Local Eating

One of my intentions in the last couple of years has been to eat more local food and less food that comes from really far away. One of my small changes was to start purchasing more of the meat, eggs and dairy I consume from local sources. I was finding this challenging for a while, but it has been getting easier as I find more sources and incorporate it into my routines.

One of the local sources that has been most helpful is CNY Bounty,  a local non-profit which my boyfriend Dan recently started working for.


How it works [from the CNY Bounty website]: Each week, Bounty staff coordinate weekly product availability with farmers and producers and upload the products, prices, photos and descriptions on the website. Consumers can go online to www.cnybounty.com between Friday at noon and Monday at noon to place an order.  Orders are collected from the farm on Wednesday morning by Bounty staff, taken to the shared distribution center in Sherburne, NY, and distributed by Bounty staff to customers’ doorsteps or strategically located drop off points on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.  Delivery is free for orders over $35 or for orders of any size to drop off points.

CNY Bounty operates year-round and currently works with over 90 farmers and producers.  All processed/prepared products contain at least 25% locally grown ingredients, except where products are not grown in the region (ex: coffee and cacao).

Some of our favorite items from CNY Bounty:

Evans Farmhouse Creamery Orange Yogurt

Dried Elm Oyster Mushrooms

Raspberry Apple Juice

We've eaten a few meals lately which have consisted of mostly local ingredients.

One was a stir-fry with whole wheat noodles, sunflower oil, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, oyster mushrooms, and beef - all from CNY Bounty. And that's local raspberry apple juice on the side.


Another was local chicken wings from CNY Bounty and sauteed asparagus and kale from the garden. The kale was in a delicious soy coconut ginger sauce. The asparagus is the first of the season and it is very early this year - and very delicious!

What local eating have you been doing?

One Small Change - Month 3

I feel successful with my February One Small Change - increasing the amount of eggs, meat, and dairy that I buy from local sources. I was already doing this to some degree, but was not very disciplined about it and I was unwilling to spend the extra money to purchase local meat. This is partially because I rarely buy meat anyway and I don't have an accurate sense of what it costs in the supermarket, so the prices on local meat seem really outrageous. When I actually compared though, I decided the extra effort and cash are worth it, especially considering I don't eat very much meat. Yogurt and eggs I was buying locally when I came across them, but would purchase conventional versions of these products when I couldn't easily find the ones I wanted. Again, I am putting in the small extra effort it takes to get these even when I have to go a little out of my way.

This month I attended the local Winter Farmers' Market on February 6 (good thing I did, I found out the next one is not until March 27) and I purchased organic stew beef, free-range eggs (including an extra dozen for my parents), and free-range pork chops from three different local farms. I also spoke with a couple of the farmers and got information about visiting the farms. This month I also bought local yogurt and cheese at one of the natural food stores (unfortunately the one furthest from my house, but the only one that carries the local yogurt I like). This will actually become more convenient soon, as I will soon be going there at least once a month anyway to do pick-ups for the local Food Not Bombs. There is one more place on my list to shop, but it will have to wait until next month - the food co-op on the local university campus. It's not too far away, and they have some good stuff at reasonable prices, but parking is a bit of a pain and there's not really a good way to walk or bike there.

The most delicious brand of yogurt ever. 

Double Maple is good, but the best flavor is Orange.

My One Small Change for March will be water conservation. I contemplated this for last month, but knew I couldn't do much until I got the shower working (previously could only take baths). I'm now ready for this change, having fixed the shower with the help of my dad. We even installed a low-flow showerhead with a soap-up switch and I plan to start using the kitchen timer to time my showers and remind me not to dawdle. I also plan not to flush the toilet every time it's used. I'm familiar with the "if it's yellow, let it mellow" philosophy, but our toilet seems to stain easily and I also find that policy a bit smelly. So my plan is to stay well hydrated, and then as long as what's in the toilet is more clear-ish than yellow, I'm fine letting it mellow. I will also try to use a lower flow of water when I wash my hands, do handwashing and rinse dishes.

One Small Change Giveaway Winners

Since only two people entered my One Small Change Giveaway, I decided that I have enough stationery and snail mail accoutrements to make them both winners - Momma Rae and Helen will both be hearing from me shortly, and your packages will go in the mail as soon as I receive your mailing addresses!

A sneak peak of some of the contents of the packages

I see more giveaways in the future... perhaps some books? Stay tuned.

One Small Change - Month 2

My One Small Change for January was to get rid of things in creative ways and use things up. (See my first post on this topic here.) How did I do? I still own too much, but I am making good progress and will continue to work on this. One category that I focused on was craft supplies. I have pulled most of my supplies out of storage, organized them, made them as accessible as possible, and picked out my next few projects for both knitting (earflap hat for dad, wristwarmers to sell, rip out and re-knit a sweater for me) and sewing (finish reusable menstrual pads, bloomers, hem pants, pajama bottoms). I also have a sewing date scheduled for tomorrow and have been working on expanding the weekly knitting group I am a part of because I think adding a social component to crafting is both enjoyable and a good motivator.

In honor of last month's Small Change, I have a giveaway to offer to one lucky reader who likes sending mail: an assorted pack of cards, stationery, envelopes, and stickers. I will mail anywhere in the US. Please post a comment by Feb 11th the end of February (I am extending the contest) if you are interested in being eligible for the prize. Be sure to post your email address in the comment, so I can contact you. Or you can email it to me at beccamonstr [at] hotmail [dot] com.

I went back and forth on which small change to implement for February. After some deliberation, I  decided that this month I will only purchase meat, eggs and dairy that are locally produced. I have already been trying to make a larger portion of my diet come from local sources, but I have not done very well with these food categories. Specifically, this month I plan to buy local meat from at least one source, and find a reasonably priced place to purchase local yogurt and eggs. I also plan to attend the monthly winter farmers' market this weekend and check out the natural food store in town that I have not been to so I can compare prices and selection to the other stores.

One Small Change

I am participating in One Small Change, a challenge started by Hip Mountain Mama to encourage people to increase their positive green impact.

Since I already use cloth bags, cloth napkins, dish towels and hankies, buy in bulk, have switched to CFLs, and bring my own container for leftovers, I was struggling to find a small-ish change to work on for this month. I decided that my change for January is to get rid of things/use things up. Being a packrat and an environmentalist, this is always a challenge for me.

So I am looking for creative ways to use and give away some of my stuff. I am also giving myself permission to recycle and even throw away a few truly useless things. So far, I have given things away to friends and through freecycle, and have sold some items via Amazon and craigslist. I am also preparing to sell some of my handmade items locally. And I am making an effort to use the materials I already have around the house. Keeping things to prevent them from being thrown away is not positive if I'm not actually going to use them and they are taking up both physical and mental space. Also, the more organized and usable my space is, the more I am able to utilize the limited amount of project supplies I do decide to hang onto.

One of my projects - tagging my handknits for sale with repurposed materials (gift tags, paint chips, wallpaper samples, old postcards)

Anyone else participating in the One Small Change challenge? I'd welcome suggestions for future months (but I don't think I'm quite ready for the family cloth yet).