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peaches, carrots and other highly nutritive fruits and veggies.

*COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE

Invest in a local farm. In exchange for becoming a shareholder in the land, you will receive a weekly delivery of assorted produce and other farm products. The purchasing is done for you, and you're taking a proactive role in helping local growers. This site will help you get started finding a participating farm in your area.

*IF NOT LOCALLY GROWN, THEN LOCALLY PRODUCED

If limiting yourself to locally grown items is impractical, then give locally produced wares a try. These can include housemade jam made locally with non-local strawberries, locally roasted Colombian coffee, or bread from your neighborhood bakery. These items may not use local ingredients, but your purchase of them helps support the local economy.

*TERROIR

Loosely translated from the French for "a sense of place", the concept of terroir gives practice to the purchase of foods famous for the region in which they are grown or produced. Therefore, you shouldn't feel guilty about using parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy, or champagne from Champagne.

*TENDING YOUR OWN GARDEN

Perhaps the most time-consuming, and rewarding, way to eat locally is to grow your own vegetables and fruits. Find out what grows in your area and develop a planting schedule. Nothing tastes better than that which is grown by your own careful hand. If you don't have the room, or live in an urban area, try a windowbox herb garden and grow your own seasonings.

*FORAGING

Often, delicious wild edibles, particularly nuts and berries, are growing right in our own backyard and we don't even know it! Find out what is growing wild in your locale.

*GIVE YOURSELF A LITTLE WIGGLE ROOM

If you're a chocolate lover, or crazy for coffee, you don't have to give up those exotic products. There are simply some things that you will never find grown or produced in the United States, such as olive oil, rice and cacao beans. Allow yourself those small luxuries.

You may be surprised at how easy it is to become a locavore, despite the slight expense and dedication required. It's a small cost to bear in saving our environment and helping local farmers continue to share the fruits of their labors. Besides, the taste of honest food is not one that you'll be willing to give up anytime soon.

Learn more about this author, Erika Armyn.
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