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Have fun connecting with nature!

Food-miles for the family!

Did you know… the average meal in North America travels about 1,200 kilometres from farm to table?

It’s harvest time in Canada, so this week take your family for a walk around your neighborhood or bike to your local farmer’s market to discover what foods are grown in your community.

This activity will help your family understand which crops grow in which season and consider the benefits of eating seasonal, locally grown foods. They’ll learn how eating local not only cuts down on the resources used to produce and transport our food, but also allows us to be healthier human beings.

What you do

Part A: Outdoors

Walk through the community to view fruit trees and community gardens. Point out the fruits, berries and vegetables that you see during the walk. Do you see apple trees? Carrot tops? Pumpkin patches? Herbs? Are these in season, or will they provide food at another time of the year?
If there is a farmer’s market in your community, take your family there to talk to local farmers. Ask where the various foods are grown or sold. If there is no farmer’s market near you, go to the supermarket and count the number of products that are locally-grown. Brainstorm with your family: what seasonal meals can you make using local products?
Part B: Indoors

With your family, pull out a random sampling of food form your cupboards, refrigerator and fruit bowl. Where did it come from? How was it made?
Using an online map or globe, plot where your food came from on a map. How far away was each item grown, packaged or processed? Do you know how it was transported to you?
Continue the discussion. Take action.

When possible, choose to buy food that is in season, organic, or grown without chemicals. Buy from local organic farmers, or ask grocers to bring in more organic or local products.
Grow food in your backyard. If you don’t have your own garden, your family can join a community garden or rent an allotment on unused land. Make sure to avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Your family can also join a food co-operative that shares the harvest from a large local garden, farm or orchard.
Eat at restaurants that buy as many of their ingredients as possible from local, organic producers. Don’t be afraid to ask where your food comes from.
Involve your family in these discussions and conversations. After all, before you know it they’ll be choosing food for themselves!
Additional information.

Food-miles refer to how far food has travelled. This makes up about 11 per cent of the overall carbon footprint of food. When food is shipped long distances, it is usually packed unripe in large amounts of packaging to ensure it’s ready when it gets to you. This can cause the fruit and vegetables to be less nutritious. It can also involve excessive packing that uses more energy and generates more waste. Adopting a local food mindset (and encouraging your family to do the same!) will reduce your impact on nature and result in more nutrients in every bite.

What's local this fall?

BC: apples, arugula, basil, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, corn, cucumber, edible flowers, eggplant, fennel, garlic, grapes, green beans, green onions, greens, huckleberries, sunchokes, kale, kiwi, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, melons, mint, mushrooms, onions, parsley, parsnips, pears, peppers, persimmons, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, quinces, radishes, rosemary, rutabaga, shallots, shelling beans, sorrel, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, watermelon, zucchini

Maritimes: apples, arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collard greens, corn, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, grapes, green beans, green onions, kale, leeks, lettuce, melons, mint, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pears, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rutabagas, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelons and zucchini

Ontario: apples, artichoke, beans, beets, blueberries, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, crabapples, cranberries, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, grapes, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, nectarines, onions, parsnips, peaches, plums, snow peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, rapini, raspberries, rutabaga, spinach, sprouts, squash, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon and zucchini

Quebec: apples, arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chicories, corn, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, fennel, garlic, grapes, green beans, green onions, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, melons, mushrooms, onions, oregano, parsley, parsnips, pears, peas, peppers, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rutabagas, scallions, shelling beans, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, thyme, tomatoes, turnips, watermelons, and zucchini

Prairies: apples, arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collard greens, corn, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, grapes, green beans, green onions, kale, leeks, lettuce, melons, mint, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pears, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rutabagas, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelons and zucchini

Northern Canada: apples, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, greens, lettuce, onions, pears, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, raspberries, rutabagas, strawberries, tomatoes, turnips, summer squash, winter squash and zucchini.

This activity is adapted from a lesson plan entitled "Round the year: Where and how is your food produced?" in The David Suzuki Foundation’s resource Connecting with Nature: An educational guide for grades four to six. Download the full guide for free.

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