I'm cross-posting this from my personal blog, since this sounds like it may be of interest to some of you over here!
Every Wednesday, Small Footprints has a new weekly challenge. I missed the first two, and boy, I'm glad I didn't miss this one! Check out this week's challenge:
For one full day this week, eat only local foods. No tropical fruits from across the world ... no veggies that traveled hundreds of miles to get to your table ... only locally grown foods (this includes meats, dairy products, etc., if you eat them).
Cool, huh? Right up my alley! I wonder, though, how much fudging is fair for the boys. I don't think their morning Cheerios are local. I also haven't found good local sources of cooking oil (though I could just plan to use local bacon on my 100% local day and cook in the grease, or use butter, or, gasp, plan meals that don't need any sauteing), salt, or grains. I can probably do without those for a day, though it's the staples like these that keep me from ever attempting a more extensive local food challenge.
Anyone else want to play along? Head over to Reduce Footprints!
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I'm with you ... don't know if I could permanently give up things like rice, salt and olive oil. But who knows ... perhaps after this challenge I'll find local alternatives and move towards full-time locavore. :)
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Wonderful post and these are fair points you make...
ReplyDeleteEven though my husband and I have signed up for the 100 mile Diet Challenge (We start July 1st for 2 months), I know I will miss certain things and will want to have them again once the challenge is over. I can't even imagine yet how I'll go 2 months without chinese dumplings! But I'm also really happy to have already found such amazing sources of staples such as beans, vinegars, flours, oils, etc., that are local that it would be hard for me now to pay for the imported stuff knowing I could get them here. Preparing for the challenge has been half the fun!
I really hope people take the time to go out and really get to know the area they come from!
I did a year-long eating challeng eating only what is grown or raised within 250 miles of where I live in New York City. I gave myself three exemptions: salt, oil, coffee. Sometimes people think that because they won't be able to do a local foods plan 100% because of an ingredient they can't get locally, like salt, they won't bother at all. That doesn't make sense. Mostly local is better than not local at all! Even since my 250-mile year ended, I continue to eat an 80% local diet.
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