Locavor-acious: Pending iPhone App Could Change the Way You Eat

Earlier this year, I filed a report at 5MinutesforGoingGreen.com on a sweet new tool for educating ourselves about the foods grown our region of the world and the seasons in which they are naturally abundant, called the Local Foods Wheel.

Although simple in its design and execution, the Wheel features delicate artwork and thoughtfully researched fact and suggestions about how to make the most of your local diet. Its only drawback was that Wheels were only currently available for New York, San Francisco and their surrounding regions. But now (as with so many things these days) the concept of the Local Foods Wheel has received a digital upgrade.

While flitting about the Twitterverse I discovered Buster McLeod (@bustermcleod) and his Locovore iPhone app (not the most creative name, but definitely a tool we'd all find intriguing, no?).

As stated on McLeod's Enjoymentland blog (@enjoymentland; with its own browse-worthy archives), "Whether you’re just trying to become more aware of what’s in season around you, or you are fully committed to eating only locally grown food, this app will help you know what your options are." So, instead of aligning top and bottom wheels to see which seasonally appropriate vegetable appears in the window, GPS will triangulate your exact location and deliver local foods in order of geographical convenience!

Features of the app are slated to include:

• Automatic detection of which state you’re in (currently only covers the US)
• Food that’s in season near you
• Food that’s coming in season near you soon
• Farmers’ markets near you
• Browse all 234 fruits and vegetables to see where it is currently growing
• Links to Wikipedia articles and Epicurious recipes from each food detail page
• Ability to browse all 50 states to see what’s in season in other parts of the US

McLeod's excitement about the impending launch of this app is heartwarming (see fourth comment down under "Ideas, Feedback and Bugs"), and totally diffuses my urge to point him to a few app forums busting at the seams with flabbergasted developers still waiting for the approval of apps submitted last fall.

Keep us posted Buster! Maybe by the time your app's approved, I'll be able to afford an iPhone.