Tired of the Local Menu? 7 Ways to Experience Seasonal Food 2.0

Everyone's trying to eat more locally produced foods knowing that what's in season tastes better, and it's easier on the planet when you don't have to transport your food great distances--which uses lots of fossil fuels. Even if your town doesn't seem like a haven for local producers, local eats can show up in all sorts of places. While hitting the farmers' market is the best and most time honored way to find the good stuff, sometimes farmers' markets are smaller and spread out. And what if you're in need of local producers outside of the farmers' market?

Keep reading to learn about 7 resources that can help you pinpoint the best local, seasonal foods that your area has to offer.

1. Local Harvest

Local Harvest is an online resource that can be extremely helpful when it comes to finding local foods. Type in the product that you're looking for and where you live and Local Harvest will produce a list of local providers. If you need honey, just type in honey and then your zip code. That's it. The site boasts tons of providers so there's a good chance you'll find what you need, or at least the closest place to find it. You can even locate farmers' markets and CSAs in your area.

2. 100 Mile Diet Web Site

Meet Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon who in 2005 started the 100 Mile Challenge, a one-year experiment in local eating. As a result, they're a great resource for finding tons of local eats. The site has one of the more extensive lists of local food resources on the web. You can even take the pledge to eat local and use their instant mapping tool to find your 100 miles of eating. And don't miss the 100 Mile Challenge tv show, coming to Planet Green.

3. Happy Cow

Although Happy Cow is centered around vegetarian providers, you can also use it to pinpoint great local natural food stores and organic markets in your area. There's even a forum for discussion so you can ask questions of those who are in the know if you can't find what you're looking for on the site. Happy Cow can help you to eat compassionately, while finding great local food.

4. Your Local Slow Food Chapter

If your area doesn't have a Slow Food Chapter, just start one up. That's not likely to be a problem though. More and more are popping up all over the place. Slow Food is a great resource for finding out about the best farmers' markets and local providers. At our chapter in Columbia, the best local producers are often members of the organization.

5. Local Food Blogs

Local food blogs are a great resource. They list events, providers, and restaurants that use local foods. Type in local food blogs on Google and see what you can find in your area. You may be surprised. Once you find a blog that you like, email the author and ask questions about the foods that you're interested in.

6. Natural Awakenings Magazine

Natural Awakenings Magazine is a simple, free magazine available at stores like Whole Foods and Earth Fare. The publication is regional and the events calendar in the back pertains to your community. The calendar shows local wellness and food events in your area. It even lists farmers' markets and events that revolve around food in your area, like raw food talks and vegan potlucks.

7. iPhone Locavore Apps

Jaymi over at TreeHugger wrote that an IPhone Locavore App is a great solution for someone who wants to switch to local eating and doesn't want to spend an hour on the computer researching food each time they want to make a meal. It offers government and NGO data for each state, and when you click on a food item, it brings up Wikipedia information and Epicurious recipes. And it only costs $2.99.