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I love a good bacon veggie burger. No-meat patty, real-meat bacon, and all the tasty toppings.

I am an opportunivore. At various stages in my life, I’ve been a carnivore, a strict vegetarian, and a lazy vegetarian. These categories are so limiting. Now, if I have the opportunity to eat something I want, I eat it. That tends to mean I eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, a little meat, and French fries, chocolate or ice cream when the opportunity arises. As my mother always taught me, “everything in moderation.”

I’ll confess I did not come up with the term “opportunivore” on my own. In fact, I’ve tweaked the meaning. Friends of mine in the upper Midwest coined the word, as far as I know. They produce most of their own food: meat, milk, some cheese, eggs, a few grains, and lots of vegetables. With the short growing season there, they see each variety of food they produce as a great opportunity for good eating.

Eating seasonally and locally provides the same kind of appreciation for food. Choosing seasonal and local food usually means food in its true form – without the additives, preservatives, and packaging required to transport it for days and miles to the grocery store shelves.

In fact, the USDA says that for each dollar you spend on food at the grocery store, only 19 cents goes back to the farmer. The remaining 81 cents pays for the products to be processed, packaged, transported, advertised, shelved, and sold. That process provides jobs, which is a good thing. But it also requires a great deal of fossil fuels, petroleum products, and chemical additives.

It can be difficult to commit to eating local and seasonal food exclusively. But stores are using shelf signs to make it easier to find those foods that traveled less distance to the shelves. And you can always reduce waste by choosing the items that use less packaging.

The best news is that the growing season is nearly here. I’ve been thinking lately about tomatoes. I miss them. It has been a long time since I’ve tasted a fresh tomato (or pepper, lettuce, carrot, or apple…) Starting in June, Hastings has Saturday morning farmers’ markets both downtown and at Highland Park, where you can find all this fresh local produce, plus meat, eggs, jams, flowers, and much more.

So, no matter the season, eat real food when you can. Less processing and less packaging means healthier food. Decorate your plate with a variety of (natural) colors of food. Taste the freshest produce you can find, and enjoy the opportunity.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska: http://www.buylocalnebraska.org/

NE Farmers’ Markets: http://www.agr.state.ne.us/pub/apd/produce.htm

USDA Cost of Food Marketing: http://www.ers.usda.gov/amberwaves/february04/indicators/behinddata.htm

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About the author: Amy Sandeen

Amy Sandeen is the Executive Director of Prairie Loft Center for Outdoor and Agricultural Learning. Amy grew up in Hastings, then lived in Minneapolis/ St. Paul for 18 years before returning to her roots. She is fascinated by the nature of humans and our relationship to the world.