You probably started hearing people refer to food as “organic” about 10 years ago. The word is used to refer to food that was produced without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides/herbicides. That word “organic” is now used on many products as a way of saying it is better for you than the conventional version.

Have you heard much about “local” food? The idea behind promoting local food is to support our local economy while helping the environment by not shipping food away from where it is grown. As much as we all love the look of strawberries in February, we are almost always disappointed when we get them home.

Locally grown food tastes better than imported counterparts because it is harvested at the peak of ripeness and spared a cross country trip in a truck.

I am a big fan of farmers markets, which are popping up all over, even during the week in many locations. Buying directly from the farmers give you a chance to save money and meet the people who grow your food. As well as you help them make a better profit by cutting out the middle man.

Alternately, many grocery stores are labelling which items are locally grown to help you make informed decisions.

Something our society has moved away from is preserving food for the winter. You can save money and savour the freshest local produce all winter long by learning how to preserve food. You can pickle, can, and freeze many vegetables and fruit for later consumption. Here is a website that shows you what vegetables are ready and when so you can keep your eyes peeled for the freshest of local produce.

Ask for local products when shopping and support our local farmers whenever possible.