Your Stories
So you're having a crack at the 100-Mile Diet. Tell us about your first meal. What local foods did you discover? Where did you find them? And what did you have to do without?
100-Mile Diet in Scotland
By Mike
BURNTISLAND, SCOTLAND–Thanks to James and Alisa, I’m about to embark on a very similar project in Scotland. I’m based in Burntisland in Fife with my son (Sorley, 2) and my wife, Karen (pregnant and vegetarian). We’re going to eat food only from the region of Fife over the next year.
Not easy given that much of Fife–from Rosyth to Longannet to Methil–is an industrial or post-industrial landscape. The Firth of Forth is an unlikely cornucopia. Only a few miles away, Dalgety Bay recently reported radiation from samples taken on the beach, and the huge chemical plant of Grangemouth shines in the night across the estuary. The winter is cold and bleak. Throw in the fact that my wife and I have a two-and-half year-old toddler and another on the way, and the stakes are raised.
It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s a farmers market once a month in Kirkcaldy a few miles away. There are two organic farms we know of and rumours–but no sign of–a ‘local food initiative’. The East Neuk of Fife is full of fishing villages and there’s even a Fyfe Brewery selling local beer. Maybe we’ll be alright?
Doing the diet, we want to challenge the idea of organic as a stand-alone solution, and rebuild awareness of where our food comes from. It’s ambitious to think that we could help challenge the grip of the supermarket on society, but maybe we can help. We also want to test how difficult it is to eat local on a budget. We have a small garden and a smaller income. We’re not very Fearnley-Whittingstallish.
Thanks again for the inspiration.
Do global imports support local economies?
Dear James and Alisa,
I have often wondered how my choice to seek seasonal local stuff and to avoid southern imports of fruits and veggies (California, Chile, Mexico, etc.) affects their local economies. And then I saw this article:
Air freighting vegetables from Africa is a small contributor to Britain’s carbon emissions
By Kimani Chege
January 22, 2007
NAIROBI–There is growing concern that carbon dioxide emitted when transporting food over long distances contributes significantly to global warming.
But researchers at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) have urged British policymakers and consumers not to undermine the trade in fresh fruits and vegetables flown from sub-saharan africa in efforts to reduce these “food miles”.
Read the rest of this story at SciDev.net
Yours Truly,
Pamela Zevit
Dear Pamela,
This is a complicated subject, and one we hope to address at length at some point. In brief, though, we stand by the idea that most people should be consuming more local food, and relying less on the global food chain, and when eating from the global chain, it makes sense to buy fair trade products.
The costs and benefits for developing nations are very difficult to weigh. While purchasing products form subsaharan Africa supports a certain type of economic development, for example, it is also subsaharan Africa that is expected to suffer disproportionately from global climate change–which is fueled in part by food miles.
Best,
James
Passion Deserves Its Price in Connecticut
By Maggie Lyon
NEWTON, CT - Expect to pay slightly higher prices for artisanal items such as hearth-baked breads and raw cows’ milk cheese. These items require expertise, passion, and serious dedication. While working for a cheese farm, I encountered many people who were appalled by our higher prices, and to be fair $18 is quite a bit. However, so much is involved that it’s absolutely worth it.
Preparing for winter in Michigan
Lansing, MI - October 21, 2006
By Sara Doherty
I’ve been trying to integrate more and more local foods into my diet this year, and was so excited to come across your site and see how far it can be taken. Yesterday I went to my local food co-op, and they had 100-mile diet posters all over the walls, and each item in the store grown within 100 miles had a big “local!” sticker on it. It made it easy to shop! I’m stockpiling all the food I can from the farmers’ market, and now I’m looking into a winter CSA to get me through the colder Michigan months. Now if only I could find a source for wheat…
Getting a weekly box of veggies in the Windy City
Chicago, IL - October 14, 2006
By Ruth Gagliano
I think everyone should join a Community Supported Agricultural program (CSA) and get a weekly share of veggies and maybe some fruits for an entire season. I just investigated my local CSA opportunities, chose one, and leapt in. I found that it’s less of a time investment than prowling the farmer’s market and hunting for the best value of everything that’s offered - so it was less intimidating for me. I try things that maybe I wouldn’t have chosen and then I end up loving them. You never know until you try. And finally, I have a stronger and longer-term relationship with the farmer and the organization - a tangible tie to the land.
100-Mile potluck in Vancouver
Vancouver, BC — October 2, 2006
By Catherine Bargen
I recently hosted a lovely party here in Vancouver that included a 100-Mile Diet-inspired potluck. Earlier in the day I had gone to the farmer’s market and bought every vegetable in sight — one booth even gave me a locally grown hot pepper for free. It was heart-warming. I dubbed the delicious soup that resulted “harvest celebration surprise.”Other savoury items that folks brought included salmon and a berry cobler.What a great time of year to chow down in BC… we lacked nothing!
Separating the wheat from the chaff on BC’s Sunshine Coast
Roberts Creek, British Columbia — September 26, 2006
By Chris Hergesheimer
Check out my Local Grain Initiative — I’ve grown and cultivated wheat here on the Sunshine Coast. It’s a pretty small scale thing, but working out nevertheless. Now I’m ready to bake. Keep watching for the bread!
http://local-grain-initiative.blogspot.com/
100-Mile for a month in upstate New York
ALBANY, NY - September 19, 2006
By Cheryl Nechamen
Just wanted to let you know about our efforts in upstate New York.We’ve organized the 100-Mile Diet challenge to run for the month of September in the capital district and it has received a great response - 73 people have signed up so far.In addition, the 3 local newspapers have run stories on the project and there’s interest from a local radio station. We also hope to get restaurants to feature local foods on their menus.Check it out at 100milechallenge.com. And thanks for the inspiration.
More than collards in North Carolina
WILMINGTON, NC - August 9, 2006
By Rene Pare
We’ve been thinking about this idea for a long time but believed that our area in southeast North Carolina had little to offer except sweet potatoes and collard greens. But then we started looking around and were amazed to find how wrong we were. We have farmers markets twice a week, and several fruit and vegetable stands that sell almost exclusively local produce. We also have a plethora of fresh seafood. Now we’ve bought a new freezer and pressure cooker and feel great about eating more healthy foods.
Sure we’ve made a few mistakes. Like the time we went to a “pick your own” farm and dug up a whole bushel of beets. It was way too much for the two of us, so we took a bunch to church and people fought over them. There was so much interest that we’re going to start a cooperative group at the church to locate and share local produce.
Slicing the 100-mile diet in half in British Columbia
POWELL RIVER, BC - July 20, 2006
By Margaret Anderson
Your visit to our little slice of heaven here in Powell River has inspired at least 250 people here to take on the challenge of a 50-mile diet for one month.We’re blessed with an amazing organizing committee, a fantastic existing farmer’s market and some of the best growing conditions for fruits and veggies you could hope for. We are sharing ideas, frustrations, substitutions, cravings, and dreams of a more sustainable community.
