How is the May Eat Local challenge going so far for me? Not so great. But I didn’t really expect it to. I have learned some things though.

  • I found some sources for local eggs.
  • I found out that my local farmer’s markets don’t open until June, even though the city farmer’s markets are open. Some of the farmers listed in those markets actually live right around here.
  • I’ve had some conversations with people about food politics.
  • Local food sourcing seems to be everywhere I look in the media now. Is this an surge of interest or am I just noticing it because I’m interested?
  • One small summer store did open last weekend. The produce isn’t local yet but I was able to get salsa and pasta that were made locally. They also have local cheeses. I don’t have any idea about the source of the raw materials but at least it is supporting a local company.
  • Knowing that the farmer’s markets are open in other cities brings up an ethical point for me. I don’t think that I should make a trip especially to go to the farmer’s market. It seems wasteful. Other people may disagree with me on this. Should I drive an hour each way just to buy local produce (some of which is grown near here)? This is complicated by the fact that I would think nothing of driving there to see a movie that I couldn’t see here. Going there uses much less gas than buying produce shipped from California.

    I keep thinking that I could go if I was combining it with something else I had to do in the area. Farmer’s market and a movie, perhaps.