Eating local vs. eating organic

Time magazine ran a story a couple of weeks ago about the relative benefits of eating locally grown food versus food grown organically. There's not a clear-cut answer in terms of nutrition, but certainly some foods taste better when they are fresher (e.g. tomatoes) while others may be fine being shipped long distances (e.g. hard squashes). And certainly shipping food long distances has a greater environmental impact.

I'm a locally grown advocate myself, and I met a man a week and a half ago in Salinas with another perspective. I was having dinner with Justin and his parents at the Chamisal Tennis Club, and a new club member who works for Dole made the point that certain areas are better for growing certain foods. Certainly lettuce and the Salinas Valley spring to mind.

In "Eating Better than Organic," Time contributor John Cloud journeys from Whole Foods to Google's campus to Windflower Farms to find his answer. Read the article and this one from Michael Pollan to help you find yours.

(Hat tip to Jack. :-)