100 Mile Harvest Guiding Principles

On Monday, May 11, 2009, our family started the second phase of 100 Mile Harvest. Though we will remain locavores, we will transition from an omnivore diet to a vegetarian lifestyle. The principles will remain the same; we will be eating primarily local, organic/sustainably grown produce while avoiding all processed food, including refined and artificial sweeteners, white flour, white rice, corn, and any products that contain them.

To ease into vegetarianism, our family agreed to re-introduce a list of nutritional items that we have missed and will make the transition easier. We call this list the Survival Kit. Every item was studied and discussed carefully, not only for its nutritional value, but for it's "desirability index." Items were added by family consensus. We agreed that any products in the Survival Kit would have to be organic, sustainable and fair-trade.

Guiding Principles

• Eat whole, unprocessed food


• Eat mostly local, organic and/or sustainably grown fruits, vegetables and legumes


• Eat organic oats and quinoa


• Eat organic, raw nuts


• Eat eggs and dairy from pasture-fed animals


• Use low-glycemic, plant-based sweeteners (stevia and raw agave nectar)


• Use coconut oil for high-heat cooking and olive oil for salad dressings

Things we will avoid:

• Commercially canned, processed, frozen and prepackaged foods


• Refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup


• White flour, white flour products, white rice and corn products


• Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils


• Genetically modified foods


• Artificial food coloring and additives

See our 2nd year rules.

A Year of Local Eating

On May 11, 2008, our family committed to a year of eating only locally grown food in an effort to learn how our food choices impact our health and our environment. This journey not only brought our family closer than we could have ever imagined, but it also allowed us to live a more conscientious and eco-friendly existence.

It has also awakened in us a deeper appreciation for the people behind the food, whose care and dedication in farm fields and backyard gardens have made 100 Mile Harvest possible. We are forever grateful for their generosity and commitment to producing sustainable food.

We invite you to join us in the next phase of our locavore journey, as we transition to a Vegetarian Lifestyle in pursuit of a greater level of sustainability.

Reason #1 for Eating Local Food

To Shape the Future of Food

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

– Mahatma Gandhi

Every decision we make as individuals has consequences. That is no less true of our food choices than in any other aspect of our lives.

For our family, it wasn't enough just to to recognize the impact food had on our health and the environment. We had to understand the alternatives and be an active part of the solution. We knew early on this would require some sacrifices, especially in terms of convenience. But we also felt that were ultimately going to be responsible for our actions.

Though most of us will never spend a day laboring on a farm, we are all co-creators of our agricultural system. The food we find in supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants is just as much a reflection of our choices as it is the workings of factory farms, government policy and marketers.

Every day we hear of the epidemic of obesity and other threats to our health and safety posed by agri-business. Some of us are unaware of how all of these issues are interrelated; or, we feel like we have no choice and are unable to change course, hoping that others can ensure our safety.

Instead, we all need to understand that we exert a tremendous market-based influence through our purchases. With each dollar we spend, we are supporting a certain model of food production and delivery. The question we should ask ourselves is whether we are supporting a system that is aligned with our values and our vision for the future.

By accepting only local, seasonal food, our family is casting a vote for sustainable agriculture. Won't you join us in shaping the future of food?

Reason #2 for Eating Local Food

It's Environmentally Friendly – Food Travels Less Distance

In recent years, the concept of "food miles" is one that has helped green-leaning consumers understand the environmental impact of our food choices. When we read that the average item on an American dinner plate has traveled 1,500 miles, we looked in our own pantry and found that most of our food was being shipped long distances; our food really was better traveled than we were!

The 2001 study that produced that figure was far from complete – it was limited to 10 fresh produce items in an Iowa supermarket. However, if you consider the exponential increase of "food miles'" that a processed food would represent (multiple ingredients with their own origins), the implications are certainly greater. Though a wider follow-up study has yet to be completed, if you are in any way concerned about your carbon footprint, this is an area that deserves action. While our food is going to rack up food miles regardless of the source (unless it's homegrown), choosing local food is an easy and effective way to keep these distances in check.

Remember also that food miles are just a part of the story. Buying seasonally is a good principle for reducing your carbon footprint. Much of the unseasonal produce in America's supermarkets is coming in from warmer climates abroad.

You might even find unseasonal items in farmers' markets – tomatoes, squash and herbs are sometimes grown in hothouses or using hydroponic methods. Keep in mind that generating heat artificially or running hydroponic systems to raise crops increases greenhouse gas production.

We've radically cut down our food miles and learned to make better choices about the items we buy, and when we buy them. Have you started on your low-carbon diet?

Reason #3 for Eating Local Food

Food Security

Over the last year, as we bought only the best and freshest local produce, we were reminded of the dangers of a centralized, industrial food system.

During the first months of our project, during peak tomato season, consumers throughout the United States and Canada were being advised not to eat tomatoes as a salmonella outbreak continued for over 6 months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked 1,442 cases of illness to this contamination. It was later discovered that serrano peppers, not tomatoes, were to blame – this illustrates the challenge of tracking and managing (and investigating) such an outbreak through a centralized food system.

In January of this year, we got another taste of salmonella; this time it was traced to peanut butter. Though the processing plant responsible for the contamination was quickly identified, the sheer number of brands and products included in the recall reached across school cafeterias, snack foods, meal replacement bars and more.

Food safety is always an expectation, and the failing of our system to prevent such widespread foodborne illness is a clear message that we can't trust factory farms and the centralized distribution model to ensure safety, regardless of the economy of scale they offer.

Buying locally has spared us these worries, and that alone is a huge reward.

But food security is also about the regional availability of food. When Hurricane Ike devastated the Gulf Coast on September 13, 2008, many Houston residents went as long as three weeks without electricity. Just three days after the Hurricane, the first farmers' market reopened, giving us access to fresh food once again. In contrast, most supermarkets in the area remained bare for another week, as it took time to restore normal distribution of perishable food items.

We've discovered both the obvious and subtle ways in which a local food economy enhances a community's access to safe, healthy and abundant food. Have you?

Reason #4 for Eating Local Food

It's Healthier for You – Whole Foods Without the Pesticides

When you buy local food from a sustainable or organic farmer, you are not consuming any of the synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are routinely sprayed on conventionally-grown produce. On large-scale conventional farms practicing monoculture, these have become standard procedures, given the threat of pest infestations and reduced land fertility (problems created by these very practices).

However, sustainable farmers seek ways to enrich the soil through resource management, taking into account the interdependency of air quality, land use and water management. Biodiversity (production of more than a single crop) supplies a natural way to replenish the soil. It also promotes resilience when a specific crop type is attacked by a disease or infestation. This leads to crops that are robust and superior in quality, flavor and nutrient profile.

As we learned more about these different farming practices, we understood that only sustainable farming could provide us with wholesome, healthy and nutritious food uncompromised by an arsenal of pesticides, fungicides and other man-made chemicals.

Whole, natural foods are the life-giving raw materials needed to nurture our bodies and help us achieve an optimal state of health. Are you nurturing your body with quality foods?

Reason #5 for Eating Local Food

Support Small Farmers and Build Community

For years, we've heard about the plight of the American farmer – that icon of self-reliance and integrity who was no longer capable of making ends meet, and was therefore losing everything in bankruptcy and foreclosure. It was a sad story, but oddly enough, one that still fit into the overall picture of a nation whose values rewarded the largest of producers and savviest of businesses. After all, with thousands of new products being introduced in supermarkets each year, it's not like there's a food shortage, right?

As our spending shifted from supermarkets to farmers' markets, we saw an amazing potential for changing the situation. Each week we buy food items from no less than 10-15 vendors, putting into their hands money that would have otherwise gone to corporations like Whole Foods or H-E-B.

At any grocery store, I can only count on a small portion of each dollar going back to the farmer; a lot of it goes to paying associated costs for a product's marketing, distribution, transportation, shelf space, etc. At a farmers' market, the opposite is true – the farmer will keep most of that dollar, with a small percentage allocated to paying for market booth fees, fuel usage, etc. And unlike corporate earnings, those revenues are more likely to be recirculated locally.

While our family's weekly budget won't be keeping any one farmer in the black, it is the collective spending of our fellow market-goers that is creating a values-driven micro-economy each Saturday morning. Will we be able to fund the prosperity of these small farmers in a way that government subsidies and aid programs have not been able to address? In a period of one year, we've seen several farmers expand their fields, try new crops and develop new products; just as in the corporate world, these are all growth indicators that bode well for business and provide a positive outlook.

We're in. Are you?

Reason #6 for Eating Local Food

Know Where Your Food Comes From

As we started 100 Mile Harvest, we were just starting to learn about the way in which factory farms and worldwide food distribution had impacted the way we eat, from the farmer all the way down to the individual consumer. We were buying organic products, mostly for their health benefits but also for the hopeful idea that they were all good for our planet. What we weren't reading was the fine print that indicated where these products were coming from. It was shocking for us to realize that most of our frozen fruits were better traveled than we were. And that's just fruit, whose "Product of..." label at least lets you imagine a direct line from its origin to your supermarket.

Worse still were processed foods. Now the ingredient list could be 10, 20 or 30 items long! We had to step back and imagine the food routes for each of those ingredients and we were struck by just how many stops there could be on the way to making a single snack food item.

And so we simplified our family menu...only whole foods, and only food from our growing region. We received a quick education on what it is to eat seasonally, how fruits and vegetables are grown on small, organic farms, and even how animal products are produced. We saw firsthand what goes into making artisanal cheese and finally understood how chickens are transformed from farm animals into food items. Most people only vaguely "know" how these things happen; going behind the curtain and participating gives one a true appreciation for the miracle and responsibility we all share in feeding ourselves and our families.

But even before setting foot on a farm, we took the first step that makes all the difference: we engaged the farmers in conversation and started asking questions. Having left behind the comfort of labels in a supermarket, it was important for us to develop a relationship and level of trust with these vendors. Only dialog was going to ensure that we would feel comfortable with the purchases we were making. Did you grow these on your farm? Are those organic? How long have you used sustainable methods? Why did you decide to transition to organic farming?

In time, we found a number of vendors who earned our trust completely. Each week now, we get an update on what is ready for harvest and what has recently gone into the ground. We've received invitations to tour farms, to help plant a crop, or to just "visit." As enlightened consumers, the connection we have found to food and place is one that feels simple, clear and direct.

And it only gets better when you can walk away from the farmers' market holding a head of cabbage or a fistful of onions that you planted a couple of months before!

Do you know where your food comes from? Why is it important to you?

Top 7 Reasons for Eating Local Food

As our family enters the home stretch of 100 Mile Harvest we wanted to revisit the reasons for why we took on this challenge. Now that we have completed nearly a year of locavore living, we have a direct insight into the impact that this lifestyle has had on our health and on our planet. Follow us this week as we reveal our top 7 reasons why you should eat local food.

Reason #7 for Eating Local Food

Local food is fresher and tastes better than food that has been shipped thousands of miles across the country, or even internationally. The produce you find at farmers' markets is usually harvested just days before, while at its nutritional peak and ripened naturally. In contrast, many of the fruits and vegetables in supermarkets are picked weeks before they make it to the produce section. They are often harvested while still unripe (in order to give them a longer shelf life) and in the case of tomatoes, artificially ripened with ethylene gas to produce the visually-appealing red fruit we all expect to find year-round.

You've probably heard someone remark how there is "no tomato like a homegrown tomato." This simple truth is a reflection of the mediocre "flavors" so abundant in our grocery stores. When you start buying from local farmers, one thing you discover is that there is no such thing as "just a tomato." Instead, you'll find as many varieties as there are vendors, and usually more. Small farmers who don't have to select a species for attributes such as long shelf life or size are likely to pick for flavor and variety. This means a world of taste is opened up, and customers have the opportunity to find their own favorites among commercial and heirloom species.

Which brings up another benefit, that of discovery. Most of us would say that our supermarkets are stocked with all the produce we could ever want. However, as our family can attest, how often does one actually try new things out? Besides the tag that identifies exotic fruits and vegetables, what kind of knowledge do we get to assist in figuring out how to use something?

Immediately upon going the our first farmers' market last year, we discovered that our standbys (broccoli, onion, bell peppers, tomatoes) were not all in season. That meant we had the chance to explore new items, and the farmers were ecstatic about sharing preparation tips and recipes. In the process we found some new favorites – items we could enjoy for the length of the season, before saying goodbye and moving on to the next surprises.

Discovery, freshness, taste and nutrition...exactly what we expect in our food anyway, but not necessarily something we get shopping inside the box. What new flavors have you discovered?

Note: Other ways to get the benefits of fresh local food are to join a CSA or a co-op. But whichever route you go, always ask questions about how your food is being produced.

Letter From the market - Garlic Part II

Katerina

When the green garlic gets older, it puts out babies... I peeled some for you to see, but left one for you to peel too.

Congratulations on your almost one year anniversary.

From:
Tom and Maxine Yunker