tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post4773620891147546918..comments2024-03-23T13:25:40.836-05:00Comments on Simple - Green - Frugal: Local diet update - June 22, 2008Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-89448721758365649862008-06-23T21:16:00.000-05:002008-06-23T21:16:00.000-05:00All week? Now I'm totally jealous!All week? Now I'm totally jealous!hmdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424022504830645523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-85044837387295725462008-06-23T20:34:00.000-05:002008-06-23T20:34:00.000-05:00Actually, it's open Su-Sa, but the big days are th...Actually, it's open Su-Sa, but the big days are the weekend days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-37807830096220648752008-06-23T19:25:00.000-05:002008-06-23T19:25:00.000-05:00timeus - That's awesome! Not to mention that the m...timeus - That's awesome! Not to mention that the market is open Friday-Sunday! At least then you can be flexible about when you go. Enjoy all your goodies!hmdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424022504830645523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-5431249557148107612008-06-23T19:02:00.000-05:002008-06-23T19:02:00.000-05:00We patroned the local Farmer's Market on Sunday. ...We patroned the local Farmer's Market on Sunday. Mandy & I were surprised to find that produce prices were actually <I>cheaper</I> than any of the grocery stores local enough for us to frequent. So, not only were we able to support local farmers, but we saved money doing it.<BR/><BR/>Meat, dairy, & eggs are on display on Fridays & Saturdays, so we missed out on that, but must find time to make it over for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-33425478436418362862008-06-23T11:05:00.000-05:002008-06-23T11:05:00.000-05:00wendy - I struggle with the whole balance thing. I...wendy - I struggle with the whole balance thing. I started out last fall (oct) trying to see if I could eat entirely local (or homemade for things like bread and desserts). For the most part, like you, I'm about 90 percent local - all our milk, eggs, honey, veggies, fruits, nuts, etc are local. <BR/><BR/>But then they're balance. For instance - I really enjoy Nature's Path cereal. Do I buy it? It doesn't fit into my local eating experiment. Do I wait until Oct when I've had a year in or do I go for balance now and just enjoy it every once in awhile? Another thing I've struggled with...We can only get local gouda. This weekend, I made homemade mac and cheese for my hubby. Do I eat it? It has gouda, but also mozarella and parmesean (not local) and of course those elbow noodles weren't local. <BR/><BR/>It's been tough trying to figure out how strict I want to be with myself. So far, I've been really strict on the fruits and veggies (I haven't had a banana or mango since I added fruit to the local diet experiment in March). But how far do I want to take this?hmdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424022504830645523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-8287415817399562272008-06-23T10:08:00.000-05:002008-06-23T10:08:00.000-05:00Same here. We still eat out, regularly, in fact. ...Same here. We still eat out, regularly, in fact. We have Chinese take-out at least once a week, and because the portions are so big, we end up with two meals. The restaurant we frequent doesn't source local ingredients - as far as I know -, but they are not a chain, and they are locally owned. So, we're supporting the local economy.<BR/><BR/>When we're not eating Chinese, all of our produce, all of our dairy and 90% of our meat is local. Flour is locally milled (in Vermont), but not from local wheat, and other staples, like sugar and olive oil are just not local at all.<BR/><BR/>But, I think it has to be a balance. I'm always looking for alternatives to those things we can't get locally, like sugar, but the alternatives (maple syrup and honey) are much more expensive than sugar. So, while I use them occassionally as a substitute, from a purely economic standpoint, I will still use sugar most of the time. This may change, but because I've already indentified alternatives and learned how to use them, any forced transition due to limited availability won't be an issue ;).Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-65576373518462707232008-06-23T09:02:00.000-05:002008-06-23T09:02:00.000-05:00We do fairly well avoiding chain restaurants. Two ...We do fairly well avoiding chain restaurants. Two of the three restaurants we frequent are local. The other is Cotton Patch. Definitely a chain, but it's within walking distance to our house so we get a nice walk out of it. Also, they have an awesome veggie plate!hmdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424022504830645523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862121314003712764.post-19867095011573038842008-06-22T17:22:00.000-05:002008-06-22T17:22:00.000-05:00I feel the same way. With 4 kids, we are a family...I feel the same way. With 4 kids, we are a family always on the run! Sometimes we MUST eat out, just to make sure everyone gets fed! What we have pledged to stay away from are chain restaurants of all kinds. We figure if we aren't eating local food persay, at least we are supporting local economy.EcoBurbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14931648017376435556noreply@blogger.com