Besides being healthy and delicious, locally grown food comes with another benefit – you know who grows it.
“A customer can look you in the eye and say ‘that bag of radishes was terrible,’” said Jennifer Wheeling of the Gardens at James Ranch, who sells her organic produce both at the Durango Farmers Market and online through their custom harvest program. “And you say ‘I’m sorry,’ and give them their money back.”
Being familiar with local farmers will give you an in to local knowledge about what grows where – farmers grow in La Plata County and the four surrounding counties – and what is ripest at which farm. Farmers at the market will often recommend a fellow farmer if they are out of a particular vegetable – either their season has ended or they’ve been affected by weather like the recent huge hail storms – and they know someone else has it.
“We’re able to pay attention to each crop, and we’re eating it all so we’re in tune to how it tastes,” said Dave Banga of Banga Farms in Mancos. “We know if something isn’t good.”
For some, there’s simple security in buying food from a nearby farmer.
“I want to know where my food comes from,” said Linda Illsley of Linda’s Local Food Café.
