Penny-Wise Challenge Notes from Ohio
(editor note: we are pleased to welcome guest blogger, Baklava Queen today who hails from Ohio and maintains a blog at Rolling in the Dough. She's a first-time challenge participant, and we're pleased to read about her experience)
As a little girl, I was surrounded by the joy of local foods. My family had a sizable garden, as did my grandparents, and what we didn't grow, we could supplement from local farms. My mother, the Chef Mother, learned food preservation skills from her mother and passed them along to me, and though I sometimes balked at helping out in the kitchen, I always enjoyed helping to make and can jam and other treats for the winter.
Now, years later, having read several books and tapped into the local foods blog scene, I've come back full circle to a passionate support of local foods for so many reasons: environmental concerns, economic support of my community, and -- as always -- the wonderful taste. This past year I went absolutely wild at the local farmers' market, doubling my weekly budget in order to have plenty of fruits and vegetables to preserve until this year's market started, and I froze, dried, and canned so many good foods that I'm still working my way through them all!
Knowing that my pantry resembled my grandmother's root cellar, when I first read about the Penny-Wise Eat Local Challenge, I thought, "How hard can it be?" There'd be exceptions, of course -- spices and other baking ingredients, olive and canola oil, coffee, and chocolate, though I'd try to limit them all -- but with fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, and even plenty of local grains in my kitchen, I didn't have any doubt that I could stick to the budget and still eat incredibly well.
Just halfway through the Challenge, I find that what takes the most effort is maintaining a mindful approach to what I eat. I've been pretty conscious about eating locally as much as possible for the past year and a half, but this week I'm finding how my cravings can still draw me toward convenience foods and make me examine my choices even more carefully.
For example, I've had to explore alternatives, such as using more spelt flour since I ran out of local whole wheat flour, or replacing my morning coffee most mornings with herbal brews made from dried homegrown herbs. And sometimes those alternatives have had to be pretty creative in order to avoid the outright grumbling of my stomach: instead of reaching for pre-made, non-local pasta last night, I opted to make dumplings to plop into a hearty vegetable stew. (I'm hoping to try making real pasta for the first time this weekend as a way to get me through the rest of the week... and to meet one of my self-imposed goals for the year!)
And sometimes, bigger compromises are needed, as when I attended a meeting at work and joined my colleagues for lunch at a local restaurant. A small portion of my meal was local, but not all, and it definitely would not fit the established budget on a regular basis. (Fortunately, I think it will work out in the end!) But for the sake of professional obligations -- or personal relationships, as Jen Maiser so wisely pointed out -- I have to let some self-imposed restrictions slide.
I've definitely been cooking more this week, and while I know many people would find it a chore, I've discovered it's an exciting way to expand my skills and my knowledge of food. The more I eat foods that are produced locally and processed minimally, the more I try new techniques and combinations. I think I've become a much better cook and baker in the past couple of years, thanks to more time spent in the kitchen, and I suspect that my friends would agree. It goes against the grain of society to spend so much time in food preparation, but I rather like being a bit of a culinary rebel, taking the time to cook and eat with greater appreciation for where my food came from.
As I take a more mindful approach to my eating, I'm learning a few things. I feel differently when I reach for the herbal tea in the morning instead of coffee, and I rather like the change. It's tough to overcome cravings or habits of eating, but when I do, I feel like maybe I've made a step forward to a more healthy way of relating to my food. And when I need to make compromises or give in to a craving (coffee!), I can do it without berating myself unnecessarily or making others feel like they've led me astray. After all, if food helps build community, there has to be some flexibility in how we approach our eating, right?
I still have no doubt that I'll finish the week under budget and with several fantastic meals under my belt, and I'm thankful that I've cultivated the habit of food preservation that made my last-minute decision to join the Challenge possible. (Thanks, Mom!) Maybe when the Challenge is over I'll be able to retain some of the discipline of this week and keep a thoughtful, but not rigid, approach to my eating habits.
But I think the best lesson I'll take away from this week is the knowledge that there are so many people out here who are doing their best, like me, to make a difference in our screwy food production system by supporting farmers and food producers at the local -- sustainable! -- level. I'm trying to set a positive example for people in my small circle, but I'm delighted to learn more from all the rest of you who are trying to make a difference, too.
Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories this week, and thanks for giving me the chance to learn a little more. May your experience this week nourish you as much as mine is nourishing me!
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