Expensivo

After picking up a zucchini the size of a whiffle ball bat from my mom's garden, I thought it would be great to trial run zucchini bread. I created it using all local ingredients, save the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt (none of which I've been able to find locally). In lieu of sugar, I used local honey, which is available locally.

It takes roughly 2 1/3 cups of honey to equal that of 3 1/2 cups of sugar. Or so google told me. I obediently poured out two containers of honey to equal 2 1/3 cup, and it was like watching our money drip away slowly. Local honey is EXPENSIVE. We did some math, and realized that for each batch of zucchini bread, our cost in honey alone is around $8, not to mention the gorgeous flour we bought from Nash's, and of course farmer's market eggs. But is the cost worth it?



Before, I would take it for granted, maybe even throw parts of it away after letting it sit on the counter for a week. Now, I'll freeze one loaf for later, and let me tell you, the taste is so much sweeter.

Our commitment to this experiment remains. We officially begin next week, on the 22nd with the Fall Equinox. It seemed natural to transition with the season and frankly, more challenging to begin in fall when things are less available. It's been fascinating throughout our "prep" period, but the reality of what lies ahead is unnerving.

We are trying to keep true to eating as closely to 100% local as possible, but find that our list of "exceptions" is growing out of necessity. Essentially, anything that *can* be purchased/grown locally will be, but a life without cumin or turmeric is not the life for me.

And so our exception list goes:

* Salt
* Spices (this is new)
* Oils
* Balsamic Vinegar
* Lemons

Which means we buy locally:

* Produce
* Flour
* Grains
* Eggs
* Milk
* Yogurt
* Meats
* Butter
* Wine
* Cheese
* Snacks
* Ice cream
* Honey

Now, our whole purpose has been to determine if it's less expensive or more expensive to eat 100% locally. Throughout the summer of our preparation and planning, it has seemed that it would be cheaper. While writing our grocery list for next week, I started to doubt that. Honey. Flour. War stock of veggies. War stock of fruits. 2 Dozen eggs (at $5 a dozen). It started getting very real, very quickly how expensive our little experiment might actually become.

We will keep track of our weekly grocery expenses, to allow 100% visibility into our little economic foodie adventure. We've already listed many of the things we've bought in preparation.

And at the end of the year we will all know, is it cheaper to live locally than buying at big box grocers?

The Plan.

We are trying to narrow down what kind of local eating we are going to do. We are starting to wonder--is this process possible for how we eat? I mean, we both expect things to change a little, but what about our stand-by recipes that we make on a weekly basis?

For instance, is it possible to get brown rice, bulgur wheat, or other grains from a local source? What about flour? And what about olive oil? Do we throw out our war stock of organic extra-virgin olive oils because it came from a truck and imported from Italy?

Our scope of what we *can* eat is narrowing, and everything now seems off-limits. The question is beginning to form--do we really WANT to do this?

In “The Locavore’s Handbook” by Leda Meredith, she suggests allowing 10 exceptions. As I read this, I let a HUGE sigh of relief. Aha! I’m not the only one who has troubles imagining living a life without olive oil and lemons.

Some of her exceptions did include olive oil and coffee (to which I wholeheartedly agree—Dan and I would dissolve fairly quickly without a cup of coffee in the morning), while her other exceptions had to do with how to handle friends and family.

For instance, she allows herself the luxury of eating out or at friend’s houses twice a month. This makes a lot of sense to me, and living in Seattle where there is fantastic food all around, I find it really hard to resist the occasional dinner out.

With that being said, I think our plan is finally taking shape.

We are going to go as local as possible.
This means:

> Produce
> Flour
> Grains
> Eggs
> Milk
> Yogurt
> Meats
> Tofu
> Butter
> Body products (goodbye make-up? Sniff, sniff)
> Wine
> Cheese
> Crackers/Snacks
> Ice Cream


We will also have a few exceptions, making us about 99% local:

> Lemons (this is one of my main cooking staples)
> Eating out will be allowed twice a month
> Olive Oil (but we will opt for Extra-Virgin and Organic)
> Balsamic Vinegar (until/IF I can find local)
> Salt (again, until we can find local)

Which really means NO:

> Diners
> Bakeries (a tear just slipped down my cheek)
> Bars (unless we go to a wine bar and drink local, Washington wine)
> Big-Box Grocery Stores (Sorry, Costco)
> Big-Chain Grocery Stores
> Candy Bars


We will try to stay within a 250 mile radius of Seattle, and provide a guide to how to eat seasonally and locally in Seattle year round (on a budget).

We'll provide recipes for what's in season, and give you the unfiltered truth as to whether or not it's a better way than just shopping at Safeway.

We'll also keep a running tally as to how much we spend each week on groceries. This way it's transparent how expensive a process like this is.