NORWALK, August 22, 2007 -- Locally grown food is the new organic and small farmers are the latest cause celeb. Web sites such as locovores.com and eatlocalchallenge.com have sprung up to provide a community forum for finding food grown within a 100-mile radius. Among the reasons people cite as to the benefits of buying locally grown food is that is supports the local economy and the preservation of local farms; it gives consumers complete confidence in the freshness of the product since it is just-picked from the field and has not spent days in cold storage or long times in transit; and ultimately, it is better for the environment, because the miles that some organic food must travel outweighs the benefit of buying organic.

"The biggest benefit to buying local for many consumers is simply that the food just tastes better, because it is fresher. The farmers that we work with literally deliver the fruits and vegetables to our stores the same day they are picked from the field," said Stew Leonard, Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard's.

Corn, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, peaches and apples are just several of the locally grown produce that will be featured at Stew Leonard's "It's All Native" farmers markets events taking place at all four store locations throughout the months of September and October. Growers from family farms in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey will be on hand to answer questions and help consumers connect to where their food comes from and how it is grown.

The "It's All Native" Farmer's Market events will be held in the front of each store from Noon until 4:00

P.M. at the following locations and dates:

• Saturday, September 15: Stew Leonard's Yonkers, NY store at One Stew Leonard’s Drive
• Saturday, September 22: Stew Leonard's Norwalk, Conn. store at 100 Westport Avenue
• Saturday, September 29: Stew Leonard's Newington, Conn. store at 3475 Berlin Turnpike
• Saturday, October 6: Stew Leonard's Danbury, Conn. store at 99 Federal Road

The events also feature activities for the whole family, including:

"The farmers participating in these events welcome the opportunity to answer any customer questions, such as tips on selecting the best produce, new varieties they are growing, and favorite ways to cook and serve their produce," said Scott Varanko, manager of Stew Leonard's Norwalk produce department.

Some of the featured produce and farms include:
• Numerous Varieties of Apples from Blue Hills Farm in Wallingford, Conn. and Fix Apple Orchards in New York
• Extra Tender Corn from Pinecroft Produce in Somers, Conn. and Kessman Farms in Patterson, New York;
• Tomatoes from DeMatteo Farms from Hamden, Conn. who grow Health Kick® plum tomatoes which contain 50 percent more lycopene than regular plum tomatoes;
• Peppers, Eggplant, Lettuce and Squash from DeFrancesco Farm in Northford, Conn. and Marolda Farms in Vineland, New Jersey.

Meet Produce Pete
Produce Pete will be at the Yonkers store event on September 15 from 2:00 until 4:00 P.M. Pete's family started Napolito's Produce in 1953 selling fruits and vegetables from his family’s farm in Bergenfield, New Jersey. In 1992, he became known as "Produce Pete" when he began appearing weekly on WNBC Channel 4's "Weekend Today in New York" show, where his focus is on taking the mystery out of shopping for produce. His approach to picking out good produce uses common sense techniques learned from his 40 years in the business, such as "heavy in the hand" for citrus fruits and "apples with a stem are less mealy." Pete will answer customer questions and demonstrate tips for selecting the best of fall's harvest.

Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated grocery founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, NY. The company was named among FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" for the past six consecutive years. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com.