Localvore.html

Localvore Events
What is a Localvore?
Why Eat Local?
How Does the Localvore Challenge Work?
Localvore Sponsors
Other Localvore Resources
Pledge!
Addison County Web Based Farmers Market

Upcoming Localvore Events

We meet the first Wednesday of every month at Carols Hungry Mind.
Arrive at 4:00 to get a tea/coffee. Meeting starts at 4:15

EAT LOCAL BOOK GROUP March 19, 2008
The third in a series of book discussions revolving around food and food issues. FULL MOON FEAST- Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice. Discussion led by Joanna Colwell. 6:00- 7:30 at the Ilsley Library in Middlebury. For more information contact Kristin Bolton at 462 3722.

What is a Localvore?

A Localvore is someone who loves to eat fresh, locally grown and produced food. Addison County Localvores invite you to take the Eat Local Challenge this September. How much of your diet can obtain from foods grown within 100 miles of home?

Why Eat Local?
Environment and Place
In the U.S. the average distance food travels is between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate. Food that is grown close to home will use far fewer resources to get from the field to your plate.

Health
Local food is fresher and therefore retains more of the foods important nutrients.

Economy

Money spent on locally grown and produced food stays in the community. If Vermonters substituted local products for just 10% of the food we import, it would result in $376 million dollars in new economic output, including $69 million in personal earnings from 3,616 jobs.

Taste

Our farmer neighbors grow varieties of fruits and vegetables bred for nutrition and flavor, not easy shipping. The food you pick from your own garden or buy at the Farmer's Market is harvested at the peak of flavor- fresh food is the most delicious food there is!

How does the Eat Local Challenge work? Last year the challenge encouraged everyone to make foods grown within 100 miles of home the center of their diet. We had a fabulous response, nearly 50 "formal" pledges and nearly as many ways which people approached this challenge. Some pledged to can and freeze more food, some planned to make one meal a day entirely local while others agreed to buy only local meats, fish, dairy, fruits and vegetables for the entire month. The success can be seen in the in the smiles of the vendors at the Farmers Markets, the new and interesting dishes apprearing at neighborhood potlucks, and in the way that we feel when we know that we have made an impact on the enviornment and out local economy.

THE 2007 Challenge...Several communities throughout Vermont are having food challenges this Summer and Fall. Addison County's challenge will take place in September 2007. (However, you can challenge yourself anyday, anytime!) The challenge encourages everyone to make foods grown within 100 miles of home the center of their diet. There are many ways to approach the challenge. Check them out and pick one that will work best for you and your family.

Option #1

A full DAY of eating food grown/raised within a 100-mile radius of home. Breakfast,, lunch, dinner and snacks, you'll get to sample what a whole day of eating local might involve.

Option #2

A full WEEK of eating food grown/raised within a 100-mile radius of home. Your creativity will be challenged as you experiment with a range of different locally grown meals.

Option #3

A full MONTH of eating food grown/raised within a 100-mile radius of home. A month of local eating is likely to have a profound long-term effect on your food choices.

Option #4

Organize a potluck of locally-grown foods. At dinnertime, you could ask each person to "introduce" the food they brought- where did it come from? Is there a recipe or a story about this food?

Option #5

Create your own challenge! Ideas: $20 dollars spent on local food each week? One local meal each day for a week or a month? At least one local ingredient in every meal? You decide.

This sounds great but...I NEED MY COFFEE!

Don't worry... the point of the challenge is to celebrate local food, not to suffer! We suggest challenging yourself to make the bulk of your diet locally-grown (around 80% of the food you eat). This allows room for coffee, tea, baking soda, spices..Make a list of the non-local items you feel you must have, then try to make all of your other food purchases LOCAL!

Sign up to Take the Localvore Pledge for September 2008!

Check back again to see what we come up with for this years challenge!

Sponsors:

Many thanks to our sponsors who help to support this effort to support local farmers and growers, and contribute to a healthy and sustainable enviornment.

ACoRN, Middlebury

Mary's at Baldwin Creek, Bristol
Colwell Designs, Ripton
Camomile Blue, Ripton
American Flatbread, Middlebury
Lewis Creek Farm, Starksboro
Almost Home, Bristol
Bobcat Cafe, Bristol
Champlain Valley Folk Festival
Doolittle Farm, Shoreham
Kent Ridge Orchards
Mountain Greens, Bristol
New Leaf, Monkton
Norris Berry Farm, Monkton
Boyers Orchard, Monkton
Wood's Market Garden, Brandon
Otter Creek Yoga, Middlebury
Champlain Orchard,Shoreham
Last Resort, Monkton
Bristol Bakery, Bristol
Orb Weaver, Monkton
Park Squeeze, Vergennes
Field Farm, Middlebury
Starry Night Cafe, Ferrisburgh
Fat Hen Market, Vergennes
Good Companion Bakery, Vergennes
Daily Chocolate, Vergennes
National Bank of Middlebury, Brandon and Middlebury
Monument Farms, Weybridge

Other Localvore Resources
Local Farmers & Local Food Directory
Compiled by Bay Hammond, this directory helps aspiring Localvores to find their food quickly and easily.

Addison County's Web Based Farmers Market!

Vermont Farmers Market Listings
Compiled by NOFA-VT, this is a listing of all markets in Vermont.

http://www.VermontLocalvore.org
Mad River Valley (VT)Localvores with excellent resources: local food sources, books, films, recipes, blog, events and organization links. They are planning a September 2006 Localvore Challenge.

http://www.eatlocalvt.org
Champlain Valley (VT) local food advocates with local food source list, rationale, recipes,links and discussion board. They are planning an August 2006 Challenge.

Brattleboro Localvores

Upper Valley Localvores

http://www.locavores.com
The original "locavores", culinary adventurers supporting food grown within 100-mile radius of San Francisco with rationale, recipes, food and cooking links.

Local Harvest - A national directory of small family farms.

Addison County Localvores c/o ACoRN P.O. Box 65 Middlebury, VT 05753

Subscribe to the Addison Co. Localvore Email list to receive and share information about events, local foods, resources and more.