44page

www.groovekorea.com / July 2014 44 Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) GROW LOCAL GROW LOCAL H ead down to Gwanghwamun on a Saturday morning and you’ll find hundreds of bleary-eyed shoppers, foreign and Korean alike, smiling under the sun and carrying bags crammed with local produce and cups filled with locally roast- ed coffee. Stretching in every direction are the small food producers who provide their week’s worth of groceries: organic fruits and veggies galore, homemade tofu and ice cream, whole grain flours and fresh-pressed juices. Take a taxi over to Hyehwa and you’ll see the same thing; zoom up to Nowon, even more. The local food movement has taken root in Seoul, and these bustling farmers’ markets are just the tip of the iceberg. Now, locally made honey, milk and cheese are all for the taking alongside a cornucopia of organic produce. You can make an omelet with local eggs and pack it full of local goat cheese, or toast some bread made with home-ground flour and smear it with honey from your neighbor’s bees — you can even get a weekly shipment of local fruits and veggies delivered right to your door. Eating local means eating fresh — few- er chemicals, more nutrition. So this summer, spruce up your diet with some wholesome, un- processed, garden-fresh fare. There’s a world of options at your fingertips. photo by Dylan Goldby / produce courtesy of High Street Market and Beryl Sinclair Seoul’s growing food initiatives will leave you healthy and drooling for more