Locavore Slow Food challenge

So seeing as the first of the year is steadily approaching and I've made claims to start this locavore slow food challenge (props to Kate for the new word) I thought it appropriate to give an update or at least start defining the ground rules of this idea. I have been reading this book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver that a friend suggested to me and its giving me quite a few good ideas on how I am actually gonig to pull this off.

This book is about how a family moved out from their city life in Arizona to a farm they owned in Virginia and decided that for a year they would only eat local food and try and reduce distance their food traveled. Its pretty amazing when one steps back and actually looks at the food cycle he or she is a part of. Especially when a book like this points out how silly it actually is to eat food that comes all the way from China instead of food from the farmer who lives less than an hour away. Not only does it take less fossil fuels but it is healthier and promotes responsible farming practices and fair treatment of workers (not to say that non-American farmers can't farm w/out destroying the land - just that industrial farming doesn't really take into account the land they are destroying and that most food imported is owned by large farming corporations).

I am stepping off my soapbox now. Back to the topic at hand, the challenge. It started out in the form of me not eating any meat that doesn't directly result from me (hunted, caught or raised etc.). This is somewhat hard to do considering I have 20 square feet of front lawn and no room to raise any sort of animals. This also doesn't take into count all the vegetables I would be eating, that is a big part of the food 'industry'. So I have designed the ground rules as follows.

The Locavore Slow Food Challenge:

1. If I cannot produce something first hand I will and get it from the farmers market or a farmers co-op that sells all year round online. If i still cannot get it I will go to the local health food store and look for it organically. If I still can't get it depending on how much I need it I may go to Meijer and get it organically.

2. Starting in the middle of the winter is probably the worst timing for this challenge seeing as I have only stockpiled venison and frozen fruits that are mostly not organic, so I am affording myself some loopholes until the growing season starts in March so anything I already have stocked up is fair game (but I'm not going to stock pile anything else)

3. Any meat must be non-CAFO (Confined Animal Feed Operation) In other words no meat from industrial meat operations. Any vegetables must be at least grown locally if not organic (although certified organics are also becoming kind of a joke).

4. The hardest rule of all (bar nights and long car rides will suck!) NO FAST FOOD.

This is how I am going to do it:

I will make a monthly order from the West Michigan Co-op.

I will shop at my local independant grocer that carries many different kinds of organic food.

I will buy bread from the local bakery by my house

I will try to cut out as many packaged foods as possible including organics.

I will become a member of a local CSA at Trillium Haven Farm (anyone in the GR area want to go in on a share? Trillium with doesn't split shares and I dont need vegetables for a family of 4 but two other ppl would work out good)

I will buy vegetables as they are in season from the farmers market on saturdays and can, freeze and pickle as many as possible.

I've got enough venison to feed a family of 4 so after sharing I should have enough to totally cut out the need for purchasing red meat and I will buy my poulty, dairy and any other meats I need from the co-op or the local farm store as needed.

There are still probably millions of things I am not taking into account but I will cross those bridges when I get to them.