I am participating in the September Eat Local Challenge (which is done in association with the Locavores.) Stay tuned for stories, triumphs, tribulations, and sample menus.

A pause from summer travels to enjoy the bounty of summer in Ohio.

I travel a lot in the summer, living in my tent for two or more weeks at a time. I'm glad to be home for a few days before my next adventure, so I thought I would post about today's market experience.

I traveled to Pearl Alley Farmer's Market in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It's not one of the major markets in town, so I was uncertain what I would find. Boy, was I surprised.

I almost bought more than I could carry. Here's the haul, with prices if I remember them:

edamame (quart) $3
summer squash (yellow, zucchini, and patty-pan)
eggplant
green beans (quart) $2.50
corn (6 ears) $2.75
sweet onions
red potatoes
blackberries (quart) $5
strawberries (astonishing! quart) $4
the mother of all cantaloupes (HUGE!) $3.50
peaches (4 large) $5

The prices do run a tad bit higher than grocery store sales, but the produce was all local, and harvested within the last 24 hours. I spent about $40, and half of that was the fruit. Nowadays I go to the grocery store once a week and spend less than twenty bucks. I'd guess that 85-90% of the food I currently consume comes from local farmer's markets. The glaring exceptions are cereal, oils, dairy, grains, beans, and the occasional prepared food. I'll be switching to local milk and butter when I return from my travels in mid-august. I've found local corn meal and soft wheat flour, but not bread flour, rice, lentils or beans. (I know that some of those things simply don't grow in Ohio. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled though.)

harrumph

I thought I had saved a post as a draft, but it appears to have vanished. Drat. In order to fill the void until I rewrite the darn thing, I will give you this:

USDA waters down organic standards Despite protest, the USDA has ruled to allow 38 new non-organic ingredients in products with the "USDA organic" seal. You can find more info about it here, and you can fill out a form to send a protest letter.

In happier news, hats off to San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom for banning the use of city funds in purchasing single-serving bottled water. I had missed the fact that San Francisco banned petroleum-based plastic checkout bags in large markets and pharmacies. Unfortunately the replacement bags are not a huge step up; hopefully they will encourage the use of reusable bags.

some links to explore

In my recent meanderings about the internet, I have come across a few links of note:

http://www.treehugger.com/

This is a mainstream kind of a place, but I can't find fault with anything green targeting the masses. There is A LOT to be found on this site, so take some time to explore. It is international in scope and has quite a number of "how to green" guides (including how to green your wardrobe, water, and sex life.)

The next couple of links were found via treehugger.com:

100-Mile Diet

It's all about eating food produced within 100 miles of your home. It began when Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon decided to spend one year buying or gathering all of their food within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, BC. The site plots your 100-mile zone by zip or postal code, and gives suggestions for getting started (no, you don't have to make a year-long commitment. You can start by committing to one meal, one day, one week, etc.)

(On a related note, Locavores.com is having a local food challenge in September of 2007. )

Solarcookers.org

Given the amount of camping I do, and the number of power outages I have experienced at home so far this year (one a day for the past few days!), one of these may be a wise investment.
There are TONS of plans on-line for making your own (you can even make on from a pizza box!) as well as cooking tips. Here's a helpful link: solar cookings links from knowledgehound.com

In less link-filled news, I am gearing up for tomorrow's farmer's market! Last week we saw tons of strawberries (though I've heard that the hot weather is making the season come and go quickly) as well as the first zucchini, broccoli, and snap peas.

assessing the problem of global warming

Watch it, and spread the word.


http://view.break.com/311805 - Watch more free videos

think about your trash

I went to Kent State in the late 80's/early 90's, and we had no recycling available on campus. The students of McGilvrey Hall took matters into their own hands. I'm not sure who was responsible for it (the Geology department was the main suspect) but they had a very clever approach.

A number of recycling bins, clearly labeled, were placed next to the trash cans in the main hallway. A black-and-white bumper sticker reading "THINK" was placed on the lid of the trash can.

You know what? I did think, every time I used that trash can. I never threw away a recyclable.

I've thought about having some stickers printed up, but as I was looking around on-line, I discovered that cafe press already has them. (They come in a rectangular form as well.)

We should really take the time to think before we commit an item to the trash bin. Is it recyclable? Compostable? Could somebody else use it? Some things are rather unequivocally trash, but is everything?

Think.

On eating locally

While eating locally-grown produce (and other locally raised and/or produced agricultural products) makes a darn good bit of sense, I hadn't really thought about the true importance of it until I read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. (It's a really excellent book, and I recommend that you go out and read it right now!) In it he takes a long, hard look at what we eat, where it comes from, what it goes through, and how far it travels to get to our plates. It's really a good read as well as a lesson in farming and food production in the US today.

In addition, Michael Pollan has a really nice list of links on his web page, including a pdf file of resources for eating sustainably.

Other on-line resources include:
10 reasons to eat local food
Locavores (based in the San Francisco Bay area, but there is information pertinent to all locales. I especially like their guidelines.
Eat Local! from New American Dream

So needless to say, I firmly advocate that you check out your local farmer's markets! A simple Google search (farmer's market+your town name) can turn up previously-undiscovered markets, as well as stores that carry local produce and free-range local meats and eggs. Also, farmer's markets are often mentioned in newspapers and are highlighted on the news, so check your local news sources. Also, there is this handy resource: Local harvest (a map of farmer's markets, family farms, and other sustainably produced food in the United States.)