Eating Local Produce
Celebrate Local Produce
Oryana is blessed to have so many wonderful sources of local, organic produce and with the season now well under way, our produce department is looking mighty colorful.
The word 'local' is perhaps becoming overused but it does bear emphasizing how superior fruits and veggies are that are grown in the 'neighborhood.' In our case, the neighborhood encompasses 9 counties.
Why are local fruits and veggies so great? Here's why:
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They are FRESH! The fresher food is, the better it tastes, and the more nutritious it is because it hasn't had lots of time to sit in a refrigerated warehouse or truck and lose nutrients over time.
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They are SEASONAL! We have gotten out of the habit of eating foods as they come in season, expecting to buy tomatoes, watermelon, lettuce, etc. 12 months per year. Sure, you might not have your usual cherry tomato in your salad all winter but, oh, how fabulous that first, juicy, ripe, garden-grown tomato tastes! It's just bursting with flavor! And if you're industrious with a pioneering, homesteading spirit, you can preserve whatever luscious tomatoes you aren't able to eat fresh by canning, drying, or freezing them.
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They support our local ECONOMY! Wouldn't you rather your money go to your friendly farmer down the road, who probably has children and a house that needs maintaining, rather than a faceless corporation located in another state? We can make a huge economic impact by keeping dollars circulating locally.
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They are more friendly to the ENVIRONMENT! The closer the farmer's garden, the fewer miles it had to travel, guzzling not as many gallons of diesel fuel along the way. And if the farm is organic, they are not using petroleum-based inputs and other toxic chemicals to get a decent yield at great expense to the soil, air, farm workers, area watershed, etc.
- They are SAFER! The less the distance the food has to travel, the less chance there is of contamination or any kind of problem affecting its quality. If you know your farmer you can talk to him/her and most likely pay a visit to the farm to see for yourself how the food is grown.
Click to see what's local and in stock right now!
Oryana gets organic produce from the following certified organic farms:
Good Neighbor Farm in Leelanau County
Northern Natural Organics in Kaleva
Isadore Farm in Cedar
Providence Farm in Central Lake
Meadowlark Farm in Lake Leelanau
Forest Garden Organic Farm in Maple City
Ware Farm in Bear Lake
Omena Organics in Omena
Sweeter Song Farm in Cedar
Not sure how to use those great local veggies?
Don't know what to do with kale or bok choy? Come to one of our recipe demos and sample a dish utilizing local products and take the recipe home. Or check out our extensive collection of recipes.
