Can we talk?

California Produce

         With all the trouble California farmers will have this year due to the drought, we need to be as supportive as possible. When at the supermarket, read the labels. Buy local first; support your own area. Then buy California, not some other country.

         California avocados, for instance, are suppose to be the healthiest and tastiest. None of my area markets have any. They are all from Mexico. I plan to shop around. The same is true of other produce, like lettuce. The crops will suffer without rain, and their expenses will get worse. We need to support them now as much as possible. Buy your almonds now and put in the freezer for this fall.

         So many people don't read the labels, especially on fresh foods. And remember signs and advertising can be misleading. It is legal to call a vegetable "local" if it's grown within 300 miles. "Local" meat can be up to 100 miles from the distributor, not the store.

         Buy American. It will be fresher, more likely pesticide free, and will support American farmers.