Benefits of Shopping Locally

We've all heard it. Shopping locally saves you money, helps your area, blah, blah, blah. I have to say that for the most part I tend to just look for the best deal for us. Yes, that means farmers markets in the summer and u-pick produce farms. But lately that also means stopping at a local produce stand a couple times a week. This place has locally grown produce from several locations. But the best part is that it is staffed by pretty much the same three people who have gotten to know us. In other words, they know me as the lady with 7 kids. Which means I often leave there with lots of free food. The bruised, day old, not so nice looking stuff that they just can't sell. I bring it home and either the kids devour it or it goes in the freezer or every so often it gets fed to the chickens. Today I brought home a box full of yellow plums, apricots, peaches and a few peppers. We also paid $2 for another box full of bruised peppers. So we now have another gallon sized bag stuffed full of pepper slices in the freezer and a box of fruit for the kids to eat in the next few days. I think I'll be making pie filling with a few of the last peaches from our tree tomorrow as they are getting a little bruised and soft. But the bottom line is don't be afraid to ask if a local place sells their seconds. Last summer I asked this stand if they ever sold seconds and I left that day with a bushel sized basket full of tomatoes and peppers for $5. Since then they've been keeping me in mind when they have stuff that just isn't moving as quickly as they'd like. No one wants to see the food just thrown away. Sure, at times it means I have to come home and deal with it right away but that is a small price to pay for free or nearly free food.