It's the San Diego usual (bright and sunny) Saturday morning (9-1pm) and walking around the Little Italy Farmer's Market is a titillating treat for every sense. Colorful sights guide your excited eyes to new visual experiences, mellow music gives you a soothing sound to enjoy a relaxing day, tasty dishes tantalize your taste-buds as you catch a waft of the wonderful smells, delicious tastes begin marinating in your mouth, and with a touch of unique produce, some of which is only available in San Diego, you let your body take a well-deserved vacation.
The local independent farms that constitute Little Italy Mercado gives a glimpse into the accessibility and variety available through Organic Produce and Sustainable Farming. With so many competing local farms you are sure to catch a deal, and every purchase helps the local economy thrive.
San Diego has an ideal climate, capable of growing food year-round which makes sustainable organic farm fresh produce available near you. In fact many people easily grow gardens in San Diego, it is a great way to get fresh air, bond with your family, and eat healthy locally grown produce.
Industrial Agriculture is a long-distance transportation chain that requires food be picked early, before development of flavor and nutrition; refrigerated days or even weeks; shipped from grower to packer to distribution center to centralized warehouses than, FINALLY, to the marketplace. Locally grown food is different. Fruits and vegetables are grown with taste in mind and picked when deliciously ripe and ready for eating, not for shipping.
Think of our food system as a circle, each of us interdependent and connected with every other part of the circle. Where you buy your food and what you put in your mouth not only affects you and your health, but that of your community and environment as well.
Industrial agriculture uses nitrogen and fossil-fuel based fertilizers and pesticides which wreak havoc on factory farming land and the environment downstream. Pesticide drift affects non-farm communities with odorless and invisible poisons which often times resulting in groundwater pollution. Organic Agriculture prohibits synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Instead organic farms use organic fertilizers and through the greater biodiversity enhance soil structure and water infiltration. Well managed organic systems are better at retaining nutrients, greatly reducing the risk of groundwater pollution. An organic farm is the equivalent of reforestation. Visit an organic farm and you’ll notice something: a buzz of animal, bird and insect activity.
Going green is like a diet, the results are a product of properly identifying the small changes we can make everyday to succeed in our goals. Losing ten pounds is a great New Years Resolution, but what diet and exercise choices create that slimmer, trimmer you?
Local Independent Organic Farming provides healthy delicious food in a sustainable fashion. Organic fruits and vegetables are accessible, affordable, and provide taste and nutritional variety while supporting local farmers, increasing biodiversity and protecting the San Diego environment. Green does not have to be a dream when our lifestyle choices can help create a better tomorrow.
Take an adventure through Little Italy Farmers Market, SD Roots Harvest Festival, and The Linkery as we explore delicious food and nutritious organic produce. Watch the trailer on Organic Farming available at
http://www.youtube.com/user/HowCanIHelpSD or
http://howcanihelpsandiego.com/?page_id=6 Article Courtesy of Ronnie Das, Senior Production Manager of RDF Productions. For more information about RDF productions, visit
their website.
