The Benefits of Buying Local

Buying local helps you connect to the season, support your community and taste unique products at their peak flavors.

Red Apples

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Stark, via saveur.com

Throughout this fall and winter, Whole Foods Market and SAVEUR are partnering with Blog Awards opens in a new tab winners and finalists for In Good Company opens in a new tab, a series of culinary exploits from discovering new beers and sparkling wines to meeting local farmers and foragers. This week, we’re spotlighting Elizabeth Stark of Brooklyn Supper opens in a new tab, a blog that aims to help readers to better understand the season and how ingredients can change throughout. 

In her post Finding Local Gold opens in a new tab, Elizabeth shares details about her visit to Saunders Brothers Orchard, a farm close to her and Whole Foods Market supplier that selects apple varieties for flavor and picks them at the moment they’ll taste best. She reflects:

“Though each type of apple is only available for a short time, the Saunders Brothers philosophy makes for truly delicious fruit. In years past, apples like these could be hard to come by. At grocery stores, anything besides a Granny Smith or a Red or Golden Delicious was a rarity. Even now, when Galas and McIntosh are commonplace, the truly distinct varieties like the crisp, faintly floral Piney River Gold I tasted at Saunders Brothers are exceedingly rare.”

Read her post opens in a new tab, and discover how you can support local farmers and producers by shopping at our stores and experience those unique flavors. Then if you’re craving apple dishes (and you will be!), here are a few that satisfy. 

Apple Pie Smoothie
Spiced Apple-Pear Butter
Apple, Sage and Turkey Meatloaf
Apple Pilaf
Raw Apple Crisp
Dried Apple Slices

Dried Apple Slices opens in a new tab

What’s your favorite type of locally grown produce?

Explore More