated purely for local sale are bred for flavor, not durability.

Two years ago, a group of four San Franciscans who wanted to eat local foods began calling themselves “locavores” (some prefer to call themselves “localvores”). The name stuck, and this year it was officially declared the New Oxford American Dictionary’s Word of the Year, beating out such vocab as “colony collapse disorder” and “cougar” (newly defined as “an older woman who romantically pursues younger men”).

Interested in becoming a locavore yourself? If you live in New York, check out the new resource The Locavore's Guide to New York City. Elsewhere, the Eat Well Guide can help you seek out local foods. Or just take a trip to your nearest farmers’ market; that alone may be enough to get you started on your own local-food challenge.