Local Food Month starts today! So far, it’s been not-local at all, but all I’ve had is breakfast. I thought it would be best to use up the frozen waffled in the freezer – less wasteful and all, right? J
But I did send some cash with ML to the farmers market yesterday, as I was out of town and missed out on the weekly fun. She should be bringing by my stash this afternoon…and I visited the Sunday afternoon Bancroft farmers market, scoring some Oak Leaf and Cimarron lettuces and talking to the folks at the BIG Garden Project about volunteering. The girls at their stand were very enthusiastic about getting more help, so I will be contacting them tomorrow about which garden site works best for me! Yea!
Now, back to LFM, and my goals for this month-long challenge… Even though I live in the Midwest, it does not seem possible to eat entirely local, at least not in an enjoyable way. However, I plant to buy as much of my meat, dairy, and produce as possibly locally, as well as harvesting my garden as it bears fruit. I will avoid as much pre-packaged, frozen, and fast foods as I can, other than the foods I have frozen myself. I will also at least once attempt to bake some bread, otherwise obtaining it solely from local bakeries. Some food stuffs are unavoidable: coffee, chocolate, the powdered sugar-free vanilla-caramel creamer I use in my coffee, most spices and condiments, etc., but I will use them sparingly and try to find fair-trade and/or organic alternatives. I can get fair-trade coffee and chocolate, but I’m not sure I can convince the DH to give the coffee a go – he’s pretty hooked on his Starbucks. At least our compost pile is getting premium grounds, right? J
So there you have it. I will do my best to eat locally to support our area’s small farms and ranches, and I hope to have fun and try some new things along the way. Have a Happy Local Food Month, everyone!
