Quite a few years back, I decided to try and eat only food that had come from a 100 mile radius. I wanted to see if it was possible to eat local. Here in Washington, it was surprisingly doable–but admittedly, challenging to find sources for year round food. I think if I had kept up on it for a couple of years, I would have been able to do it a little more seamlessly, but the initial seeking out the food at a million different places was kind of time consuming.
Still, I totally believe in eating local. On average, food travels 1500 miles to land on our plates. That 1500 miles requires a ton of resources, for what could potentially be found in our general area. Plus, I think local food cuts way down on food waste. It doesn’t have as much travel time, so there is less time for it to go bad before it has the potential of landing in your fridge.
I read The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating, and it must’ve had a pretty big impact on me, because it still sits in the back of my mind pretty often. Plus, you know how whenever something is on your mind, it starts to pop up everywhere? Well, I found a FASCINATING article on treehugger this week that details a study by a professor from the University of California. The study basically looked at the available farms in each part of the United States, how many calories they produce each year, and then determined that it is possible for 90% of Americans to eat local. I am pretty sure that the study didn’t take into account variety and nutritional requirements beyond calories, but still, it’s kind of hopeful that if we could re-vamp our food distribution system, there are farms capable of providing local fare.
Obviously areas with more temperate climates are going to be able to provide the largest range of foods year round–but I also think we could change the way we plan our food supply. It used to be on us to put food up during growing season and sustain on minimal availability throughout the winter. Now, you can get anything your heart desires from across the globe {which, I’ll be the first to admit, is sometimes really awesome when you feel like a banana in the dead of winter}.
Realistically, I know that the pace and demands of our lives have changed so much over the years, that each family spending their waking hours putting up food for winter, hunting down local sources, and traveling to 3 or 4 different spots for weekly groceries isn’t really all that doable anymore, but it would be rad {I am currently working on bringing that word back} if we could get stores to start sourcing primarily from local suppliers.
How easy is it for YOU to find local food sources? Is it worth your time/cost/effort?
~Mavis
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