10 Days – 100 Miles – 10 Exotics

This whole blog started with a challenge.

Almost exactly 3 years ago I took on the Food Stamp Challenge and fed myself and my unwilling husband on $60 for a week. I learned a TON. Like, if I only have $60 for the week, there’s no way I can buy a bag of coffee (much less a latte in the afternoon). So I drank generic black tea every morning instead, and only got to do that because I found a coupon for tea! The challenge also forced me to get creative as an amateur cook and find ways to make my meager groceries satisfy our tummies and our taste buds.

This time I don’t need to give up coffee or alcohol. And there’s no budget. Just a geographical limit.

To celebrate Food Day (which is October 24th) I am doing the 10 Day Local Food Challenge.

For 10 days I will only eat food that was grown or produced within 100 miles with the exception of 10 exotics. So I can still have coffee because it’s one of my 10 exotics! And I sourced it from a local roaster, so it’s as local as I can get. The husband is sorta participating. He went to a Chinese buffet for lunch today, so…yeah. But he will eat whatever local food I prepare for him.

So far, we’re doing good.

Breakfast Day 1. Eggs with some red peppers and a slice of whole wheat sourdough made with local flour.

Lunch Day 1. After a late morning snack of an apple from Rice Family Harvest, I made myself a salad with one of my exotics–avocado. And a small baked potato. My local butter hadn’t arrived yet, so I used more Mt. Kofinas olive oil.

Dinner Day 1. Pizza and local booze! The crust is made with eggplant by a local farm. Another local salad, local beer for the husband, and local wine for me!