Jena Performing Local

SO yesterday was busy and I didn’t get to update, here I am now, blogging you my day before class.

I’m eating french toast right now which I also had yesterday. For lunch I had a salad with tofu, the same as the previous night. I heavily snacked on local crackers! and cabot cheese. I also had an apple. I got raisin bran that comes from needham! (actually its distributed from there but still) which i had for dinner. Followed by some harpoon beer! (which is made in boston and windsor vermont - 150 miles, average the two and its less that 100, since i have no way of knowing which place it came from)

We went to an artist talk and opening at the list center for class, and for the first time i had the opportunity to drink during class i couldn’t, since the wine and beer were not local. My roommates (the same ones that saved me from the cookie) thought i could have some wine since it wasn’t food, but im sticking to my morals. But really it sucked standing around while everyone was drinking and snacking. but i made it through! Better get strong when i go to first friday openings tonight!

I might be late for class now so i better go…..

maybe i didn’t use enough ice?

Day three has come and almost finished. I wasn’t feeling so hot today, really low energy and pretty hungry, even when I ate. I was missing greens and grains in a big way. I was in class this afternoon and started feeling light headed so i had to each my emergency Kashi granola bar (not local) but I felt it necessary to make through 3 more hours of class. I need to figure out my snack situation.

So after class I went on my second foraging expedition! I found a lot of great food today and I am feeling a bit more optimistic!

Zach turned me on to Sherman Market (22 Union Sq, Somerville, MA) which was so great! The guy who was working was very helpful and whipped out his laptop to help me look up how far away places were. I even got to try a couple cheese samples!

What I got-

- Stoned Wheat Crackers from Hingham, MA- 21 miles

-Flour!!!! from Aurora Mills and farms in Linneus, ME - 368 miles (I was desperate for flour but should have known better)

-Oats from Aurora Mill and Farm in Linneus, ME - 368 miles

-Butter!! from High Lawn Farm in Lee, MA - 121 miles (DAMN i was so pumped on this)

-Mesclun Greens from Red Tire Farms in Granby, MA - 84 miles

-Apples from Lunenburg, MA - 43.7 miles

-Onion from Whately, MA - 107 miles

-Smoked Sea Salt from Maine Salt Company in Marshfield, ME - 326 miles (I figured salt from maine was better than salt from god knows where)

-Baguette of bread from Brookline, MA - 2 miles

-BEANS!!! from Baer’s Best in South Hamilton, MA - 22.8 miles

- carrots - I forgot to write down where these were from but the guy looked it up for me.

-Whole Wheat Bread from Nashoba Slow Rise Breads in Concord, MA - 20 miles.

I was surprised at how small the store was at first but everything was local and I found so many good things! That brings me to what I have been thinking about with “local”. I think I need to do some more research and thinking into what local is. The guy I was talking to asked me why the arbitrary number on 100 miles? I didn’t have a great answer. While 100 miles seems like a lot, it is rather limiting as a lot of “local” food I have found is from vermont and maine. So does it make sense to switch it to 200 to reflect what is actually available, or eat rather restrictively to 100. Does it make sense to buy maine products like oats and sea salt that i haven’t found within 100 miles yet instead of really far away products? Also while my bread and chocolate were made locally their ingredients didn’t necessarily come locally (no cocoa in MA!) Perhaps bread and chocolate will be my exception? I need to figure this all out and write my manifesto by the end of this week.

I went to the Centre street location of City Feed and Supply on 672 Centre Street, JP

-Chocolate milk from Thatcher Farm in Milton, MA - 14.8 miles

-Mint Chocolate from Equal Exchange Chocolates in West Bridgewater, MA - 35.3

So a lot of good food, which I feel saved me haha. But there was also local food I decided not to buy. I would have loved to get the local Bacon or Gelato I found but at 9 dollars and 8 respectively I decided it was a bit too pricy. A lot of people have been asking me if doing this project is expensive. The answer is YES. I was thinking not going out to eat would equal out the more expensive food, and it might, but I am also dealing with the question of privilege. It is expensive and not everyone could afford to eat this way. I’m not sure how much I can afford it myself. I have to make choices for sure. I had a conversation with the guy at Sherman Market about it. I commented on the prices and asked his opinion. It seems to be a complicated thing, two part situation perhaps. Part is that it cost more to produce good local food of quality that isn’t being subsidized by the government. Part is the market. Until there is a change in the main system of mass produced commercial food , local organic won’t be able to compete in prices (According to the guy I was talking to) I think this is something I have a general idea about this but it would be worth doing some more research about.

What I ate today:

Breakfast - Yogurt from grass fed cows in Ashfield, MA -115 miles and Vermont Maple syrup from Bristol, Vermont - 208 miles (this is so ironic because I’m from bristol so this would have come from 0 miles away!!!) Also had eggs from Hubbardston, MA - 63.9 miles

Lunch - Left over Beef Tomato Stew thing (Beef from River Rock Farm in Brimfield, MA - 60.9 miles, Onions from Long Plain Farm in Whately, MA - 107 miles, Hydroponic Tomatoes from American Hydroponics in Hopkington, MA - 27.9 miles, also some left over garlic and oregano)

Snack - Kashi TLC Granola bar - La Jolla, CA - 3,019 miles (only ate it in order to not faint in class, but it just goes to show how far our food travels. 300 mils in maine doesn’t sound so bag now….)

Dinner - Salad! (Mesclun Greens from Granby, MA - 84 miles, hydroponic tomatoes from Hopkington, MA - 27.9 miles, Tofu from Jamaica Plain 4.2 miles, fried in butter from Lee, MA - 125 miles and flour from Linneus, ME - 368 miles. Also Balsamic Vinaigrette I made myself. Baguette of bread from Brookline MA - 2 miles)

Dessert -Mint Chocolate from West Bridgewater, MA - 35.3

any suggestions or opinions on my manifesto?

are you mad?