They say “Locally grown is the new organic” I buy only chicken from my state and fresh fish from Alaska and hit the farmers market now not becasue I am a ecofreak, but I am trying to not die from imported foods from China, Thailand, and central and south americas. I was in a great area this weekend called Kelowna, British Columbia and it was wonderful to pick your own cherries, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, get eggs straight from the chickens. We had a grand time and it all was better than grocery stores. Cherries were $1.50 a lb. and raspberries even cheaper self picked. I only wish I could have brought them back across the border. The border guard looked in our tunk checking out our contents, since all we said we bought was one bottle of wine, and that was all he found, “Yep, one bottle of wine” he said.
Here in my Northeastern state you have to be state certified to be organic or to put that label on your dairy to which I indicated (facilities pass inspection and cows are grass fed year round. Great people, great farm and bring my milk home in big jars, not milk bottles as people never return them so becomes costly to them even with a return deposit.
I just don’t show in the mass marketed grocery store any longer which was a choice before the “contaminated” scares.
I like putting my money into the local economy as well as those local farmers need it with the Midwest taking over much of the farm market (the government assisted), the small farmers in my state need a niche to compete.
Fresh seafood always available. Farmers markets galore during the week with homemade jellies, pastries, honey, fruits and veggies.
Even bees are "on tour" are being taken to other states that lack a bee population.
Have blueberries. strawberries on my property..a real treat. My neighbors “give away” veggies to family and friends as cannot use them all!
Even the micro breweries are numerous and make big bucks. Vodka distillery with an outlet startup by a US Ski Team investor located down the road from LL Bean use Maine potatoes (big boost to the farmer) and cold spring water popular with the Russian vodka market crowd ($34 a bottle).One has to be an entrepreneur to survive in the market place against big business.