Whenever Brown Bag can buy fresh and local, we do.  It’s important to us to support the community that we live in and the planet that we live on.  Our commitment to buy fresh and local has been one of the precepts on which we founded Brown Bag; so, when we discovered Capital Seaboard, we were thrilled!

Capital Seaboard has been supplying amazing seafood and produce to the eastern seaboard for 80 years now.  It’s owned and operated in Jessup, Maryland, and serves Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania.  They supply their customers with a broad range of produce (as well as organic produce), but not only is Capital Seaboard a trusted name in the Mid-Atlantic region for delivering fresh, quality produce, they also share Brown Bag’s core values.  In their own words:

We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to provide you with the freshest and most eco- friendly manner of produce and seafood distribution.

We are researching new and innovative ways to reduce and reuse energy within our factory and trucking fleet. Our goal is to leave this world better than we found it. That is why our recycling program returns 80% of our packing materials to improve the environment and reduce landfills.

But Capital Seaboard isn’t all fruits and veggies.  They also sell amazing seafood.  A couple of the local suppliers they buy from are: Shooting Point Oyster Company on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and JC Walker Clams, whose company headquarters are in Willish Wharf, Virginia.  They’ve also partnered with a very innovative and forward-thinking company called CleanFish.  CleanFish is going even beyond fresh and local, they look at new ways to raise fish sustainably, and they believe in what they call a “new paradigm:” producers linked to chefs and consumers to make a cleaner future.  If you don’t know anything about CleanFish, check them out!

Clearly, Capital Seaboard has a lot of good going on, and Brown Bag is proud to be part of it.  We believe in serving our patrons only the best and freshest food, and supporting our local environment and communities is as important to us as preserving our planet as a whole.  Think globally, act locally.  Our partnership with Capital Seaboard is just one of the great partnerships we have with a supplier.  There are more to come!

It’s not!  The Mambo Track Annual Natural and Organic Product Survey for 2013 shows an increase in: spending on organics, sourcing food products, seeking out non-GMO, and buying sustainable ‘Farm to Table’ food products that can be traced back to the area they live in by health and eco-conscious shoppers.  Happily, it looks like healthy consumers are checking more than just ingredients on the label.

Of those surveyed 7 in 10 sourced products by reading package labels or in-store signage, while 6 in 10 checked out brand or product websites to get more info on their origins.  Looking for what you want locally is reaching beyond produce, as well.  Seafood buyers report looking for eco-seafood labels and Wild Seafood Certifications on their seafood picks.  “Eco shoppers have moved beyond ingredient lists and are now focused on tracing the source of their food supply from Non-GMO to locally/regionally produced and Fair Trade. Sustainable meat/poultry and seafood is gaining interest due to third-party certifications and heightened media coverage,” says Karen Herther, co-founder of Market LOHAS leading the Mambo Track Research.

Taste, nutrition and ingredients were reported to be important factors when choosing a brand, but lest you think price concerns have gone out the window, let us set you straight: Healthy, cost-conscious consumers are sticking closely with store and private label brand natural and organic products, and coupons are holding strong with 8 in 10 respondents saying that they will continue or increase their coupon usage in the next year.

Seven in ten or more respondents report buying their natural and organic products at conventional supermarkets, local health food stores, Whole Foods, and regional specialty food outlets, and that’s good news!  It’s heartening to see that more and more mainstream supermarkets are beginning to stock natural and organic products, and we can only imagine that as the number of consumers buying these items increases, it will become easier and easier to find the natural and organic products that you want at your local grocery store.  Dare we dream that prices on these items may come down?

Brown Bag is committed to healthy eating and locally-sourced products whenever they are available.  The closer to home you find your food, the smaller your carbon footprint, the more good your do for your community and your planet.  We agree completely with the statement, “Think globally, act locally.”  Won’t you join us?  Check your labels; research the companies whose products you buy; head over to your local farmer’s market and support local growers!  Come see us at Brown Bag where we’ve done all of this work for you, and enjoy your lunch or breakfast knowing that your meal is as healthy as it is eco-friendly.

This is our favorite time of year for an “Eating What’s Now” blog!  Why?  Because there’s so much fresh produce in-season right now!  Summer is the absolute best time of year for produce in the DC area!  Brown Bag uses fresh, local produce whenever possible, so we say, “Bring on summer!”

Here’s a list of produce that’s in-season, by month.  Take a look, then hit your local farmer’s market for the best fruits and veggies in DC!

June

Blueberries
Cherries
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Asparagus
Beans (Snap)
Beets
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Okra
Onions
Peas
Potatoes
Summer Squash
Turnips
[/column] [column]

July

Blackberries
Blueberries
Melons
Cherries
Peaches
Plums
Raspberries
Beans (Snap)
Beets broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Okra
Onions
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
[/column] [column]

August

Apples
Blackberries
Blueberries
Figs
Grapes
Melons
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries
Beans (Snap and Lima)
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Okra
Onions
Peppers
Potatoes
Summer squash
Winter squash
Tomatoes
[/column] [/column-group]

Why would you want to eat pumpkin in July?  It’s like eating watermelon in January!  You can try it, but we promise it won’t taste as good when you eat it out of season.  Take a cue from your ancestors, and eat what’s growing right now—nothing will taste better. When you eat local, you’re not only supporting your local farmers and economy, but you have the benefit of actually knowing where your food came from.  You don’t have to eat peaches from Chile when peaches are coming in right now in Virginia, Maryland and DC!  When it comes to fruits and veggies, other countries have different rules and regulations regarding things like pesticides.  Even if you don’t eat organic produce, that’s worth thinking about.  Some produce is more likely than others to retain pesticide residue.  We’ve talked about it before:  As a general rule, watch out for tree fruits, leafy greens and berries because they tend to have more pesticide residue than other fruits and vegetables.  But if you’re buying from a country with laws that are even less strict than the US on pesticide regulation, then what are you eating?  Organic or not, those peaches grown up the street are generally a safer bet (and better for the environment to boot!).

So, whip up some fruit salads, strawberry shortcake and fruit pies!  Make skewers of squash, zucchini, potatoes and peppers and grill them with a touch of olive oil!  Boil some corn and have a Maryland-style crab feast!  Layer fresh mozzarella with basil on tomatoes from the garden with balsamic vinegar!  Make a fresh salsa before your cilantro bolts with the heat!  And take it all outside for dinner al fresco!  Have a picnic.  Enjoy all the health and freshness that summer has to offer before the warm weather fades into another winter.

And if you have a minute, let us know:  What’s your favorite farmer’s market?