April is Eat Local Month!

Charleston sure loves its locally produced food. There’s no shortage of family farms, CSA programs, farmer’s markets, community gardens, and chefs enthusiastic about the farm-to-table movement in the lowcountry.

So why not put in the little effort it takes to purchase foods grown and produced locally? Being conscious about buying local food usually leads to healthier choices, as you’re avoiding the processed and preserved foods and going straight to the wholesome, ripe-off-the-vine fruits and veggies, fresh eggs, and free-range meat, all directly from the farmer down the road.

This April, Lowcountry Local First is celebrating its first annual Eat Local Month with “fun and educational opportunities for our community to actively engage in eating what is ripe, delicious and in season.”

Check out some of the events on their website, like the All You SHOULD Eat Breakfast, Dirt Road Trip Farm Tours, and the Chef’s Potluck.

Of course, you can celebrate all year round by visiting your local farmer’s market or farm stand, planting a garden, signing up for a CSA, visiting a U-Pick farm, and supporting our restaurants who incorporate seasonal and local ingredients.

Want to ensure a weekly fresh delivery of local veggies to your door this spring? The Charleston City Paper has conveniently compiled a list of our area’s CSA’s, including their season dates, options for delivery or pick-up locations, what they’re harvesting and prices for different sized shares. Check it out here and get on that sign-up list!

Lowcountry Local First also has a Farm Fresh Food Guide, where you can find information on farms, markets, and distributors. The index of growers divides the producers into categories of “cheese, eggs, and milk”, “fruit, berries and nuts,” “herbs and flowers,” and “meat and poultry.” Check out the listing of farmer’s markets to see which is most convenient for you. Both Summerville’s market and the downtown market at Marion Square start Saturday, April 7th, Mt. Pleasant Farmer’s Market follows on Tuesday, April 10th, and Park Circle Farmer’s Market begins Thursday, April 19th.

SO. With all of this information at your fingertips, and a community quite enthusiastic and supportive of our local producers, there’s no excuse not to join in on the celebration this April, and for the rest of the year.

Spring is (almost) upon us, so plant some herbs, head to the strawberry-picking fields, grab a tasty omelet at the farmer’s market and enjoy a bountiful season of healthy eating!