The next time you go to the grocery store, try not to pick up those great looking tomatoes and peppers and deposit them in your cart. Even if you see the organic brand, pass it up and consider a new idea. If you can spend just a little more time, find a local grower in your area and purchase your produce from them. It’s a guarantee the fruits and veggies will taste better, stay fresher, and be better for the environment.

When you buy your produce locally, you know you’re getting the freshest products available. Think about this: Most supermarkets ship their food from 1,500 miles on average. That distance takes at least a week to get to the grocery shelf. Foods grown locally are ready for you to take home within a day or so after harvest. Not only will you have less waste due to your produce spoiling shortly after you get it home, but you will probably save money and shopping trips.

So, maybe you’re not concerned about eating food right off the vine. Fair enough. Then consider the impact shipped food has on the environment. Not only does it take lots of gas to cross the country, but many items are actually imported from overseas. Now we’re talking about huge amounts of gasoline. Purchasing local foods over the course of time will use less fossil fuel and reduce carbon emissions.

Another fact to consider is that when you purchase locally, you are spending money in your own locality which supports your local economy. If you haven’t been purchasing food from local producers, it’s easy to find out where local growers are located.

Check out the local co-op. Sometimes you have to pay to join the co-op, which usually offers many of the same products you find at the local grocery market, but you’ll make up for it in the long run because often you pay less for the food. Sometimes, if sales are good, co-ops actually return money back to their members.

Don’t overlook the local farmers’ market if your community has one. They usually meet somewhere early in the morning. Check your local newspaper to see if there is one listed nearby that will fit in with your schedules.

The one drawback of shopping locally is that you can’t just run down to the grocery and pick up your fruits and veggies whenever you want. But remember, buying straight from the farmers enables you to know exactly where your food is coming from. Also, the food will taste much better because it is grown differently and not force ripened or picked too early to mitigate the shipping time.

Some communities have a “Community Supported Agriculture,” program, or CSA. This is a great way to get the fresh, local produce delivered to your home. This is how it works: You pay some of the farmer’s operating costs previous to the start of season. Once the crops come in, the farmer repays you with fresh vegetables from his harvest. This is especially good in that it helps the farmer financially, it is convenient, and you will be sure of having plenty of fresh veggies at the end of the season. One disadvantage is that sometimes you aren’t able to choose the type of produce you want, or decide when it will be delivered.

There are lots of outlets and opportunities to buy local. Check in the phone directory or online, and begin to enjoy fresh produce that is better for you, your local farmer and the environment as well.