My experiment wasn't a complete wash. Here's what I learned:
- Even in the middle of summer, when local produce is plentiful, eating locally isn't always convenient.
- Eating locally might not be convenient, but the benefits are worth the trouble.
- Even if I can't eat locally for every meal of every day, eating locally grown and produced foods whenever I can is good for me, good for the environment and good for my tastebuds.
- Creative cooking is a great way to wind down at the end of the day.
- Fresh herbs make food better.
- Ripe tomatoes taste sweet and tangy. Sliced up and sprinkled with a little bit of salt and pepper, they make a great snack.
- Bulk buying at the farmer's market isn't a great idea when you're cooking for one and don't have the time or space to can or freeze the leftovers.
- Trying a vegetable I've never tried before is what I consider an adventure these days. Purple peppers, swiss chard--now that's living on the edge.
- Paying a little more for peaches and tomatoes that actually taste like peaches and tomatoes is well worth cutting back on lattes and lunches out.
So even if I didn't meet all of my goals during Mi Vida Local, I know that eating locally can be done. I'll continue to eat locally as much as possible. And next year I think I'll take it up a notch. I'm planning to buy a small freezer so that next summer I can put away more fresh fruit and vegetables for the winter months. I'm already thinking about how I can expand my backyard garden. And I just might venture into canning territory if all goes well.
*Thanks for the prompt Jen!
ooh, that's a fantastic idea! eating local. but holy hell, that would be a challenge!
ReplyDeletein dsm, we have farmers markets in various neighbors almost every day, so you can nearly always find one. but i have a hard time eating everything before it goes bad, too.
and i think farmers market peaches are the most incredible peaches EVER. i crave them.
I keep wanting to try this, but the idea of taking two toddlers to the Farmer's Market at O Dark Hour has kept me from going.
ReplyDeleteI need to stop thinking about it though and just doing!
You're right, I love fresh tomatoes (this year I hope to have some from our own garden) and Peaches, ahhh, driving down through Georgia is well worth the trip, sometimes!