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October is the Eat Local Challenge month – and I know that if I make my goals public, I will be more inclined to follow through…

Before I tell you why I am going to make the effort, maybe I should give y’all a few reasons why this is a good idea.

• Eating locally grown and produced foods supports our local economy.  These days, I feel compelled to do all I can to help in that arena!
• Eating locally grown produce comes right from the farm, which means it is fresher and contains more nutrients than the alternatives I could find in the grocery store.
• Local produce is grown NOW – so what we are eating is what is in season right now.
• Eating local helps our air quality and cuts down on the emissions from the long-distance transport of our foods.
• By taking my kids to the farmer’s market, they get to taste seasonal foods that are near their perfection, improving their likelihood for eating better in the future

What’s my definition of local?  I’ll try to shoot for most foods coming from a 200 mile range from where I live.

What are my goals?

• I intend to go to the farmer’s market as much as possible – not just for my fruits and vegetables, but for some of the other locally produced foods that I might otherwise buy at the market (bread etc…)
• I will spread the word to my new cooking students and will encourage them to tell their parents.
• I hope to include my own children in tasting more fresh and delicious produce…some of which is getting ripe in our own back yard.

Okay – now here is where I have to tell you what I simply can not give up… I’ll be up front with you on this.

• I can’t pass up on my morning coffee, which was grown on an organic cooperative farm in Central America.  While it was at least grown without polluting the environment, it did indeed travel far to get into my coffee pot.
• I also can’t give up on some of my spices.
• While some rice is grown about 200 miles away, it can be difficult to find, so I will probably pass on that, too.

Join us – it’s not too late to Eat Local this month.