Using this activity will help children identify summer foods that are healthy to consume and better for the environment. Encourage children to eat locally — check out the local farmers market if applicable at localharvest.org.

Eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables is an integral part of a balanced diet. It’s also important to consider what fruits and vegetables we are eating. When we eat foods in season, we are eating foods grown at that time of year. Eating in-season foods is fresher, tastier, and more nutritious. When we eat in the season, we support local farmers and ranchers, and most importantly, we reduce our carbon footprint or the item’s food miles. What is a food mile? It is the mileage over which a food item is transported during the producer to consumer journey, as a unit of measurement of the fuel used to transport it. For example, apples and potatoes are winter foods. The impact on the environment is greater when we purchase these foods in the summer.