EDMONSTON, Md. (WUSA) -- Marylanders are encouraged to visit local farm stands and produce markets to take part in Buy Local Week across the Free State.
Thousands of people signed up for the "Buy Local Challenge," committing to buy at least one locally grown piece of produce each day this week. The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission estimates if every home in Maryland spent $12 a week during July and August, it would put $200 million back into the state's farm economy.
One local farm helping Marylanders buy and eat local is the ECO City Farms in Edmonston, Md. It grows vegetables, raises chickens for eggs, and keeps bees on its one acre of property in Prince George's County. "The advantage of getting local is that it's going to be fresher," said Renee Catacalos, the director of communications for ECO City Farms. "Nutrients in vegetables deteriorate the longer they've been out of the ground and they haven't been growing. So the closer to home they can be grown, the closer to fresh picked you can get them, the better they are for you."
There are several resources for people across the region to learn where to get locally grown produce and other foods. LocalHarvest.org has a nationwide search engine for farmer's markets, local food co-ops, and farm stands. Marylandsbest.net, home of the Buy Local Challenge, has a list of farmer's markets across the Free State, along with recipes and tips for cooking delicious meals.
Eating locally grown produce and other food is more than just visiting a market. "Lots of retailers and restaurants are making it more clear now on their signage when they are supporting local," Catacalos told 9NEWS NOW. ECO City supplies food to restaurants like Busboys & Poets and Eatonville.
ECO City also considers itself a pioneer in local urban farming. It is located in the small town of Edmonston, just east of Hyattsville, near both the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and inside the Beltway. "It is part of a new trend to grow, not only in rural areas, but right where people live too," Catacalos said.
Written by Dan Guzman
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com