Shopping for Food

Buying fresh and local food is rapidly becoming the way to shop for groceries. Awareness of the economic and environmental benefits are also increasing. The hard part is finding the stuff. Here are a couple of tools to help you.

In the U.S. the Department of Agriculture has a Farmer's Market Search that allows you to search by various criteria to find the closest market to you. When you are shopping these markets just make sure that they are actually selling produce they grow and not what they bought wholesale.

Another handy tool is from Epicurious. It is a Peak Season Map and shows you what is in season in a given state. It has links to recipes using that fruit or vegetable as well so you can plan your fresh, local meals accordingly.

Please share any other tools, tips and tricks from your area that help you shop for local produce.