Week One

Well, week one of attempting to eat locally and use less packaging was semi-successful for me. I work on a horse farm about 12 miles away from my home, in a quaint little town called Midway, Kentucky. The farm is in connection with Midway College, a small private institution with an excellent cafeteria. I am a sucker for bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, which is what I eat almost every morning during the work week. I rarely wake up in time to make breakfast for myself, or lunch for that matter! So this past week, two out of three meals a day were most likely not local at all! I did talk to the chef at the college about my quest to eat locally, and he assured me that a surprising amount of the food used in meal preparation is actually from Kentucky. I should still be packing my own lunch at the least, which is the skill I have chosen to hone: preparing my own meals. This is something I know how to do, but very rarely do it. So I guess the skill is to stop being so lazy rather than learn how to cook! I have been fixing my own dinner, which has been rewarding so far.
Going to the local Co-Op reminded me of a concept from the big green book we read last semester called "Understanding Urban Ecosystems." The "privilege of choice" ran through my head as I looked at prices on local products. I did happen to find everything from Kentucky, which was really exciting for me! A couple of things, pita chips and pasta, came from just across the Kentucky River in Ohio however. Here is a short run-down of what I found:
Flax oat bread made in Lexington, KY
Sharp cheddar cheese from Glasgow, KY
Stone ground mustard from Mount Olive, KY
Beer cheese spread from Lexington, KY
Honey from Midway, KY
Uncle Kenny's bourbon soaked cookies (YUM!) from Harrodsburg, KY
Honey-glazed pretzels from Covington, KY
Lettuce from Louisville, KY
Broccoli, potatoes, and multi-colored carrots (very odd, I found a blue carrot!!! Should have included a photo, oh well...) from Richmond, KY
Chocolate milk and chocolate ice cream from Pleasureville, KY
Salsa from Winchester, KY
Bison burgers/steaks from Louisville, KY
Obviously no fruit, due to the season.
Thankfully, my favorite alcoholic beverage, bourbon, is made only in Kentucky! (Don't let anyone fool you, it is NOT bourbon if it is not made in Kentucky, it is otherwise whiskey)
Kinda snobby, I know, but you would be surprised how many times I have been served Tennessee whiskey out of state when I asked for bourbon....

The bill was outragious compared to my usual grocery runs, but I felt good about supporting local farmers. Uncle Kenny, the guy who made the cookies, was actually there at the Co-Op, so I chatted with him for a moment. I did slip up on the reduced plastic/packaging deal, as I left my re-usable grocery bags at home by mistake! So I have added to my bulging collection of plasti grocery bags, which I do save and re-use. I also purchased some literature on composting and vegetable gardening, two skillsets I would like to pursue...

The junk food I miss the most so far: Coca-Cola and McDonald's hashbrowns!!! I hate Mickey D's overall, but their Coke is addictive and their hashbrowns are heavenly in my opinion.... oh well, I have replaced high fructose corn syrup with tap water, (no bottled water for me!) which is good.

On the next post: attempting to pack my own lunch and make my own breakfast!