July 1st came around and I quickly realized I wasn’t prepared to start this process. I had no food. At least, I had no local food. I went to work with the intention of grocery shopping over lunch. But Monday turns out to be a slow day in Des Moines. It’s one of two days of the week without a farmers market (the other is Sunday). The farm stands I knew about were all closed until the next day. I was incredibly frustrated with myself for having been so negligent. I ended up finding a place not too far from my house with a few options of local produce, cheese, and meat. I spent a lot of money on food I knew wouldn’t last me the rest of the week (I was bummed again.) When I got home, I made myself a massive salad (with bacon that I saved the grease from for later use) and ate it while watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. in the living room. For supper, I had leftovers from the week before (I decided food waste was worse than breaking my resolve on the first day). And since I’d already broken the rules once that evening, I ate the last Snickers ice cream bar in my freezer. Clearly to release myself from further temptation for the rest of the month.
The next morning, I put the tiny bit of granola I had left in my pantry into a dish to have for breakfast. I hadn’t loved not eating the day before, and had already proven myself not above cheating (and the granola was homemade, so I was unsure of how long it would actually last in my pantry). For lunch, I had another massive salad. And at 5PM, I headed to the Beaverdale Farmers Market. I spent less than half of what I had the day before on a haul of vegetables. I was stoked. I spent a majority of the evening cooking and roasting the veggies. (I sautéed the tops of my beets and white radish that’d I’d use later in a quiche, and put all of my peels and stems into a pot with some water to make a vegetable stock for later).
On the third day, I skipped breakfast again. I wasn’t really interested in a salad or roasted beets or sautéed green beans. I was going to be heading out of town overnight, so I made myself another big salad for the road trip. At the gas station, and later a Walgreens, I didn’t succumb to buying anything I wasn’t supposed to. Walking past convenience store pizza slices though, I couldn’t imagine anything tasting better. And I nearly convinced myself into buying a bag of bite size Reese's. But I didn't. So, after holding my resolve, I let the next 36 hours go right out the window. (I will defend myself here though: I didn’t find it necessary, nor polite, to impose my new dietary restrictions onto my hosts, and it seemed a little obnoxious to pack every upcoming meal for myself.)
The next day, on the way back to Des Moines, I made a stop at my parents’ home. I had my first cup of coffee in four days (and it was delicious). They sent me home with radishes from their garden, some eggs from the hens, and some meat that had been grown right there on the farm and processed at various local butchers. In all fairness, it was from beyond my 100-mile radius. But other than that, I really wasn’t breaking any rules.
The fifth day was boring as it was cheatless. More or less. As I’ve previously stated, I think not wasting food is more important than sticking purely to eating local. So, I cooked with some garlic I’d had in the pantry for a minute. And I used some sunflower oil (which, as it turns out, is actually from Wisconsin, not my local-food bubble.)
On Saturday, I started off the morning at another farmers market. And then, because I’d decided to meal prep, I also went to a farm stand (the market hadn’t had everything I wanted). And then I cooked, and cooked, and cooked.
Hopefully, I’ve prepared enough and am more [b]ready for next week than I was this week.
Best,
The next morning, I put the tiny bit of granola I had left in my pantry into a dish to have for breakfast. I hadn’t loved not eating the day before, and had already proven myself not above cheating (and the granola was homemade, so I was unsure of how long it would actually last in my pantry). For lunch, I had another massive salad. And at 5PM, I headed to the Beaverdale Farmers Market. I spent less than half of what I had the day before on a haul of vegetables. I was stoked. I spent a majority of the evening cooking and roasting the veggies. (I sautéed the tops of my beets and white radish that’d I’d use later in a quiche, and put all of my peels and stems into a pot with some water to make a vegetable stock for later).
On the third day, I skipped breakfast again. I wasn’t really interested in a salad or roasted beets or sautéed green beans. I was going to be heading out of town overnight, so I made myself another big salad for the road trip. At the gas station, and later a Walgreens, I didn’t succumb to buying anything I wasn’t supposed to. Walking past convenience store pizza slices though, I couldn’t imagine anything tasting better. And I nearly convinced myself into buying a bag of bite size Reese's. But I didn't. So, after holding my resolve, I let the next 36 hours go right out the window. (I will defend myself here though: I didn’t find it necessary, nor polite, to impose my new dietary restrictions onto my hosts, and it seemed a little obnoxious to pack every upcoming meal for myself.)
The next day, on the way back to Des Moines, I made a stop at my parents’ home. I had my first cup of coffee in four days (and it was delicious). They sent me home with radishes from their garden, some eggs from the hens, and some meat that had been grown right there on the farm and processed at various local butchers. In all fairness, it was from beyond my 100-mile radius. But other than that, I really wasn’t breaking any rules.
The fifth day was boring as it was cheatless. More or less. As I’ve previously stated, I think not wasting food is more important than sticking purely to eating local. So, I cooked with some garlic I’d had in the pantry for a minute. And I used some sunflower oil (which, as it turns out, is actually from Wisconsin, not my local-food bubble.)
On Saturday, I started off the morning at another farmers market. And then, because I’d decided to meal prep, I also went to a farm stand (the market hadn’t had everything I wanted). And then I cooked, and cooked, and cooked.
Hopefully, I’ve prepared enough and am more [b]ready for next week than I was this week.
Best,
Clarissa
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