The longer I do this local eating thing, the more questions I’m getting. There seems to be a sense that if 100 % of my diet isn’t local than I’m cheating, a failure, or worse, just a nut for trying it at all. Well, we committed to the 100-mile challenge in January, not to make a political statement, or wage a battle against commercial agriculture, but for our own, personal benefit. I know, that cynical voice in your head is wondering, “then why blog about it, if it’s not for attention?” Well, I have that little voice too, and it tells me I’m crazy to let people see this far into my personal life all the time. After all, I’m a private person by nature. When we started, we were finding it so hard to find groceries from right here, that we figured others might benefit from all this work I’m doing for us, hence this blog.
As for the percentage of food we eat that is local? I’m not keeping track. All I can say is that we’re trying to eat as locally as possible, all the time. Do I still go out? We eat out far too much, actually. But the more we eat homegrown food, the less I want to eat out, because commercially prepared food agrees with my stomach less and less.
Our kids still want to “be normal,” and crave the junk food their friends eat. Snacks full of corn syrup, salt, artificial colors and flavors, and way too many corn and soy by-products. And that’s ok for now. I just buy it as a once in awhile treat, not all the time staples. Dessert now is fruit or yogurt, and fewer sweets. When they do eat baked goods, I try to take the time to make them from scratch, so I at least know what’s in them.
I look at the whole process of buying groceries differently now. I picture it as a pattern of concentric circles, with our farm at the center and our local Kroger on the outside. I try to get as much of it as possible from the center, and smaller circles, and move outward as I go. Take this week for example: At home we have eggs, grass fed meats in the freezer, a few remaining frozen fruits and veggies from last year, local honey, jams and wheat, and dried beans & grains. To this I will add cheese made in Alabama, and veggies from the locally owned small market in town. I’ll use organic milk from Kroger for drinking, and making yogurt, and bake some bread. These are the other things I will buy, preferably organic: breakfast cereal, canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, dry pasta, spices, chocolate chips, and nuts. I try to purchase produce from surrounding Southern states, and at the very least things produced in the US. I confess, I’m back to buying bananas, which I had phased out for awhile, but I will pay extra for organic when available, since they aren’t sprayed with all those chemicals before shipping.
I’d say it’s all about moderation, but some of you would point out there was nothing moderate about my drive for Hatcher Family Dairy Milk. However, I wouldn’t do that every day. Consider it research. I don’t want to talk about things here without having at least tried them myself. So I made the trip. Once I check out the store in Lewisburg that sells it, I will probably see what else I can get there and make a trip once a month to get everything I can while I’m there.
Eating locally, for me, is more about changing that consumer mindset, back to something more sustainable. The more we shop local, the more demand for local products we create. The more demand there is, the more local producers will provide a local product, and the easier it will become to shop locally for a larger percentage of our food. We are just trying to do our part in making that happen. For us, there is no all or nothing, just the effort of trying to do the best we can right now.
I’m a local foodie living in the woods on 5 acres in middle TN, homeschooling my 3 girls while raising chickens & rabbits, gardening organically, hanging out at the farmers market, and building a local food website in my spare time.
