In a turn of events I have switched to focus on a lifestyle change instead of my original plan for the Read 'n'seed.
My SMART goal?
I'm going to commit to one, but attempt to eat 2 local meals a week.
I wanted to do this last year when the locavor challenge was a focus at Whole Foods. They were encouraging even just 1 meal a month minimum just to get started. I didn't do a great job. I did, however start becoming aware of what was local at the co-op and made some more local food choices. This time I want to commit to a local meal one time a week but push for 2. I love the idea of buying from people that live in my area who work hard to provide us food. I love that it is closer to home. That you can more easily meet the people who grow the food. I love that it has traveled less time in a truck and taken less fuel to get to me. I also love that it is more fresh than some foods that are picked before they are ripe and the nutrients are not ready for our bodies to process, sprayed with chemicals and colors to make them look ripe.
My success so far?
I was encouraged when we were eating soup for Sunday's lunch and realized everything we were eating was local in our soup. It was chicken soup with a lot of root veggies. Joel had cooked off the chicken and saved the broth. It was SOOOO GOOD! The chicken and the root veggies and parsley were purchased at various farmers markets here in town.
This time the success of the goal came without planning. I have had thoughts of paying more attention to this and we have been attempting to get to farmers markets more. Now with this goal it is less of a casual thought and becomes a planned event to get food for my meals. It will be fun to go to the market and create a meal or two when I'm there.
I learned that local food can be SO YUMMY! That soup ROCKED!
I will continue my goal as is for the moment.
Judy,
ReplyDeleteYour Smart Goal sounds awesome. I so wish the Co-op was closer to my home. The closest one is 26 miles from my home. Still I shop there when ever I'm in the area but it's not as often as I'd like.
Would you share your soup recipe?
Ok this goal sounds so delicious I want to change mine :) It makes sense that your food was so tasty because it has to be sooo much fresher when it is close by! Thank you for taking the time to find where we can buy locally. I think most people want convenience, so if we know where to buy environmentally friendly food without having to search, that would help a lot.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link that I got most of my groceries from this week...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.duluthfarmersmarket.com/
I want to find the list of all of the farmers markets. ( know there has to be one on the web or produced in some form.
I know there is one at UMD on Wednesdays, one by Essentia Health on 3rd street and 5th avenue on Thursdays. There is also one downtown by lake and superior, I believe on Tuesday around noon.
Whole foods is of course another good place to find local food.
Convenience helps SOOO MUCH!!!!
This is great! Like Sarah said, reading this made me want to attempt this too.. I suppose we still can :) Just because I am doing a Read n' Seed doesn't mean I can't make a lifestyle change on my own!
ReplyDeleteI must admit, the prices at the co-op often discourage me from shopping there. I know a lot of people agree with me.. but lately I have discovered the beauty of COUPONS. So to those of you out there who avoid the co-op because it is too spendy, try only buying food you have a coupon for. You can save a lot of money! Just a tip :)
Some times there are coupon books lying just to the left or right of the first door when you walk in the co-op.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone can spring for a membership for your birthday or something and you can get even MORE coupons! :)
They can be pricier... and sometimes I actually see they are just the same as the "regular" grocery store. As we saw in the movie today, too, there is a cost to paying less with less subsides and less mass production. On the other hand... I also DO understand that as students, most of us don't have a ton of cash lying around either. It is a challenge to find a balance!!!
I have wanted to take my grocery receipt from the co op some day and go to Super One or some store like that and buy the same stuff and see what the difference is with a true direct comparison.
That soup sounds delicious. Eating more local foods sounds like a great goal. Thank you for giving us the site for Duluth's farmers market. That would be something fun to check out. Good luck with your eco-chic lifestyle change, let us know how it goes and if you come across any new information bout local food!
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