Barn at Grassland Graze

We did well this week drinking only water, milk, coffee, tea and one serving of juice. The girls chose to have their juice in the form of homemade popsicles. I had one Izze and Hubby had no juice. We also managed to have at least two fruits or vegetables (often more) with every meal with the exception of one breakfast, I believe. As for budget, I have used well over half the monthly budget in only half the month. I usually buy what we will use when I see it on sale. Makes sense, right? This usually means a few weeks of spending more and a week or two of spending less. I have a couple of weeks to balance this budget.

The challenge this next week is to eat only local meat with no more than 3-4 servings. The number of servings won’t be so hard. The part about only local… well, while not impossible, it’s not super easy either. Luckily I have done a little pre-planning, knowing this was coming. Gravel Knolls sells free range chicken and eggs — they say they eat organic clover and bugs. We ordered a chicken to pick up when we get our CSA member share. Grassland Graze sells grass fed beef for pick up. We will have cheeseburgers from there one day this week. Both farms are in Liberty Township, Ohio, approximately 30 miles or less from home (much closer to Hubby’s work).

Speaking of distance, how close is “local”? There are a variety of opinions on how far food can travel and still be “local”. Some say 50, some 100 miles, our federal government says 400 miles. And some say it is more about regions than distance. I think either is acceptable when you consider much of the produce at grocery stores travels 1,000 to thousands of miles to get there.

Why eat local? Localvores (people who eat locally raised food) do so for a variety of reasons. Eating locally supports the local farmer and the local economy. You might even meet the farmer raising your food and ask him/her questions about it. The farther food is transported, the greater the effect (of fuel emissions for example) on the environment. Local is better for the earth and therefore better for our health and future food supply. Local food will be fresher and healthier when you get it than food that travels thousands of miles. Many localvores choose local food over organic because certified organic food from larger corporations is viewed as lower quality/more highly processed. Also, local farmers might use organic and sustainable practices in their farming, though they have not gone through the process of becoming certified by the federal government. I believe it is a lengthy and expensive process.

Do you eat locally raised food?