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It’s that time of year again! (At least in my corner of the world.) Time for local farms to start harvesting their crops, which means that we can purchase food directly from the farms. Yea! Who doesn’t love farm fresh fruit and veggies? Sure, you can get produce from a local grocery store, but it won’t be as fresh as food straight from a farm. But how can you find where to get farm fresh food? Tech can help!
When I lived in England, I ordered my produce from Abel & Cole. Dave, the driver for our area, would arrive with his farm box every Monday morning, delivering fresh food and a warm smile. Now that I live back in the US, I have an Amish farmer’s market close by that has amazing fresh food at great prices. The problem is they are only open on Fridays and Saturdays. When I can’t get there, I need to search other options for my fresh produce.
My search revealed a great app, Locavore, that gives you information about local farms that sell directly to the public. The app tells you which produce is in season in your area (though it only covers the US and Canada now), where the local farms currently sell their goods, and a map to locate them. Once you select a farm, you can find directions to the farm, the time of the year they sell to the public, and their hours of operation. Locavore even gives you recipe suggestions, based upon what crops are in season in your area.
The app also gives additional information, including a profile of the farm, reviews and suggestions, as well as the items they sell. The app also provides a link to the farm’s website. I discovered some great local farms in my area that I probably would never have found without the app.
Locavore is a free app that was updated last week and is available in the Android Market and iTunes App Store. The app works on Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. (Please disregard any negative reviews in the iTunes App Store as those reviews were for a previous version of the app. The latest iOS version, released last week, is a five star app in my opinion.)
What is a Locavore? Someone who eats food primarily from their local area. Healthy for the planet, healthy for the person.
Another great way of searching on the Locavore app is to search by browsing the food you want to buy. My absolutely favorite veggie is artichoke. If you haven’t tried this tasty, healthy vegetable, you are in for a real treat! I can search to see which, if any, farms in the area are selling artichokes. Luckily, I found quite a few who have harvested artichokes in season.
Locavore works with a website, Local Dirt, where you can search for farms that sell to the public in your area. On Local Dirt you can search for produces and other items such as flowers, jams, jellies, cheeses, baked goods and meat.
If you know of a local farm that isn’t listed on Locavore or Local Dirt, let them know about this great app and website!
Bottom Line
If you have a hankering for healthy food, grab your free Locavore app from the Android Market or the iTunes App Store today!
Do you buy local foods? How do you find your local farmer’s markets? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Image by Marc
** Image by Ali Karimian
*** Image by jewel o’ the desert
I love going to farmers markets for truly fresh foods and baked goods. I didn’t think there were any local markets in our area, but this app showed me there are! I am so delighted you shared this with us, Carolyn!
p.s. I adore artichokes as well! 🙂
Hi Anita, Welcome back to The Wonder of Tech! I am so glad you were able to find a farmer’s market near you with Locavore. I hope you enjoy your fresh foods, especially the artichokes. 🙂