buy local

I have 1/2 acre in the city and I’m thinking about a few 3-4 free range hens for eggs.Those would be some local eggs!

As soon as it’s feasible I’m tearing out the lawn and putting in a garden and chicken manure would be great for the soil.

This is the second year with the CSA. I also hit the farmer’s market and local businesses whenever I can. I could be doing “better”, but the idea was to develop the habit, not go completely off the grid. I’m also freezing and canning and baking more, which are all great skills that I’m happy to have in my toolbox.

in the thriving time of everything-in-season. And the produce is de-LISH! I do wish I knew how to can and freeze, though, so I could continue to enjoy things later in the year when it isn’t in season. I might learn a little more about that later in the summer when I have some more time, but right now I’m much too busy.

The closest Farmer’s Market is open for the season on Thursdays. Unfortunately it was stormy this past Thursday. And the week before was the first with a limited amount of vender’s and almost no fruits or veggies yet.

The little road side stands are beginning to pop up around town now. We’ll start to patronize them for produce as well as the “locally grown” section of the grocery store.

Strawberry season has arrived! Yum.

It makes even more sense to buy them at the farmer’s market. When was the last time I met the people who grew the stuff at the grocery store?!

YAY! Today was the first day our community-supported agriculture farm was open. We brought home teeny carrots, lettuce, and green onions. A small start, but the season is young. We ate the carrots tonight, and they had a “bite” to them I’ve never tasted in store-bought. This is going to be so cool!

I got the most wonderful strawberries that actually taste like strawberries!

I bought all my flowers for the pots and the window boxes at the local garden center today. It might have been cheaper to buy them at Wal-Mart or Lowes, but I would hate for Kentucky American Seeds to lose the business. I can imagine what would happen if the big stores had total control over what plants were available, we’d all have to pick from the same ten varieties every year!

I bought some veggies and baked goods from people who actually remembered me from last year and seemed happy to see me. That doesn’t happen often at the chain grocery store!

—I found a list of what produce is in season locally each month. Now I need to follow it. Maybe a stretch goal will be to learn how to freeze & can correctly, since nearly everything is in season for only a 2-month stretch.
—Been doing some research on where to find local food.
—I’ve also been getting into the habit of reading labels on food to see where it was shipped from.

Lots more to do! I feel good about this goal.