This past Sunday, I loaded up my bicycle with at least 50 pounds of local, organic food. Not in ownership of a car, this is nothing unusual, although these are special occasions when I have to be creative about using the panniers, rack, and a backpack.

Not more than a mile from my Seattle apartment is the Broadway Farmer’s Market where I bought ten pounds of pinto beans from one of my favorite growers. In the Yakima Valley, Alvarez Farms grows peppers, tomatotillos, onions, garlic, peanuts, beans, and much more. They tell me next week they’ll have two other varieties of beans which I also plan to stock up on. Their fresh beans I’ve bought in years past, but wished I’d done so in larger quantities as the freshness is like nothing else!

Another large purchase this week included 24 pounds of heirloom squash from the brand new Local Roots Farm. The bright oranges of their flesh make great risottos, raviolis, and soups. Or possibly even better just baked in the oven with salt, pepper, onions, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. The passionate and energetic young farmers have also grown some of the best foods that have landed on my plate since spring. Some of my favorites have been their collard greens, brussels sprouts, carrots and arugula.

Next week is the last for this year’s farmer’s market on Broadway, so I hope to load up on more potatoes, onions, and garlic, as well as the beans I previously mentioned. However I will be able to find many of my favorite farmers for winter greens at the Ballard and University locations throughout the winter, as well as at the Pike Place Market, where Alvarez sells daily.

People all over the US are buying more and more from local farmers, enjoying the benefits of superb taste and a higher nutrient profile from foods picked often the morning of your purchase. With the average meal in the US coming from as far as 1,500 miles away, buying food grown near your home is also great for the environment and supports the local economy. Many studies have shown local, organic foods purchased direct from the farmers are similar in price or often less expensive than conventional grown produce which has traveled from miles and miles away.

You can search for farms, farmers markets, or community supported agriculture shares in your area with some of the following links:

Puget Sound Area Farmer’s Markets
Local Harvest
Natural Resources Defense Council
USDA

Also of interest may be these case studies from Rural Roots, including one of Alvarez Farms: Northwest Direct Farm.

Enjoy this season’s harvest!

I came across a great resource recently. Skin Deep is a safety guide by Environmental Working Group. They are a small nonprofit formed to test and rate the safety of cosmetics and many items we use for personal care. “Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety”, “Skin Deep pairs ingredients in nearly 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind.”

On their site, you may look up the safety of a specific ingredient, product, or brand. You can also view by category, such as “skin care” or “baby care.” You will receive ratings of 0-2 for low hazard, 3-6 for moderate hazard, or 7-10 for high hazard. You may also take a further look at why this product is rated as it is. For example, some concerns may be links to cancer, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, allergies or immunotoxicity, organ system toxicity, other irritation, violations, restrictions or warnings. There is a lot of information on this site, and I know people can get overwhelmed with this. But with each rating you will also see a box telling what percentage of reviewed products have a better rating. Simply clicking will show you which ones. Results aren’t always as one might expect.

So, yes, us runners wash our hair and brush our teeth, but we also spend hours on end in the sun. If we’re savvy we’re probably concerned about protecting our skin from extreme sun exposure with clothing or sunscreens. Here is a special report on the safety and effective sunscreens. A great deal of to keep us informed here!