Seasonal impulses could help save small farms and the planet – but only if they’re supported by adequate origin labeling, so shoppers can distinguish between good, local, seasonal food and over-traveled, chemically ripened, unseasonable food.

Instead of having your favorite fruit or vegetable everyday of the year, lacking its special tenderness or sweetness because it was forced to grow with chemicals and picked too early so it can withstand the rigors of a long travel time, wouldn’t you rather have it at its peak freshness and flavor a few times a year because it was grown locally and in season?

Any locavore will tell you that embracing this rarity, far from being an altruistic sacrifice, is actually a deliciously hedonistic adventure.

Americans can’t reclaim rarity as a cultural value until we are able make educated decisions about not just what to buy, but where to buy it from – and consequently, when.