Living in a city, I’ve noticed that there never seems to be a shortage of produce in the stores—which is alarming.

The abundance of fruits and veggies I can buy—and for a bargain—year round means that their source is not local. Foods like avocados, pineapples, and oranges are clearly not from around where I’m shopping, but even the choices that are seemingly native—apples, cherries—are available out of season.

That’s because the crops have been drenched in pesticides, pumped with preservatives, and trucked—maybe even flown—hundreds, thousands of miles to sit on my grocer’s shelf.

I may live in a metropolitan area, but just upstate are acres of farmland decaying and the bank accounts of their farmers dwindling because of an unbeatable global market for cheap food.

How do I make sure I’m not eating any cancer-causing, endocrine disrupting mutants? And how do I keep business circulating locally and honestly? I eat in season from local farms. Farmer’s markets and CSA’s are the best bet, but when there’s no time for that, there are start-up businesses who facilitate the transactions for you, too.

Recently, my local bounty brought in some heirloom tomatoes and yellow and green zucchini squash: the basis for my end-of-summer supper. This gazpacho is great because I eye-balled all of the measurements, and adjusted it to my personal taste. I made enough for two servings, so change your version accordingly.

And unlike many gazpacho’s, this one doesn’t contain any sour cream. It’s dairy-free, low in calories, fat, and carbs, and high in vitamins. All the ingredients I used are certified organic, GMO-free, fertilizer and pesticide free, and grown less than two hours away from my kitchen!

Servings: 2

Prep Time: Less than 10 minutes

You will need a blender or food processor.

1 yellow zucchini squash, peeled and cut into thin slices

3 heirloom tomatoes, cubed. I used one green, one red and one purple to get this orange color

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/3 white onion, chopped

Anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, depending on your preferred consistency and dietary needs

Anywhere from 1/8 – 1/3 cup of water – again, thickness varies with preference

About 1 teaspoon of hot sauce

½ lime squeezed

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of fresh-ground black pepper

Blend all the ingredients, and chill for about three hours. Then serve and enjoy! If you’re cooking for one, it tastes just as great as leftovers for the next day.

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Apprentice Editor: Melissa Horton /Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Provided by author, used with permission