Search

How to shop local even when it is cold outside

Winter doesn't have to mean the end of local food buying. With a few simple adjustments, you can keep supporting small farms and eating well from local sources all through the cold months.

Seasonal — Winter 4 min

Restaurants, Chefs, and Business Buyers 4 min

How offices, schools, and community groups can buy local food

Local food purchasing is not just for restaurants. Offices, schools, and community organizations have real options for sourcing directly from nearby farms — even without a professional kitchen team.

A beginner's guide to spring CSA and farm orders

Spring is when most CSA programs open enrollment and local farms start taking direct orders. Here is what you need to know before signing up.

Cooking with Local Food 5 min

A week of family dinners built from local food

Planning a full week of family dinners around local ingredients is easier than it sounds. This guide walks through a practical approach to building satisfying meals from what small farms have available.

Best fall vegetables for roasting, soups, and meal prep

Fall vegetables are built for the way most people actually cook — roasting, simmering in soups, and prepping ahead. Here's which ones work best for each method and why.

Seasonal 6 min

Best foods to freeze, store, or preserve in fall

Fall is the best window to build a winter food supply from local farms. Some crops need nothing more than a cool shelf; others freeze or ferment beautifully with minimal effort.

Best spring vegetables to buy locally

Not all spring vegetables are worth seeking out from a local farm — but some are dramatically better when grown nearby and harvested fresh. Here are the ones worth prioritizing this season.

Best winter staples to buy from small farms

Winter local farm buying is less about variety and more about quality staples. These are the items most worth seeking out from small producers during the cold months.

Seasonal — Winter 4 min

Comfort meals built around local winter ingredients

Winter farm ingredients — root vegetables, dried beans, cured meats, and storage squash — are exactly what you need for the kind of slow, satisfying cooking the season calls for.

Seasonal — Winter 5 min

Fall meal planning with local ingredients

Meal planning in fall is easier than other seasons because the produce is sturdy, versatile, and cheap to buy in bulk. Here's how to build a practical weekly plan around what local farms actually have.

Fall produce guide: what is in season right now

Fall is one of the richest seasons for local produce. Here is a practical guide to what is in season, how to use it, and how to make the most of the harvest window.

Seasonal — Fall 5 min

Search-Friendly Comparison Posts 5 min

Grocery store produce vs farm-fresh produce

Grocery store produce and farm-fresh produce are not the same thing — and understanding the differences can help you make better decisions for your kitchen and your budget.

Holiday and Occasion 5 min

Holiday hosting with seasonal ingredients

Hosting a holiday meal with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients changes how you plan, cook, and experience the occasion. This guide covers the practical and the personal side of doing it well.

How Much Should You Budget for Local Food Each Month?

There's no fixed premium for buying local — it depends entirely on what you buy and how you buy it. Here's a practical framework for building a local food budget that works for your household.

Buying Guides 5 min

How to build a spring meal plan around local produce

Spring produce arrives fast and changes week to week. A flexible meal plan built around what is actually available makes cooking easier and reduces waste.

How to buy local food on a budget

Buying local does not have to mean spending more. With a few practical shifts in what you buy, when you buy it, and how much you order at once, you can make local food work for almost any grocery budget.

Budget and Pricing 5 min

How to eat seasonally in early spring

Early spring is a transition season — not winter anymore, but not yet peak growing season either. Here is how to eat well with what is actually available right now.

How to Meal Plan Around Seasonal Produce

Seasonal eating doesn't have to mean chaos in the kitchen. Learn how to build a flexible meal plan that works with what's fresh, local, and delicious right now.

Meal Planning 6 min

How to Preserve Summer Produce for Later

Summer gives you more great produce than you can eat right now. Here's how to freeze, pickle, and put up the best of the season so you're eating local food all winter long.

How to shop at a farmers market

Shopping at a farmers market gets easier when you stop trying to buy everything and start shopping for a few useful meals. A simple plan makes the whole experience better.

Buying Guides 3 min

How to shop local through harvest season

Harvest season is one of the richest times to buy from local farms, but the crops and rhythms are different from summer. Here is how to shop it well.

Seasonal — Fall 4 min

Holiday and Occasion 4 min

How to shop small for holiday meals

Shopping from local farms and small producers for holiday meals takes a little more planning but results in food that is more meaningful, more flavorful, and more connected to your community.

Cooking with Local Food 5 min

How to turn a local food order into a week of meals

A single local food order can cover most of your meals for the week with a little planning. This guide walks through how to make the most of what you receive without wasting anything.

How to Use a Farm Box Without Wasting Anything

A weekly farm box is one of the best ways to eat locally — but only if you actually use everything in it. Here's how to make the most of every leaf, stem, and root.

Meal Planning 6 min

Local food on a budget: start with these five items

You do not need to buy all your food locally to benefit from it. These five categories offer the best combination of quality, value, and affordability when starting out with local food on a limited budget.

Budget and Pricing 4 min

Local Food vs Organic Food — Which Matters More?

Local and organic are not the same thing, and choosing between them depends on what you're buying. Here's how to think about both labels and when each one actually matters.

Comparison 5 min

Root vegetables, storage crops, and winter farm shopping

Root vegetables and storage crops are what make winter local farm shopping possible. This guide explains what to look for, how to store it, and why local versions are worth seeking out.

Seasonal — Winter 5 min

Spring Produce Guide — Ramps, Asparagus, Strawberries, and More

Spring brings some of the most prized and fleeting produce of the year. Here's what to look for, when to find it, and how to make the most of the short window each crop is available.

Seasonal Guides 7 min

Spring produce guide: what is in season and how to use it

Spring brings some of the most exciting produce of the year — tender greens, early alliums, fresh herbs, and the first sweet strawberries. This guide covers what is actually in season and how to make the most of it.

The best high-value items to buy from local farms

Not everything at a local farm delivers equal bang for your buck. These are the items where buying direct genuinely pays off in quality, freshness, and price relative to what you would find at a grocery store.

Budget and Pricing 5 min

Weekly produce ideas

Weekly produce ideas works best as a simple framework, not a strict plan. The goal is to use what is fresh first, repeat a few easy patterns, and stop overcomplicating the week.

Seasonal 3 min

What fresh eggs, greens, and early harvests say about spring

Spring's first farm offerings — eggs, leafy greens, and early root crops — tell you a lot about what the season is and why it is worth paying attention to.

What grows well in small spaces

Small-space growing works best when you choose crops that stay productive, fit containers or tight beds, and match how you actually cook.

Growing Guides 2 min

What seasonal eating looks like in winter

Winter seasonal eating is not about deprivation — it is a distinct approach to food built around storage crops, proteins, preserved goods, and the slow cooking that cold weather suits.

Seasonal — Winter 5 min

What to buy from local farms in fall

Fall is one of the most rewarding seasons to shop from local farms — winter squash, root vegetables, apples, brassicas, and storage crops are all at peak quality and worth stocking up on before winter.

What to Buy From Local Farms in Spring

Spring is the most exciting time to shop from local farms — the season kicks off with crisp greens, fresh eggs, and a wave of early produce you won't find anywhere near as good in a grocery store.

Seasonal 6 min

What to buy from local farms in winter

Winter is quieter on the farm, but local buying doesn't have to stop. Here's what's genuinely available from small producers during the cold months and how to make the most of it.

Seasonal — Winter 4 min