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I'm Amy Cotler, and I am a locavore! I have been working as a culinary professional and farm-to-table advocate for over 3 decades. Most recently, I have published a book, The Locavore Way, Discover and Enjoy the Pleasures of Locally Grown Foods as a "people's solution" to The Omnivore's Dilemna. Over the next few months, I will be sharing excerpts from the book as well as recipes here on FoodieLink!

To start things off, I offer 15 Ways to Become a Locavore:

1 Eat local foods in season. They taste better. And if you want to go one step further, prolong the season by storing the harvest. How does raspberry sauce in the winter sound?

2 Get out to a farm whenever you can. It’s where our food comes from!

3 Buy fresh food directly from the farm at a farmers’ market, CSA, farm stand, or buying club

4 Become a bounty hunter. Track down local food in stores, from supermarkets to co-ops to mom-and-pop joints (see page 78).

5 Feast on local food at home. Cook more, and share it with your loved ones (see page 97).

6 Have a party! Make local food the center of holiday meals or entertaining of any kind. Include it at community events, fundraisers, and potlucks (see page 103).

7 Engage the next generation. Get out to the farm and pick your own produce, such as apples or cherries, with your kids. Bring local food into your child’s classroom for a treat. Find out if your kid’s school has a farm-to-school program. If so, boost it; if not, start one. Visit an on-site educational farm.

8 Eat local food in restaurants or anywhere you find it, like ice cream and hot dog stands (see page 134).

9 Grow your own. Start a vegetable garden in your yard, on your rooftop, or in your windowsill. Join (or start) a community garden. Garden 5 welcome!

10 Start a farmers’ market if you don’t have one; invigorate your community!

11 Boost access to healthy local food for all (food security) by giving local food to food pantries, supporting programs like inner-city community gardens, and much more (see page 198).

13 Give local food gifts: premade, like wine from your region, or homemade, like seasoned vinegar made from farmers’ market herbs or jams from your own berries (see page 92).

14 Become an agritourist. When you travel, find a food or harvest festival. Eat lunch at a farmers’ market. Visit an educational or historic farm. Pick your own berries one afternoon.

15 Advocate for a just, sustainable, and equitable food system in your town, region, the world. Local food for all! (See page 198.)

Please visit The Locavore Way for recipes and more information on my book!