Are You A Locavore?

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes, well sometimes it's harder to tell. One of my 101 goals was to eat local for a week. How hard could that be. I mean all you have to do is look on the back of the package and see where the food came from and buy it. Boy was I wrong. This was one goal that has kicked my ass harder than any other, but has had a much more profound effect on me than the other goals.

My journey to becoming a locavore wasn't easy. Once I started to realize that my food came from the other side of the country or in most cases there was no way to know where it came from since it may be labeled where it was distributed from not grow or made in (kind of scary) I realized that I needed to educate myself quit a bit.

1. Be prepared to compromise: I'm very lucky to live in an area of abundance. We have apples, wine, seafood, berries, cheese, local roasters, farms you name it. However what we don't have is tropical fruits. Although I still eat bananas and drink orange juice I don't eat as much as I once did. Be prepared to compromise by cutting out some non local foods, but also be prepared find some amazing new local foods.

2. Know where to shop: This is the key to eating local without loosing your mind. The ultimate place for buying local produce is a farmer's market. Everything comes from nearby farms and there is something about going from stall to stall getting fresh, in season foods. 

Farms are also a great place to check out. One that I often goes to makes its own cheese and has a small cafe set up where they serve cheese related foods made on the farm. Some places even often co-ops where you can exchange work for food. Even if you don't want to get your hands dirty prices are often much better than at a supermarket.

My other go to spot is my butcher. It's amazing. Not only do all of the teens who work the counter know where the meat came from (the furthest farm being 40 miles away) but I know the conditions that the animals were raised in. The meat is also higher quality and has cheaper prices than the warehouse store I use to shop at. 

Try finding a market that caters to local foods. In Seattle we have PCC that carries some local food, as well as organic items and food without corn syrup. While convenient prices are high I only shop there when I need to do a quick grocery trip.

3. Be creative: Get to know what is in season and when. Raspberries grow in Washington in the summer. That is when they taste the best and are the best prices. Now I know that I can get them at Safeway in December, but I have no idea where they were shipped from since they aren't in season anywhere in the northern states than. So what I do is buy in bulk and freeze or can the fruits and veggies. Hey why pay $8 for 6 ounces of berries in the winter when I can spend $10 on a flat and freeze them until I need them?

4. Be realistic: Being a locavore is a bit like being on a 12 step program. You need to take it one day at a time and go slow. When I started out I declared on eating 100%, yeah. Epic fail. Now I am for 50-60% local foods. All my meat is local as well as 90% of my fruits and veggies and 50% of my dairy. Also think about what you consider local. Being in Seattle we drink coffee like as if it were our jobs. Unfortunately coffee beans don't grow here, but I can drink coffee that is roasted locally (sorry Starbucks but you may be local, but where do all you beans get roasted?) Ultimately you need to decide for yourself.

5. Find Support: Yes, back to the 12 step analogy, but you can't do this alone. Find website or blogs of locavores in your area. Get recommendations are to where to shop and learn from them.

Yes, initially tracking down the origins of my food was a hassle, but once I got to know what was in season, local companies, and where to buy the challenge wasn't as epic. Originally it was an environmental stance for me the side effect of helping local farmers. Through buying local I was choosing to help cut back on the amount of miles that it takes for the food to get from the plate to the farm (on average 1,500 miles. Yeah you read that right) and cut back on the carbon emissions that goes into the air.  My views also changed drastically. Realizing that it is easier to get fruits and veggies than prepackaged meals changed my diet for the better (bye, bye corn syrup). It also changed my view on how I saw my community. I began to find restaurants that prided themselves in the fact that they sold meals made from local ingredients or grew the veggies on their roof. I also became more aware of what chemicals that went into what I eat, and just by cutting out corn syrup I have lost weight and feel better.

So no I'm not 100% a locavore, but I'm happy with where I'm at so even though I failed my inital goal of eating 100% local I sort of won out in the long run with what I learned. So, it's a win in my book.

Do you eat local? What are your thoughts on it?

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