And so it begins: Eat Local Challenge!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Where did the Summer go? With the arrival of September comes this month’s Eat Local Challenge, Philly-style. Several of us here at FTP (along with a few FTP readers) have pledged to do the following:
- Eat one meal per week during the month of September that is made using locally grown ingredients. Non-local oil and spices are allowed.
- Can, freeze, dry, or otherwise preserve two things during the month.
- Utilize one new resource for locally grown food during September - that could be a new restaurant, farmer’s market, etc.
Our first progress report will appear next Monday! Woohoo!
If you’d like to participate, please leave us a comment!
Edited to note: Even CNN is covering the Eat Local September Challenge!
If the food hasn’t been grown within 100 miles of where we live—we won’t buy it. That is the pledge concerned foodies across the country are taking for the entire month of September.
At its extreme, the 100-mile diet means no coffee, no spices and no chocolate. Most people don’t go that far, but they do embrace buying food grown and raised locally where possible.
CNN cites diversity and freshness of food, interest in supporting small farmers, and concern about the environment as reasons to eat local. They point out several reasons why eating locally may be a challenge: convenience and not being able to get your favorite foods when you want them. They also indicate that some people don’t like CSAs because it’s harder to cook because you might be unfamiliar with the produce.
I guess it’s an article that’s trying to be balanced, but I’ve never really had problems getting to farmer’s markets and tend to think of eating seasonally and cooking according to what comes in the CSA as positive things. Huh.
Aw, man… I’m going to have to take a minute to think this over before I decide to do or not do OLC. I was kind of looking forward to a break after OLS. Not from the buying/cooking/eating part because we do that anyway, just from the posting/picture-taking duties 
I will think on it.
I actually find the unfamiliar produce I get from my CSA as a positive, as it’s an easy opportunity to expand my (and my family’s) horizon. Speaking of which: I need help with the sunshine winter squash I picked up at Blooming Glen today!
I’m up for it. I was concerned it would be eating locally every meal for 30 days.. I can’t gaurantee that… We do local meals several times a week at our house. I think the finding something new might be hard for me.. But I am going to DE this month. Perhaps I can find somethign fun there!!
Ani - where in Delaware? There is a cute family farm in Wilmington - Highland Orchard. They grow a lot themselves, and you can hang with their goats and pigs and chickens.
I’m so in for the Eat Local Challenge this month. I started out trying to eat one local meal a day, but that is very hard. It has got me focused on local foods more, though.
So far, I’ve put up thyme and sage to dry, and I’ve got a fridge full of beans and zucchini to freeze tonight.
I hit Farmicia for the first time this weekend, so that may count for a new local food resource.
One local meal a week? I can totally do that.