Have you ever wondered ... when making the purchase, what is the story of that food? Under what conditions was it cultivated, where did it come from or how many miles did it travel to get to your table?
The consumption of local products, is part of a broader "sustainable movement" seeking a harmonious relationship between society and nature. Conserve and protect the environment responsibly without endangering our resources or those of future generations.
In the last few years a social movement that promotes "the local" "the most natural", without pesticides, pesticides, preservatives, colorings, petroleum derivatives, without hormones ... without artificial ingredients has taken root.
More and more people read the labels in detail and are interested in their origin and their components, looking for products and foods that do not harm the environment or contain ingredients that can deplete their health.
We encourage you not only go to the supermarket to do your shopping, but also visit the farmer’s markets and ask about how the food has been grown, what properties it has, how you can cook it ... for children and not so children, it can be exciting to see how food grows, to know its surroundings and to be able to strengthen the bond between us, consumers and growers.
There are many reasons why we advise you to consume local products, these are eight of them:
- You can have the luxury of eating something really fresh, with more flavor and with more nutrients, since the food has completed its maturation in the plant and has been collected few days before being bought. On the other hand, the products, which reach your table, must travel long distances, are not usually harvested at the optimum time of maturation and remain for weeks in cold storage until they reach their destination, losing much of their nutrients.
- When you buy products grown in nearby areas, you contribute to reducing the emission of pollutant gases, since you will avoid transport from distant places that cause high CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change.
- You will help small farmers and local farmers to thrive and survive and this will benefit the local economy. By buying local products, you will be supporting sustainable development, as farmers' incomes encourage them to continue cultivating their land, remaining in them and creating sustainable employment around them.
- Contribute to preserve the landscape and maintain local biodiversity, as local and ecological agriculture, promote the conservation and respect of native varieties, small farmers, who keep alive some varieties of fruits and vegetables that you will hardly find in a supermarket. Eating local products, therefore, is to eat varied, and a varied diet is best for health.
- Knowing and valuing the varieties of fruit and vegetables of each zone favors the regional gastronomy and turns it into a unique and cultural asset.
- When consuming local products, you will automatically eat the best of each season, popularly known as "seasonal products". Do not forget that there are many foods that cannot be grown throughout the year. Keep in mind when buying when it is the best time to consume each product.
- Local products take longer to spoil, since they have been harvested near your house and are freshly harvested and have not needed any products to preserve them.
- Reduce the use of packaging, since many fresh products are not packed, carrying your shopping cart or your cloth bags from home. Beware of the large packaging that supermarkets offer us and often exceed our needs ... finishing the food in the bin.
La Gomera is a fascinating set of ecosystem diversity, proclaimed a World Biosphere Reserve in 2012. Hotel Jardín Tecina is fully integrated into the nature of this beautiful island and we have joined the sustainable movement with our Eco Finca Tecina, based on the principles of permaculture, an agricultural design based on the patterns and characteristics of the natural ecosystem.
The practice of organic farming through a horticultural farm helps us maintain and even increase the fertility of the land. In addition to obtaining healthy and vigorous plants, we obtain spaces full of biodiversity, harmonious, pleasant, that supply us daily of local foods, fresh and healthy, excellent nutritional quality and good taste.
In short, we encourage you to carry out a sustainable and rational consumption, always thinking about quality and quantity.