Eating locally can be a healthier, wiser way to go – fresher food is more nutrient rich. But shopping for local produce means we must learn to take control of our menu, work with what’s in season and let go of what’s heading out.

Now that it’s fall, we have to say goodbye to berries, hello to pumpkins, and dig through our cookbooks for that squash soup recipe.

Farmers insist we’ve still got plenty of choices – especially if we froze or canned summer fruits and veggies – but the simple truth is where we live, the soil, the sun-rain equation, the habits of local growers and the climate all combine to winnow what’s fresh at any given time.

And then, it’s not always crystal clear what’s local, what’s regional, and what’s been shipped in. The US is teeming with apples at the moment, mostly from Washington, New York and other northern states. But a few farmers are still able to bring raspberries and blueberries to their stalls at the farmers market. This may cause some head scratching in New Hampshire, where rival-farmers have been heard to grumble that some of the berries have been trucked in from large greenhouses in New Jersey where crops are grown year round. But then there are a few hearty blackberries clinging to the bushes in New England. So who’s to say?

Take Texas. The heat zapped most tomatoes long ago, way back in July. Or did it? The late summer weather’s been milder, and there are tented tomatoes and hot houses. Some of those local tomatoes may be genuine.