Preparing for September

August 28, 2007 by Erin.

As September gets closer, I’m spending more time preparing for the month’s challenge.  I’m going to be pretty rigid, and stick to the 150 mile radius for the source of all my calories. The exception I’m making will be for grain, I’ll do my own bread baking with Maine grown wheat. It’s starting to feel pretty intense as I sort out my fridge and cupboards. I’ve been eating at one extreme (grabbing sandwiches from the health food store, eating out frequently), so my switch to the other is a real change (planning ahead, eating food with known provenance).

I’ve put some berries in the freezer. I’ve emailed friends and family to keep a look out for local stuff for me. I’ve made friends with some chickens for their eggs. I bought more storage containers to better preserve the food I buy.

 The other big part of this is that I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years, more than half my life. There are no local sources for soy, or nuts, or quinoa. I’ve decided to eat fish during the challenge, in the interest of a diverse enough diet to keep me healthy and active (I’m a yoga teacher with a part time job at a bakery, I have a pretty full schedule). My reasons for being vegetarian are many, and they’ve evolved since I became one at age 12. But one of the main reasons is the ecological impact your diets creates. My attraction to the eating local diet is because of it’s sense of responsibility towards community and land. So for one month of my life, I’m happy to experiment with eating responsibly procured seafood, rather than irresponsibly farmed agriculture.

I enjoy learning in the extremes of experiences…a few more days till my diet moves to my backyard!

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