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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!
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Do you buy local foods? How do you find your local farmer’s markets? Let us know in the Comments section below!
This article is part of The Wonder of Tech All Star series to satisfy your tech cravings while Carolyn is on vacation. This article is an update of an article that was originally published on The Wonder of Tech on May 17, 2011. You can access the article here if you would like to read the comments on the original version. You can leave comments below and Carolyn will respond after she returns from her vacation on August 20.
* Image by Marc
** Image by Ali Karimian
*** Image by jewel o’ the desert
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Hey Carolyn,
Locavore looks like a great app, these days more and more people tend to go for organic fruits and vegetables. Though i don’t thinks it’s going to help me much because where i live technology is like the eight wonder of the world.
But i do go to the local market as often as i can, can’t beat the quality and freshness.
Lynn
Hi Lynn, Locavore is a great app and website. I thought I knew all of the local farmer’s markets in my areas, but there were many more I discovered through Locavore.
I agree with you, there are so many benefits to buying local produce, so if you can do it without tech, you’re in luck!
Thank you so much, Lynn, for your visit and brilliant comment!
Hi Carolyn,
This looks awesome. And it would have been the perfect app for me, I’m a vegetarian. But, too bad that it only covers the US and Canada 🙂
Jens
Hi Jens, Yes, this would be perfect for you, but unfortunately Locavore has no plans at this time to expand their coverage.
Here is a site you may find helpful called organic-europe http://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/norway/default.asp
Thanks so much, Jens, for your visit, helpful tweet and amazing comment!
Locavore seems to be such an useful app. I tend to be a vegetarian (I’m eating animal products rarely) and that’s why this is my favorite period of the year, now I can eat fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s such a shame that is available just in US and Canada, hope it’ll be available in Europe soon.
Hi James, I agree, it’s a great service. I found a new farmer’s market today which meant a healthy, fresh dinner this evening. Yummy!
I do hope that Locavore comes to Europe, they would have a lot of fans there!
Thanks so much, James, for your visit and your comment. 🙂
I find it hard to buy farm fresh food since I’m living in the city right now. But whenever I get the chance to visit my dad’s farm, I can really enjoy the taste of fresh food. His farm have everything we need. Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, etc…. We can also have fresh animal meat since he’s raising chicken there together with other farm animals. I hope I could also find a good place like it here in the city.
Hi Mark, You may want to check with Locavore to see if there is a farmer’s market near you. Some major cities have farmer’s markets even though farms are miles away.
I can imagine you became very spoiled with fresh food, having grown up on a farm. Don’t give up your search for local farmer’s markets. You may discover one close by!
Thanks so much, Mark, for your visit and wonderful comment! 🙂
Yeah! Fresh fruits and vegetables are everywhere! That’s why I’ve learned to eat veggies when I was still young! LOL Moreover, I’m so lucky to see a local farmer’s market in a nearby area I might go there this weekend to buy some fresh food there. Can’t wait anymore!