Kudos To Farmers Everywhere

The best thing to do is get bushels of the crop you are currently growing, if you don't already have some. Then before you harvest the crop, go to the market and click on "My Bushels" and click on "use" the same type of bushel that you are going to harvest. After that you will gain extra mastery points for that particular crop. If you don't have the bushels in store, all you do is go to friends markets and get them from there. This will give your friends bonus fuel or coins or experience points (XP). If neighbours get bushels from you, you will receive a bonus just once and choose which bonus you want, XP, coins, fuel. Even if ten people buy from you, you can only get the bonus once per day.

Eat less meat. It takes more money and energy to produce meat than it does to produce crops. If you're a hardcore carnivore, you don't need to cut meat out of your diet all together; it's just easier to eat less meat in the summer summer since the local produce is so fresh. Try to make your dinner meat-free for one night a week this summer. Grill local vegetables without the chicken this week.



Many regions have a yearly festival to show off their locally grown food. You can read about ones in your area through guides published by your local chamber of commerce. These festivals often include food contests to judge the best recipe or prepared food from the local growers. Even pickles can be considered a prized specialty item, made from locally grown, high quality cucumbers.

So, I know it's easy to forget the bags in your car, but really, it's worth the trip back out to get them. Take it one step further and bring your cloth bags to ALL of the places you shop: clothing stores, hardware stores, the farmer's market, bookstores. Cloth bags are easier to carry and frankly, I feel oddly contradictory when I buy organic bananas and put them in a plastic bag,that the bagger then puts in a plastic bag. Don't you?

Be sure to chat with the farmer vendors. How do they recommend cooking this vegetable? What are a few creative ways to prepare a dish with this produce? How long is the drive from their farm to the farmers market? Then lightly and naturally turn to the people also in the booth along with you. What is your favorite way to serve this vegetable?

You should also think of the vegetables that you normally purchase and consume. Remember, the purpose of having an edible garden is to grow your own food. This will not be the case if you do not consume what you plant. What are the vegetables and plants that you typically use when cooking?

In these tough financial times, it's important to learn how much it costs to eat clean healthy food. Healthy food should always be a priority, but if times are tough and you can't afford your local organic shop then it can be easy to slip into bad eating habits. The truth is, now is the best time to eat well, as you don't want to be catching a cold or getting sick and having to pay for doctor's appointments or medication.