Locavores

We have been eating good! It all started in Colorado. We tromped on over to Kim's house in downtown Pagosa Springs the second night we were there to bother our/my dearest friend Kim and her sweety Casey whom we hardly knew at all.

They have a tiny house on main street too near Kip's and the Baking Company to be a good spot for me. But somehow they manage to not blow EVERY penny on these two fine establishments. They have a cute porch with herbs growing on it and a gear room that is well stocked. During the course of our conversation we started talking about trying to save money, the environment and food.

We jostled book names back and forth, finding we have read many of the same ones BUT she had one I had never read AND one of the author's is from good ol' Durham, NC. Well she is in school at Duke University just up the road a piece from us. The name was, "Animal Vegetable Miracle". She even let me borrow the book. We full expected to finish it before we left but as a few of you know things didn't go as expected this trip to Colorado. So Kim, I have a confession, "urm *blush* we have the book at home and I plan to mail it back to you as soon as I am finished."

It was in this book that I met the word "locavore". Ok, ok, both you and I have heard of people who try to eat food not further than one day's drive from their home but it was just "heard" and there was no real information on how to do this yourself. This book is FULL of websites and practical information on HOW to be a localvore.

Since Charles and I are trying to live what we believe and have made some radical changes to our lifestyle in the hope of saving mucho dinaro, support our local outdoor gear stores, save our enviro from more pollution from our tailpipe, the pristine roadsides from one more (100 more) plastic bag we decided to give it a try.

Now none of the changes we have made have been anywhere near painful or even really inconvenient. But this has been the most satisfying change we have made. You see a few miles down the road, unknown to us, there is a genuine farmer's market where the actual farmers set up little tables festooned with brilliant lettuces, lucious tomatos and grubby little cucumbers. Oh no that is not all but Charles is playing a snowboard game on the xbox and distracting me.

We have a new tradition, we take $20 in cash on Wednesday afternoon and buy all the veggies we can eat in a week. Not everything is cheap but with a frugal eye sharpened by desperation a person can get plenty to feed 2 for $20. When pithy, cardboard tomatos cost $3.00/lb minimum at our local Food Dog (as Jason says) or Kroger we are getting homegrown 2nds for $1.50/lb.

Here's Dinner - chard, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, homemade bread & okra:

We sit down to dinner and lunch every day and feel ourselves transported to a palace where only the best of food is served. Let me tell you this is one sacrifice you will LOVE to make. We do drive a little further than our normal jaunt across the street but our food travelled a maximum of 70 miles plus our 20 miles makes that a max of 90 miles and tastes like it grew out our back door. Whereas what we were getting came from Mexico, South America or California and doesn't particularly taste at all.

This is a photo of our one week of loot:

Here is a link to the book's website Animal Vegetable Miracle. You can find links on how to find local food in your area as well as other ideas and information about food. I have not quite finished the book but it is the reason I am eating tomatoes that explode in my mouth with flavor and life and I tried my first fresh fig.