May is just the beginning...

So here we are, May 1. Or, Day 1 our first month of the “Local Eating Project”.

What does “Local Eating” mean, exactly? It means our family - Doug, Eva, Sylvia and I - has taken a

Sylvia and Judi doing research in Elburn, IL

pledge of sorts, to scrutinize our food choices, research the local options, and find the farmers, dairies, beekeepers, and small business-people who are passionate about creating healthy food for their customers; food that works with our natural environment here in the rich soil of the midwest. Over the next 12 months, we will be shifting our food choices to those grown or produced within 100 miles of either of our homes (farm or city).

But why? Anyone who knows me either in my hometown of Riverside, or at my yoga studio in Brookfield, knows I am passionate about my farm in the country. I’ve been heading 80 miles west of Chicago for weekends and summers since I was 4, and have developed a connection with the farm area, and local farmers. For the last 10 years, more and more of our food comes directly from people we know. I’ve purchased milk from a good friend who squeezed those teats by hand. The chicken my family eats comes from Joe at the Tri-City Market. We’ve raised our own steer. I’ve maintained two gardens. My studio organized a CSA with Randy, and I swam in fresh veggies (thankfully, since my gardens have been hit-or-miss lately.) And, buddies at the farm have generously shared their over-abundance of produce and fresh eggs with me (and I never say no!).

So, I’ve developed a real love for people who have a real love for what I eat. People who really care. These are folks who may complain about no rain, or too much rain, worry about government regulations that make their job tougher (and their product not necessarily safer), leave a party early to put in chickens or get ready for an early morning, and just simply make sacrifices to produce food that is healthy and produced in a kind, conscious way. But I never hear them say they hate their job.

A few years ago I hosted a CSA on my porch for neighbors. The woman who delivered the boxes,

One of the perks of doing research is coming across
beautiful finds, like this barn in the country.

Mary Anne, was a friend. She brought food from about 4 different farmers. She’d often sit on the porch and visit during the drop off.

At the end of the season, Mary Ann told me they no longer wanted to deliver to us. Why? I asked. We’ve loved the food! Not enough people? Too far out of the way?

No, she said. We just miss talking to the customers about the food. At the farmer’s market, we can chat and visit, find out what they like, and help them use the food. Here, we never see our customers. We miss the connection.

Wow. People who will give up business in favor of making a connection.

Anyway...these are the people we feel can feed this family the best. And over the next year, we plan to find them and share them with you. Some will be individuals, some will be small companies. And all of them will be local.