The Latest

Nurturing Next Gen of Local Eaters in Toronto

JANUARY 18, 2007 - Your book has been one of the most interesting and inspiring that I’ve read in some time. I’m a long-time foodie, and have tried delicacies from many places in the world, with very little awareness of what impact global eating has on the planet - that is, until I became a mom in 2005. When my son began his adventures beyond the world of breast milk, I really became much more concerned about where his food came from.

In purchasing organic food, I learned more and more about the importance of eating locally - local first, organic next, everything else last. Living in downtown toronto, I thought eating locally would be difficult, but our city is very fortunate to have several organic farmers markets. The 100-mile diet has taught me even more about where food comes from, and inspires me to keep working at it.

Kim, Toronto

Happy Holidays and New Year!

DECEMBER 24, 2007 - People have asked us why Christmas didn’t make a bigger splash in our book about our 100-mile year. The answer is . . . we’re not very Christmassy people. We’ve never spent a Christmas together; Alisa goes to see her family, and James does the same (or just enjoys a rare few days of absolute peace and quiet). We don’t exchange gifts with one another, or even, in James’s case, with family and friends. The MacKinnons “cancelled Christmas” (as James likes to put it) years ago, giving each other the permanent gift of a stress-free season. They might get together and share a meal and swap a few old tales, but piles of gifts are not a part of the plan.

Neither one of us gets the holiday season exactly right - who does? But we feel like we’re groping our way toward a different way of doing things that turn this dark, cold time of year into one or rest and recuperation (along with the odd 100-mile hangover). Strangely, the principles that local eating brought so strongly into our lives are the same ones that help us make sense of all the stress and madness of the season. Take time; go simply; choose connection over consumption; live deeply in the place you find yourself. Remind yourself to care.

We couldn’t offer you any greater wishes for the New Year than those.

Peace on Earth (we can dream, right?),
James and Alisa

2008: The Ecoyear

DECEMBER 23, 2007 - Myrto in Boulder, CO, wrote about her plans (as a family physician and married mother) to turn 2008 into a search for local foods and an “ecoyear” blog. As you can see from her note below, she has some concerns, but we think it’s going to go swimmingly - Alisa and I visited the Boulder farmers’ market and walked away with some incredible finds, like heritage Yellow Indian Woman and Cherokee beans, as well as flour and popping corns, and other foods that are completely unfamiliar in our landscape. When we visited the area last spring, many people in Denver and Boulder told us it would be “impossible” to eat locally where they live, given the high altitude and short growing season. They must have forgotten they were talking to Canadians. Spring in the Colorado Rockies was weeks ahead of even our relatively gentle coastal climate in Vancouver…and we’ve since met people managing to eat locally, and well, in places far, far to the north of us.

Here’s Myrto:

We are in the planning stages for our 100-Mile Diet. I have read that it can be economically unsustainable, that it can take a lot of time, involve some hunger, and lots of time looking for local staples. With three little boys to feed, and a husband, I cannot afford to have this be a short-lived or a failed experiment. So 2008 is my planning year - I am discovering lots of places to go to find resources that will come in handy. The movement feels like it is about to lift off in the grandest way! Read along at www.ecoyear.net.

-JBM

Manitoba Wraps Up 100 Days of Local Eating

DECEMBER 22, 2007 - Many of you will remember that a group of 135 Manitobans, mainly centred in Winnipeg, had committed to 100 days of eating a 100-Mile Diet, with the unusual difference that they chose months that bridged from the fall into the Canadian winter. Now that its over, Will Braun, who helped spearhead the experiment, told me it, “Went fantastically. Way more media and public interest than we would have expected. We’ll probably do it again next year.”

You can read the final newspaper report on their effort - and the ways it changed their community - right here. I think the opening line says it all: “Their 100-day food odyssey ends today, but participants in 100 Mile Manitoba say they won’t be stuffing their faces with forbidden international goodies now that the project has ended.”

Incidentally, Will (not to mention an old friend of mine, Aiden Enns) is also involved in the acclaimed Geez Magazine, which has just put out an issue dedicated to food. For those who don’t know Geez, it’s a revolutionary magazine of the spirit designed mainly for and by Christians, but as an atheist, I can assure you it’s a good read regardless of your background. Their motto: “Holy mischief in an age of fast faith.” Hallelujah! -JBM

A Personal Food Revolution in Halifax

DECEMBER 21, 2007 - Here’s a great letter from Janice in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that shows so many things: how a person can change the way the eat; how the locavore movement is reshaping the food system; and how good it all can be, even in winter. Actually, I’m just realizing that winter might be my favourite season for local eating - there is no other time of year when eating locally feels so totally distinct from industrial eating, and when the food feels so right for the season. Janice also asked whether we’ve been to Halifax; well, not on the 100-Mile Diet tour, but I do have family in the city (happy holidays, Steve!), and plenty more on Cape Breton Island (cheers to all of you!). -JBM

I read your book several months ago in Toronto, and found it truly inspiring. I wondered if I’d be able to switch to a mostly local diet when I moved to Nova Scotia this summer. Well, I can tell you that the locavore movement is alive and well in Halifax. My partner and I quickly discovered that we can get a box of veggies and fruits, all local and organic, delivered to our house weekly. Even now, in December, we’ve been getting squash, apples, frozen blueberries, potatoes, root vegetables of every kind, brussel sprouts and onions. Meanwhile, the farmers’ market is chock-full of great local finds, from dairy, eggs, meat and fish, to produce and wines and ciders. I’ve even discovered some locally produced hydroponic salad greens sold in an independent grocery store here that taste fantastic. I never thought you could have locally grown salad in the winter in Canada!

Being in Halifax also means local fish is fairly easy to find. I even heard that the fish monger at the farmers’ market is a proponent of eating locally produced food. As for wheat products, it may not exactly fit in the 100-mile radius, but in the neighbouring province of New Brunswick, the Speerville Flour Mill produces flour products from Maritime grain which is then sold to some grocery stores and at markets. This company has been in business for 25 years, a sign that eating locally has been a concern for people in the Maritimes for quite a long time now. I think it has to do with pride in the provinces’ agricultural heritage. It’s not just young people getting involved, I see plenty of older people (seniors) at the market getting their local produce. To them, it’s probably the way they’ve been doing things forever.

Even the provincial government is cashing in on the popularity of the movement, introducing a program to identify local products in grocery stores and elsewhere. I noticed a few months ago at the local superstore some jalapeno peppers identified by a hand-made sign as locally produced. I can say that at my house, 95% of the fruits and veggies we consume is organic and locally produced; 100% of dairy and eggs is also locally produced. We have been using up our supplies of other pantry items and will try to replace with local products as much as possible. We also drink local wines and ciders. There’s lots of locally brewed beer too. I doubt the ingredients are local, but at least the beer itself doesn’t travel great distances to get to us. Halifax is a very inspiring place. Thanks so much for opening my eyes and for sharing your experience!

Sign the Petition Against Canada’s Blockade of a Climate-Change Agreement

DECEMBER 11, 2007 - It hasn’t been easy to be Canadian over the past few days. Our prime minister, Stephen Harper, has been holding the world hostage as his empty and protectionist opposition to the emerging consensus on climate change blocks any meaningful new agreements. In a word: pathetic.

Whether or not you’re a Canadian, there is one simple action you can take. Sign the petition, which will be accompanied by a national media campaign condemning the Harper government for their selfish willingness to gamble with all of our futures.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/another_canadian_climate_crime/98.php?cl_tf_sign=1

You might also consider signing Al Gore’s petition - adding your name to the list of people worldwide who are calling for a more inspired and demanding approach to rapidly reducing the amount of greenhouse gases we produce. We have a choice: enter into an inspired era of invention as we change the way we do almost everything; or fight a million small battles against the effects of climate change. In other words, we can go for a cure or we can endlessly treat the symptoms. And as Gore shows, a more revolutionary climate-change agreement may be much simpler than most of us would think.

-James and Alisa

What About Global Fair Trade?

DECEMBER 7, 2007 - We’re excited to be getting more and more mail from the antipodes, including this recent letter from Alice in Australia, with a question we’re being asked a lot:

What a great notion! I like the idea that if you cannot source it from within 100 miles - just don’t eat it. In Australia we are experiencing a major drought, so rice just shouldn’t be grown here, as it is a serious waste of what little resources we have. I guess instead of sourcing rice from Os I could just not eat it!

What are your thoughts on all these great products from community-driven projects in third world countries that are sold through fair-trade and are making an economy for said community, like chocolate, coffee, and hand-made baskets etc? These products have a two-fold effect of income stream and livelihood for the community while being sold to consumers around the world, raising an awareness of the community’s situation…

Our response is pretty simple: Local food systems first. The idea of building strong local food systems as our top priority when it comes to food makes sense whether you’re in urban New York or rural Africa. To read about a striking example, check out this New York Times article about a nation I’ve visited - Malawi.

I’d also add that, as far as I’m aware, no one in the local foods movement is suggesting that we all need to get all of our food from our local food systems: trade has always been a part of human culture. It’s a question of balance. Over the past few decades we’ve swung toward getting most of our food from increasingly distant sources, and as a result we’re eating worse food at a higher environmental and social cost, and have also lost a critical connection to the landscapes and communities we live in. Local eating is about correcting that imbalance - we eat first and foremost from the places we live in, and then look outward for certain fairly traded, environmentally sustainable goodies.

When we think about global trade, we can’t separate it from global consequences. We need to make sure we’re asking the right questions. For example: air freighted organic fruit from sub-Saharan Africa can bring money to the community that produces it. At the same time, air freight emits a huge amount of greenhouse gases - and sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to be among the places hit first and hardest by climate change. So which makes more sense? Working to build strong local food systems in Africa as a first priority? Or stimulating Africa’s contribution to the global food trade? -JBM

Send Us an Email Lately? We Missed It

SO THERE we were, wondering why we didn’t seem to be hearing about all the 100-Mile Thanksgivings we knew were going on across the continent. Finally, we figured it out: we have a big, bad bug in our email service.

Suddenly the digital mailbag was full of recycled messages from 2006…meanwhile, much of October and November’s email bank just disappeared, though we’re finding that at least some of those messages were being filed directly into the trash can. It couldn’t have come at a worse time - just as thousands of people sat down to the autumn harvest meal. It’s enough to make a person want to start a conspiracy theory.

So: if you sent us a message about your Thanksgiving feast, please resend it (and accept our apologies), and we’ll get more Thanksgiving posts up a.s.a.p. - you’ll see some new posts ont he Thanksgiving pages already! In fact, if you sent any email and received no response, please get back in touch. We try to personally respond to every email that seems to require an answer. Plus, we miss you guys.

Happy eating,

James and Alisa

Local Food Guide Launched for NYC

DECEMBER 4, 2007 - With the launch of Local Fork, supported by the committed eating of Leda’s 250-mile year in Brooklyn, now eight million people will be able to access food resources for the New York City area. Find and add entries from A to V (alcohol to vegetables).

“This is the guide I wish somebody else had already put together because it would make my 250-Mile Diet so much easier,” said Leda on her Urban Homesteader blog. Here, she writes about everything from her raspberry cordial recipe, to what she does when she runs our of black pepper. (We’ll give this one away because we’re intrigued: “peppergrass seed” is something that James and I have yet to try.) There’s always a new twist to eating local. -ADS

Happy 100-Mile Thanksgiving!

NOVEMBER 22, 2007 - It’s Thanksgiving long weekend in the United States, and that means thousands of people from coast to coast will be sitting down to 100-mile harvest feasts that truly have something to say about the season and the places we live. Enjoy every mouthful, let yourself get a little sleepy from all that eating and conversation . . . and don’t forget to let us know what Thanksgiving looked like in your corner of the country. Who did you share it with? What foods did you eat? Who did you meet along the way? What memory will stand out in your mind? (Living up here in Canada, we’ve already had Thanksgiving, of course - you can read about our celebration with James’s mom here . . . and see Alisa’s increasing famous No-Spice Pumpkin Pie recipe here.)

Watch this space as we look back on 100-Mile Thanksgiving 2008 over the coming days . . . but not every day. Some of you will remember that, last spring, James and I pledged to write a daily blog from Easter until Thanksgiving. It’s been an epic effort almost on par with our 100-Mile Diet year itself. But we made it, a few techno glitches aside, and this is the last official daily blog. We already want to shed a tear for auld lang syne.

We won’t disappear forever, of course. We’ll still be posting your Thanksgiving stories, email dispatches about 100-mile experiments and locavore news from around the world, regional recipes, and favorite tales from our own travels and adventures. Watch the homepage and the archive under The Latest. But we are going to take a little more time away from the blogosphere, working on other projects - both within the local-eating movement and as the writers and journalists we’ve always been. Among our plans: an overdue revamp of 100milediet.org with even more tools for people looking to try their hand at local eating. And we’ll try to catch up with our email, we promise . . .

To our readers, both regular and occasional, thank you. You are the local foods movement - more than 13,000 subscribers have now pledged through this website to try putting a little more local in their lives! The 100-mile community shatters all expectations about “preaching to the choir,” the generation gap, or the rural/urban divide. Check out our top 10 states (they’re not all what you might expect): California, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon. And our top 5 Canadian provinces? British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. One-hundred-milers have the continent covered east to west and north to south, with members in every state and province.

The movement is building and we’re still in the early days of a groundshift that will change agriculture as profoundly - perhaps more profoundly - than the campaign for organics. We see news stories about it nearly every single day, and in places as diverse as India, Taiwan, Korea, the Phillipines, the UK, France, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand. So if you haven’t yet invited your friends over for a 100-mile meal, do it soon . . . because good food is irresistable.-James and Alisa