A couple of months before Jeff and I moved up to Oregon, we sat down and made a "dream life" list-- things that we would like to have in our life, since we are kind of starting anew as we resettle. On the top of the list was being able to live as sustainably as possible, mainly by eating primarily local food. Now that we are here and getting ready to move into our house, I am beginning to think about how to actually make this happen. Portland is a great place to try to do this, since the culture is very supportive of local, organic, self-sustainable businesses and lifestyles that respect the environment. There are farmers markets every day of the week that I can go to. I think that the hardest part about eating locally produced food will be keeping within my $400 per month food budget-- it's already a challenge, since Jeff and I love to eat and drink well, and I love to feed other people, too. That's where the blog comes in, since I think that a lot of people believe it's impossible to be frugal and support these kinds of values. I am hoping that this blog will (a) keep me on track (b) encourage others that it is actually doable (c) generate support and helpful information for others who would like to live with less impact on the environment.
Beyond benefiting the environment there are many great reasons to "eat local". Here are just a few:
Locally produced food is freshest, and therefore tastes better and has more vitamins.
Eating locally also means eating only foods that are in season-- which is not only beneficial for the body, but uses less resources and requires less fertilizers and pesticides, since these plants grow easily in their natural seasons.
By buying from the growers, we develop community relationships, learn more about our food and connect to the food itself.
Food grown on huge factory farms is subsidized by the government and may cost less at the grocery store, but organic produce grown by ethical farmers does not-- it may cost more, but we are supporting these farmers and showing appreciation for choosing to grow quality food for us.
In September (with a fresh budget) I will really begin these efforts, and will let you know how it goes. For the rest of this month, I think I will be doing (and sharing) as much planning and research as I can on how to eat locally, yet inexpensively. I definitely look forward to any insight and or information you readers have to offer!
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This is a chronicle of my progress as I seek to provide meals for my family from purely local (Oregonian) sources-- on a $400 per month budget!
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3 comments:
We have a similar plan. We are adding into that growing/raising as much as we can on our own and preserving the surplus from the productive months.
I am looking forward to seeing how it goes!
That's great, Dan. I envy the space you have for chickens and goats, too. We may do a chicken coop-- zoning allows three, but we could get a permit for more. The plan for us is also to grow a lot of produce, although it will be a little while, since we will be just getting settled through the fall and will need to wait a little while to plant. Exciting! Can't wait to see/ hear how your homestead progresses.
It's great that you are doing this. We dream about doing this better as well. The budget part is surely a challenge that is a noble endeavor.
Another reason to go local is that the average food item travels 1500 miles before you eat it. We spend a lot of money and resources on transporting inferior food, when people have lived with the available foods around them for ages.
Growing your own, and foraging for wild food is the most local approach, and is dirt cheap! We're with you on this!
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