#7: For One Month, Be a Locavore

Everything about being a locavore can be summed up by The Jam:

1. Jam is (at least) twice as expensive at the farmers' market than it is at the grocery store.
2. Jam is (at least) twice as tasty at the farmers' market than it is from the grocery store.
3. Jam is (at least) twice as fresh at the farmers' market than it is at the grocery store.

This is the case with most foods we ate during the month. The food was more expensive by quite a bit, particularly the non-produce items such as the olive oils, jams, and almond butters. There were also significantly fewer choices since we were eating what was in season, within 100 miles. We went through 18 baskets of strawberries, at least a dozen zucchini, 15 cartons of almond milk, and a boatload of pears.

Despite the expense and the limited options, the experience was fantastic. We learned to make-do with whatever the farmers had to offer. We ate healthier by a long shot--nothing prepackaged or laden with preservatives. Best of all, the foods we ate were delicious, noticeably more tasty and more fresh than grocery store goods.

We even made our very own jar of jam during the month, a small batch strawberry jam that consisted of only two ingredients: strawberries and sugar. No high fructose corn syrup. No weird chemicals that you can't pronounce. Just plain old strawberries and sugar.

Yesterday, our locavore experiment ended, and we went off to the supermarket to get a few things that we had gone a month without: bananas, orange juice, macaroons. We passed right by the jam aisle, though, deciding that it is worth the few extra bucks to have simple jam that actually tastes like real fruit. Who would've known?

Comments

[Benji]

really inspirational

[connie]

sounds like a good experience. maybe now, in addition to jam, you'll think twice about putting stuff in your cart at the store. that's really what its about. making responsible, informed decisions.

[That Kind of Girl]

Sounds like a wonderful experience! It is amazing, isn't it, how much tastier fresh, local produce is? But it's not financially feasible for everyone to just eat local all the time -- sounds like experimenting with the lifestyle gave you a great sense of when it's most worthwhile to splurge!

[jen]

I made the same kind of jam - just strawberries and sugar. Everyone that tries it has the same reaction "this tastes just like strawberries!" like it's something they didn't expect from strawberry jam! :) sounds like a fun experiment.

[december3rd]

First time commenter here :) I love that you did the locavore thing for a month. I have tons of fruits and vegetables growing in the backyard and rarely have to go to the grocery store, it's great! Fresh chard goes from garden to my dinner plate in half an hour :) Not sure what to do now that the weather is cooling down though.

[Wonderful]

I want to learn how to make homemade jam, that sounds so cool!