Are you a localist? Or perhaps you just enjoy good food. Like the sweet spice of a crunchy carrot or the melt-in-your-mouth tang of a really ripe raspberry.
The 2007 Eat Local Challenge invites you to join your friends and neighbors in celebration of local food by pledging to eat from the greater Rogue Valley during the week of September 9-16. Cooking classes, food films, a harvest dinner, in-store tastings and a farm tour will encourage and energize you during this fun week brought to you by The Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy (THRIVE), farmers, grocers, restaurants and artisan food producers all over Southern Oregon.
The Eat Local Challenge is part of THRIVE’S mission to strengthen and connect businesses and community members in the greater Rogue Valley who share a commitment to the local economy. We are working to grow the supply and demand for locally produced foods through the Rogue Flavor campaign and Food Connection programs that link local growers, restaurants and retailers.
Complete information about the Rogue Flavor dinner, farm tour, Growers’ Market Tomato Taste-Off and participating restaurants offering mouth-watering specials is available at www.rogueflavor.org.
In joining other “localvores,” those who take the Eat Local Pledge are affirming that local food means better taste and more nutritional value, a stronger local economy, fewer food miles and other ecological costs of long-distance food transportation. By eating local, we also learn about our own “food shed” and the way that working farms connect us to our land and preserve our home's rural character. What’s more, eating locally connects us with our neighbors in ways that shopping at the big chains can’t. Getting to know the people who grow your food and sharing meals among friends and neighbors restores a sense of community to our lives that are so dominated by the impersonal computer.
How much are you willing to commit to eating local? It’s up to you. Participants can challenge themselves to meet all or some of these opportunities:
Ø I will eat one home-cooked meal prepared using mainly local ingredients.
Ø I will incorporate one never-before-tried local ingredient in my diet.
Ø I will brown bag one lunch that is local, organic and fresh.
Ø I will talk to one food producer or vendor about my food.
Ø I will visit one farmer’s market to either talk to a vendor or purchase food.
Ø I will host an “eat local” potluck for my friends, family and neighbors.
Ø I will participate in one Eat Local Challenge event.
THRIVE’s Eat Local Challenge is completely voluntary. You set your own rules. What does local mean to you? The Rogue Valley? 100 miles? The Pacific Northwest? You may decide that you will strive to meet all of the objectives on a daily basis, or select a few objectives you would like to meet during the week. If possible, keep track of the dollar amount you spend supporting your local economy during the week.
If you’re ready to challenge yourself, go to www.rogueflavor.org to learn more about the week’s schedule of events. Pledging online enters you into a drawing for a free Rogue Flavor Gift Basket.
