Today I decided to commit to something I've been toying with for a while. The environmental impact of importing most of our diet is reason enough, but my rural upbringing and my love of history makes me long to return to a more local diet. So, 1Nov, 2009 will be my official first day.
My prefirst day was busy enough - a batch of squash soup to freeze (I've made three batches and froze them already) and a new sourdough starter to experiment with - the first batch of bread is rising now as I sit down to write.
Honestly, my biggest challenge will be caffeine. I may opt to limit myself to FreeTrade coffee rather than eliminate caffeine altogether. Spices are another uncertainty- we've been importing spices for several hundred years, long before there was an environmental crisis. Perhaps my version of the 100 mile diet will be "those things that originated within a 100 mile diet OR have been imported for more than 200 years". Hmmm. Would that be cheating? That would mean I could still have chocolate.
The first big issue will be determining what really is local. I went to the Covent Garden Market today, looking at bread - a vendor insisted that the ancient Kamut bread with Kamut from Germany was a local bread. I'll need to ask lots of questions.
I'm glad I live where I do - there actually is a lot within 100 miles of here (I must remember I said this once, after I've been at this for a few months). But, there will be no bananas, no oranges, no refined sugar, no ALEXANDER KEITHS! for a year.
Stay tuned!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Juggling My LIfe Blog Begins
Tonight I decided to have a semi-permanent, possibly public record of some of my day to day thoughts, writing them down seems like a really good idea
- Sometimes the combination of working nearly fulltime in an emotionally demanding and rewarding career, singleparenting an adolescent daughter part-time, running a household and all that entails, trying to life healthily including good food and exercise and maintaining some social contacts is practically overwhelming. It's no wonder I'm tired.
Something I've been working on is attending a conference in Scotland next August and spending another week exploring the country. I think the idea is a good one. I've emailed a Medical School Classmate to see if she'd like to go too. My daughter will likely be going with her Dad to Winnipeg at the same time so It would be a great time to go. And Oscar has an offer of a playdate too. Seems like it could work out.
- Sometimes the combination of working nearly fulltime in an emotionally demanding and rewarding career, singleparenting an adolescent daughter part-time, running a household and all that entails, trying to life healthily including good food and exercise and maintaining some social contacts is practically overwhelming. It's no wonder I'm tired.
Something I've been working on is attending a conference in Scotland next August and spending another week exploring the country. I think the idea is a good one. I've emailed a Medical School Classmate to see if she'd like to go too. My daughter will likely be going with her Dad to Winnipeg at the same time so It would be a great time to go. And Oscar has an offer of a playdate too. Seems like it could work out.
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