Our Local Eating Experience: a reflection
We’ve been trying to eat locally since the beginning of the year, and since June, our meals are mostly local. We’ve been getting our meats from Fresh from the Farm and The Healthy Butcher, and our fruits and vegetables from farmers’ markets and our CSA share. We’re not your hardcore locavores, but we try to eat locally when it’s affordable and convenient. Let’s face it, we’re very busy with both of us working and taking care of a toddler. Time and money are precious commodities around here. With that in mind, I’ve compiled lists of our experience so far:
What’s local in our kitchen:
- all meat
- all fruits
- all vegetables
- eggs
- most cheese
- some spelt flour
- yogurt
- maple syrup
- wines
- most beer
What’s not local in our kitchen:
- rice
- pasta
- cereals
- olive oil
- vinegars
- milk
- flour
- spices
- condiments
- baking ingredients
- dried herbs
- bread
New foods we’ve made since we’ve gone local:
- cream of asparagus soup
- strawberry bread
- roasted roots vegetables
- homemade burgers
- parsnip mash
- maple syrup pork chops
- rhubarb sauce
- strawberry jam
New foods we’ve tried:
- rhubarb
- green garlic
- garlic scapes
- parsnip
- kale
- odd sprouts
- rutabaga
- and all the heirloom tomatoes that we’re growing
- the best chocolate milk – Harmony chocolate milk
This is just the beginning. I’m sure we’ll be trying lots more different fruits and veggies as they’re harvested. I’m really looking forward to the harvest of our own little garden.
Eating local is a challenge, and it means looking at your priorities and re-evaluating everything. This is a great resource for local food in Toronto and the surrounding area. I intern for the Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org), a nonprofit dedicated to building community around local and organic food. We have an extensive database of restaurants, stores, butchers, CSA’s, farms and organizations committed to sustainable agriculture throughout the U.S. and Canada. We would love to expand our Canadian listings, and would like to add you to our Green Fork blogroll (http://blog.eatwellguide.org/). I hope you find our site helpful and consider adding… Read more »