Eat Local - a challenge

[GodfreyRob]

Not sure if this is the best place to post this?
We have set ourselves a challenge to eat only the veg we can grow ourselves or source from growers within 10 miles of our house. We are going to do this for 1 year starting from August 1st.

Its part of our local campaign to encourage more people to grow their own food and make more use of local food producers. We can't afford solar panels, a wind turbine, a bio-diesel plant to fuel our cars or a new central heating boiler, but this is something we can afford to do and make a dent in our carbon footprint.

We are also going to try and source as much of the rest of our food as possible within the 10-mile limit.

As we did not want to be eating cabbage soup for 6 months in the winter/spring this has really motivated us to search for local food producers and we have already 'discovered' some really great sources for pork, lamb and beef (not to mention local breweries) that we had never taken the time to find before.

There's more about the challenge and our local group here: http://www.vegplantsonline.com/home_grown/challenge.cgi

Anyone else like to have a go too?

[GodfreyRob]

[meg_gordon]

What a super idea - we have a lot of farms and farmers markets around us - so meat and veggies should be easy - however what are you going to do about fish - we eat quite a lot of fish, and most of what we get in our shops comes from the north east of Scotland. 

Meg

[Digeroo]

I am hoping to grow most of my vegetables for the summer.  We are up to 50% at the moment.  But the winter veg locally would be very limited in choice. 

we eat quite a lot of fish

I eat a lot of fish too, and oranges and in the winter green beans.  And I have a lemon bush, which I understand may produce something in about seven years, if I have not managed to kill it.  I am surprised it has lasted this long, I keep forgetting to water it.

[manicscousers]

we try to do this as much as possible, still can't grow enough grapes though  ;D

[Kea]

We'd probably have to go vegie to do that....not many 'animal' farmers in our 10 mile radius!

[GodfreyRob]

What a super idea - we have a lot of farms and farmers markets around us - so meat and veggies should be easy - however what are you going to do about fish - we eat quite a lot of fish, and most of what we get in our shops comes from the north east of Scotland. 

Meg

We have 'found' a small trout farm just 2 miles away and there is a place that smokes sea fish that is just within the 10 mile radius. Its amazing what tuns up when you start looking.

[1066]

Interesting idea. Here in hastings fish isn't an issue! But if I was doing this I would extend the radius, as for you GodfreyRob you have 360 degree ten mile radius, the sea stops that for us! I know we have lots of local producers, but I would miss some of my world cuisine - rice and spices being just 2 of them. I guess I could try and source flour, and then make pasta etc

I wish you well on this and hope you will post your progress.

1066

[GodfreyRob]

Interesting idea. Here in hastings fish isn't an issue! But if I was doing this I would extend the radius, as for you GodfreyRob you have 360 degree ten mile radius, the sea stops that for us! I know we have lots of local producers, but I would miss some of my world cuisine - rice and spices being just 2 of them. I guess I could try and source flour, and then make pasta etc

I wish you well on this and hope you will post your progress.

1066

Maybe if you live by the sea you can go 20 miles inland as a speacial case ;)
You can grow a lot of spices on the windowsill (ours are full of all sorts of chillis). We going 100% on the veg and trying to source the rest locally. I bet you would have more luck with vinyards than us here in the Dales though :(

[1066]

Ah yes, vinyards not an issue round here - some excellent wines  ;D
But I think about what we eat and we have lots of different spices in our foods - nutmeg, cardomon, cinamon, tumeric, soy sauce, pepper etc. So I know I would struggle on that one. Also eat tofu - but maybe I could give that up   ;D  ;)

1066

[thifasmom]

Also eat tofu - but maybe I could give that up   ;D  ;)

1066

tofu is easy to make but cleaning the utensils and pots after are a bit tedious :-X

[1066]

isn't that just he way - I'd never thought of making it  ::)

[GodfreyRob]

Also eat tofu - but maybe I could give that up   ;D  ;)

1066

tofu is easy to make but cleaning the utensils and pots after are a bit tedious :-X

Have you got a recipe? And have I got time to sow soya beans?

[asbean]

We're nearly there, although our radius is more than 10 miles, probably about 25.  We've made a conscious effort to buy local for the last 10 years, and it's very successful. Luckily we have a farmers market twice a month, with locally caught fish as well as meat and veg, and we grow a lot of our own fruit and veg.  Having a huge freezer helps.

But in our city (! Winchester) we have no fish shop, no greengrocer, one independent butcher in the city centre and one on the outskirts and an independent baker, also on the outskirts.  Just the market three days a week (still no fish) and the farmers market on Sundays.  No wonder people have got used to the supermarket, but with a little effort it's possible to find local suppliers.

[1066]

your comments Asbean make me realise how lucky I am here in Hastings & St Leonards On Sea. We have local bakers, greengrocers, butchers etc. Many of them sourcing their supplies from Sussex and Kent. I made a deliberate effort when I moved here to try and shop as locally as possible, with the philosophy of if you don't use the shops you lose 'em.  I know for some people eating organic food is their priority for me its about ethical trading and local suppliers & businesses.

this thread has made me have another think about this subject and 2 things come to mind -
when I was growing up in the NW we had a fish van, veggie van, milk delivered, bread etc. So the traders came to you
The other is - what would I do without tea and coffee  :o I guess its about trying to shop as locally as possible and also setting your boundaries / rules

1066

[thifasmom]

Also eat tofu - but maybe I could give that up   ;D  ;)

1066

tofu is easy to make but cleaning the utensils and pots after are a bit tedious :-X

Have you got a recipe? And have I got time to sow soya beans?

I'm afraid i lost my recipe when i migrated here 7 yrs ago :'( but this link is pretty close to how i did it http://www.howtopedia.org/en/How_to_make_Tofu_and_Soyamilk. the only difference was the catalyst ingredient used to encourage coagulation or the forming of curds, my recipe called for Epsom salts (and because i no longer new the exact amts i was wary to try it as i didn't want to risk giving me and the family a dose of the runs :-X), so i cannot vouch for the vinegar approach although i don't see any reason for it not working.

one other thing when you get round to encouraging it to form curds don't strain away the water till it is absolutely clear, if you strain away the water while it is still cloudy you are effectively throwing away some of the soy protein. like i said with the Epsom salts my water went completely clear but with another catalyst i used lemon juice some soy protein waste occurred.

for a mould i used an old butter tub with a bunch holes punched into the sides and the bottom and for a weight i used an equal size butter tub with wet sand in it.

if you tr it good luck but remeber the cleaning after is a real pain.