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07.23.2005 :: August Eat Local Challenge
Liz over at Pocket Farm wrote a post about the August Eat Local Challenge and now I can't stop thinking about it. The reasons and rules are posted over at life begins at 30.
Over the past several years, I've been making tiny lifestyle changes, trying to eliminate products that have a negative impact on the environment from my life.
My interest in starting to more seriously pursue this was reinforced when I read the book, The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan. The chapter on potatos describes the dramatic effects that farming potatos has on the environment as well as how the needs of huge restaurant chains like McDonald's drive production farming to focus on the mass production of only one species of potato.
I came away from this book with the feeling that the least I could do was plant some heirloom vegetables or support local growers who maintain small farms and grow a variety of plant species.
Ruth Ozeki's novels were also influential. She's not always subtle, but she's often very funny and you can't miss her point as you read through her books. Both My Year of Meats and All Over Creation were fun reads while reinforcing the direction that I wanted to take in the things that I feed myself and my family (of dogs).
Funny, how novels have influenced me. As I thought back on how my mindset started to change, I remembered that one of my favorite characters is a woman who inherits a farm after her husband dies and she decides to keep it and farm it herself. The character's name is Lusa and she's in Barbara Kingsolver's book, Prodigal Summer.
But it's not just inspiration from fictional characters. The more aware I've become of the forces of greed that drive corporate culture, the more I want to maintain as much self-sufficiency as I can. Call me paranoid, but I think the current culture in the US has been designed to breed a consumer who is extremely dependent on the corporate infrastructure that is destroying our environment. I want to wean myself off of that dependency as much as possible.
So the August Eat Local Challenge is a great motivational event for me. I've been dieting, so I've been eating more fruits and vegetables for the past few months. Eating locally actually makes this easier. Part of my success has been because I refuse to eat anything unless it's absolutely delicious. Locally grown vegetables and fruits taste better naturally. I had a plum today that should have been illegal it was so wonderfully warm and flavorful!
I've been thinking about this quite a bit over the last year. Over the next month, I'm going to try to put together some coherent information on the resources, stories and lifestyles that I've been learning about.
Until then, I made some buttons! Anyone who cares about this at all is welcome to copy the button graphic and post it on their blog. If you make the button a link - link it back to the August Challenge rules on Jen's blog.
And how cool is this? I took all of the photos that I used for the buttons at my local farmer's market this morning!
Here are some smaller buttons - more suitable for narrow sidebars:
Posted by Mary on 07.23.2005 AT 10:07 PM
Comments
Hi Mary. Cute buttons!
We subscribe to a local organic farm and get all of our produce from them from June through December - almost more than we can eat each week! We also signed up for bread (too hot for me to bake during the summer!), eggs, and chickens from them as well. I can't believe the amount of stuff we get, and the low price we end up paying for it all.
The farmers have a great way of life, and so does the artisan baker, due to us; we get great eats. Less fuel is used to move it around. The food is incredibly fresh and flavorful, and we eat what's in season and try new things. Everyone benefits.
Consumer Supported Agriculture is wonderful:
http://www.greenpeople.org/csa.htm
Posted by: Stasia on 07.24.2005 AT 01:23 AM
Sounds like a good idea, I'm in!
Posted by: Trixye on 07.24.2005 AT 08:30 AM
Mary, I love your buttons!
How cool is it that you mentioned four of my favorite books in one post? My journey to eating better had already begun when I read them, but it just reinforced why we made the lifestyle changes we did. I'm really looking forward to reading what you put tothether in the coming month. Eating locally has become so normal to me, I'm looking forward seeing the challenge through your eyes. Thanks for spreading the word. :)
Posted by: Liz on 07.24.2005 AT 08:42 AM
Excellent post, Mary. I love it when you take the time to write. I can hear your voice! Awesome buttons, too. You have such a great eye. Looking forward to your links because I know they'll be the best. Great chatting with you yesterday. In case you didn't know. ;)
Posted by: Kerstin on 07.24.2005 AT 09:25 AM
Thanks for this post and linking to the Challenge. As a family, we've dramatically changed our diet since the beginning of the year. Now we eat lots and lots of fruits and veggies just straight off the shelf at the grocery store. I've started to think about organic and eating local more and more and this would be a great way to jump-start that.
I posted this over in Liz's comments too, but what really frustrates me about living in the midwest where we have the highest yield for corn and soybeans is the lack of concern about the environment and the horrible chemicals farmers use to create volume. Their chemicals are spilling over in to our waterways so badly this summer that in some parts of Iowa people can't swim, fish or canoe there!
It's just dumbfounding me. I grew up in Iowa but wasn't aware of the 'issues' regarding farming here. I lived in Connecticut for 6 years during college and as an adult and was spoiled with local foods. Now that I'm back in Iowa, I'm just sad.
So I'm going to use the Eat Local Challenge to not feel so small in this homogenized city of Des Moines and seek out some local farms and foodies.
Posted by: Liz on 07.24.2005 AT 09:47 AM
I've been thinking about this challenge a lot since Liz wrote that post. I will definitely participate. Love the buttons!
Posted by: Annie on 07.24.2005 AT 10:45 AM
amen to that!i get on my soapbox all the time about these issues and the only reaction i get is the 'ol eyeball roll.
Posted by: k. on 07.24.2005 AT 02:03 PM
Hey, Mary--I may have a line on wheat flour grown in Ohio--in Licking county, no less--a few miles away from where, until March, Zak and I were living. He sells flour from both hard and soft wheat he grew himself, and milled himself. He just has to figure out how to go about shipping it. We are emailing now, so we can work out details.
Oats--those I am not doing so well on, but I am going to post some great resources I found early this morning (2 am--couldn't sleep) for finding organic growers of various products in Ohio.
I would love to use one of your buttons on my blog--it is great!
Posted by: Barbara on 07.26.2005 AT 12:44 PM
Hey, Mary--I may have a line on wheat flour grown in Ohio--in Licking county, no less--a few miles away from where, until March, Zak and I were living. He sells flour from both hard and soft wheat he grew himself, and milled himself. He just has to figure out how to go about shipping it. We are emailing now, so we can work out details.
Oats--those I am not doing so well on, but I am going to post some great resources I found early this morning (2 am--couldn't sleep) for finding organic growers of various products in Ohio.
I would love to use one of your buttons on my blog--they are great!
Posted by: Barbara on 07.26.2005 AT 12:48 PM
Hi Mary, I just put one of your buttons up on my own site--thank you! I'm looking forward to this challenge and reading others' experiences. I'm also feeling lucky enough to live in a city with a year 'round gardening season!
Posted by: Heidi on 07.26.2005 AT 04:28 PM
I agree with you completely a few years ago I started getting turned off the supermarkets because they starter carrying the brands and products that they felt were profitable (my opinion only) and the heck with the consumer. I also spent this last year cutting back on and making sure everything is as fresh as possible and not from the supermarket if at all possible. I have a small veggie garden, and have planted potatoes I like and green beans, etc. I just thought this is one small way to rebel against their pressure to buy what they have. This is my first soap box statement, hopefully you got my drift. Thanks again, Natalie
Posted by: Natalie on 07.27.2005 AT 03:31 PM
Hi Mary, I enjoyed your post today. That character in Prodigal Summer also resonated with me a few years ago when I read the book. She had my ideal sea change :-).
My version of eat local in August is going to be 'buy local and reject battery farmed meat', ie I want to avoid shopping at the big supermarkets where possible. This means being organised with shopping. We are in the middle of winter here so I think that may be a good practical approach for us.
I might use your one of your buttons though, just to remind myself everyday :-0
Posted by: Claire on 07.23.2005 AT 11:25 PM