Why Local?

(The actual introduction to my class project):

The City of Redlands has had a love affair with food grown locally since it was founded, one that still thrives today. The city is so proud of its relationship with oranges, as a matter of fact, that it graces just about every logo associated with Redlands, including (but of course, not limited to) the official city logo, city street signs, and city buildings.

Despite being located in an area of California that can technically quality as "desert," produce seems to flourish here. It is so successful that many family farms have been growing in this area for over 30 years and selling their produce either on the local or commerical scale.

So why buy local? Other than the many different arguments for its environmental benefits, there are many different reasons. First, buying local gives you a clear idea on where the food you have bought has come from, so you can know that the produce has been picked fresh and ripe off the vine (or tree, or from the ground, etc) then brought straight to you rather than picked upripe and left to ripen in a box. Because of this fact, local food is always fresher than that sold in commercial grocery stores. Plus, with freshness comes increased deliciousness!

Local food is also seasonal, so you will always know that your food is ripe because it has not been picked or grown out of its seasonal limitations.Local can often be synonymous with cheaper as well, because there are no packing or shipping free to increase prices.And finally, buying local produce supports your local economy, which is great for everyone!

Redlands (and the rest of the Inland Empire) has an abundance of local produce farmers whom altogether could easily cover all your produce desires. From a variety of citrus and other fruits, to every type of vegetable desirable, buying local is not only sensible, but preferable!