Last week, I attended the launch party for the Chester County Buy Fresh Buy Local newsletter. The event, as advertised through Twitter and Facebook, was hosted by Chester County Cuisine & Nightlife at Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA. I’m all about eating local, and since we love Victory, we decided to come see what all the hubbub was about.

The event was nice, featuring some free, locally-grown appetizers, menu specials, and bolstered by delicious Victory beers. They talked a bit about the newsletter, had some competitions, gave away some prizes. Overall, it was a good social event for bringing attention to the new periodical, which I otherwise may not have found out about.

The next day, I perused the newsletter, which I think is excellent. The center contains four full pages of local food sources in Chester County, broken down by farm stands, farm stores, community supported agriculture (CSA), farmers markets, specialty products, and retail outlets, complete with a map and harvest calendar!

In addition to this “feed-ability guide,” the newsletter contains helpful information serving to educate readers about the benefits of buying locally-grown food. Here are the important things to note:

• By purchasing locally-grown foods, more of your money goes directly to the farmer, rather than to a distributor.

• You can support your local economy by keeping money circulating in your community.

• The food you buy locally doesn’t travel very far from the farm to your mouth, so it’s fresher and tastier.

• In addition to being fresher and tastier, food that has been purchased locally hasn’t been transported long distances using loads of fuel and packaging materials. Read: Save the planet!!

• Because you’re so close to the source of your food, you can easily found out how it’s grown, which helps you to find food that has been grown with sustainability in mind.

Another thing I loved about this newsletter was the information on organic and biodynamic agriculture. And I quote:

Organic refers to food that is labeled as having been grown according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Standards. Organic farmers must have a plan detailing their practices to improve the soil and manage weeds and other pests without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides on crops, or antibiotics and growth hormones on livestock.

Biodynamic farming is an approach based on the work of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. In addition to organic practices such as crop rotation and composting, biodynamic farmers look upon the soil and the farm as living organisms, with great emphasis on diversity and self-sufficiency.

Good stuff, right? There’s a whole glossary of farm-related terms in there!

The newsletter also contains profiles of some local farmers and restaurants, which adds a nice personal touch. The profile on Stargazers Vineyard & Winery made me really want to check them out next time I see them at the Phoenixville Farmers’ Market!

Anyhoo, locally- and sustainably-grown food is awesome. If you live in Pennsylvania, check out the Buy Fresh Buy Local website to find out where you can purchase local food. If you live elsewhere, check out Local Harvest to search for local food near you. Then, eat it! Delicious!!