03/21/2024
I grew up here in the North Fork and to be honest, when I left for college I never even considered coming back.
Fast forward about 15 years. I went to visit friends I grew up with who had just had their first baby, were living in NYC, but had the opportunity to snag the house two houses down from where they grew up and were settling in there when we came to visit. It was at this moment I realized how crazy it would be to give up on the opportunity to live out here on the North Fork. I am lucky enough to have inherited land from my father, James Cross. And my mother, Conni Cross, a home and landscape designer, jumped at the chance to design her daughter’s home. So off I went into the next chapter of my life. In 2015 I moved back to the North Fork and haven’t looked back since.
I really do feel overwhelming gratitude for being able to live here. It’s not easy. It’s not inexpensive. It’s not for everyone. But it’s my home. And I see it differently now than I did as a child. My time away allowed me to really embrace what I love so much about living here. As you can probably guess, one of my favorite parts being the farms and other local places to grab delicious, local, food. And not only do I get the assurance that I am eating local, organic, regeneratively grown produce, meat, and eggs, but I also get to support people that I care about doing what they love most. And the joy exchanged in these interactions is immeasurable.
I feel like eating “local” is almost a buzzword, just like so many other words used in our “health” culture. But I thought we could dive in a little more deeply to find out exactly why you may want to choose locally sourced foods.
When you purchase foods directly from the consumer you (usually) limit your exposure to unnecessary added ingredients like preservatives, refined sugars, and funky ingredients you can’t even find in the grocery store (like propyl paraben or titanium dioxide).
Locally grown food is packed with flavor and nutrients. When food is stored and shipped, it loses some of it’s nutritional content and flavor. In addition, many local farms are starting to take up regenerative agriculture practices which means healthier soil and more nutrient-dense produce (and animals!)!
Eating locally means eating seasonally! This not only ensures more nutrients and flavor but eating seasonally is better for your health as we are meant to eat this way. IN the summer our bodies love cooling, raw produce and in the winter our bodies digest warm, cooked foods more readily.
Eating locally means supporting your local economy! And in a small community like the North Fork that means supporting many people you love and care about. This is honestly my favorite part of eating locally.
Eating locally is safer! When you eat locally your chances of contamination like these large outbreaks you often hear about in the news, is much lower.
You can truly learn what’s in your food if you ask the person who grew it for you! Remember, you are what you eat!
Eating locally helps the environment. Definitely learn more about regenerative agriculture practices, but to put it simply. Healthier soil means a healthier earth which means a longer and healthier life for generations to come!