7 Day Eat Local Challenge

I've been hearing alot about eating local and 100 mile diets lately - a movement that encourages everyone to eat seasonal and locally grown produce, meat and baked goods. This is a wonderful way to live, one that can only result in more support for local food producers and fresher, healthier food for the consumer.

Always a lover of local summer produce, I've embraced the "Eat Local" movement, and in recent years have even gotten brave and done some preserving so our family can enjoy our local bounty during the winter. I think next year, I'll even invest in a "share" from a local organic farm.

This week, Eat Local Caledon will be kicking off their "7 Day Eat Local Challenge". It begins on Friday, September 18th, and runs until Thursday September 24th. This Challenge is a great way to challenge yourself and your family to learn more about local food by buying, preparing and eating as much local food as possible during a 7 day period. It is a relatively simple challenge, but does require a bit of forethought, as some things are a bit more complicated than they might seem at first glance.

The simple part? Basically, participants agree to focus on eating food that is grown and produced in their area during the challenge. All you have to do is register as a participants (see below to register) and download a "scorecard" to fill out during the challenge. I've decided to give it a shot and so our family will be eating local beginning on Friday!

Now, veggies and fruit for the challenge will be a cinch right now, and baked goods or even meat shouldn't be too much of a challenge if bought from a local bakery or butcher. But I got thinking about the challenge in more specific terms, and started wondering - what if there is something that is NOT local that you cannot live without, even for 7 short days? I'll give you an example - I WILL be drinking coffee during the challenge. I know - it isn't local at all... but the sad reality is - if I don't, I fear I will be headed for certain divorce and have no friends left by September 24th. I will assuage my guilt by using "fair trade" coffee from "Buckstown Beans", so at least I know that my "addiction" is helping a family in another part of the world earn a decent living.

In a true local only or 100 mile diet, even spices, tea's or condiments that are not produced locally would be dis-allowed. I don't think our local challenge is intended to be anywhere near that stringent, but since I grow herbs in my garden, I will make an honest effort to use those (or the one's found at the farmer's market) as opposed to jarred spices when cooking. I have to confess, though - although I will try to encourage it, I doubt that my family (especially my father) will completely ignore salt or pepper for the whole challenge.

So how about it, Caledon? Are you up for the challenge too?

If you are, you can register for the Challenge by sending a quick email to eatlocal@eatlocalcaledon.org or visit their website(www.eatlocalcaledon.org) and click on the 7 Day Challenge link. Then just download the Challenge Scorecard to keep track of how many of your week’s meals include local food.

At the end of the Challenge, simply submit your completed scorecard to Eat Local Caledon for a chance to win free dinners at Caledon restaurants.

Good luck to those of you who will be joining me in the challenge - feel free to send me an email and let me know how you do! (rsargent@sympatico.ca)

Ignatieff Announcement Hints At Fall Election

All indications are that a fall election now looms large, since Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has said his party will no longer help Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government stay in power. Ignatieff made the announcement on September 1st - the second day of a three-day caucus meeting in Sudbury. "Mr. Harper, your time is up," Ignatieff said. "The Liberal party cannot support this government any further."

This withdrawal of Liberal support means the Conservatives, with just 143 seats in a 308-seat parliament, would have to seek the support of either the New Democrats or the Bloc Québécois to pass any pass legislation.

Ignatieff then told an election-style rally in Sudbury that the Liberals will move a motion of non-confidence at the first opportunity. This means we could be headed to the polls by late October or early November. I am not a political commentator, nor do I profess to be any type of expert in the political arena. I have my opinions like everyone else, but I also have an aversion to talking about politics in public - I dislike sharing my private views that openly, preferring to keep my own political leanings to myself whenever possible. But I will make an exception in this case.

I just think that it is intuitively obvious that Canada doesn't need or want an election right now - at a time when our economy is just beginning to show signs of recovery from the economic downturn of the past year. Most people I have talked to about it feel that an election would be a colossal waste of time and money for that reason alone.

Ignatieff, who reportedly made his decision to pull his party's support in the past couple of weeks, apparently said the time has come for Liberals to start showing Canadians they can do better than the current Conservative government. I beg to differ.

Personally, I don't think any of the major parties can offer a leader or a platform that would be worth holding an election for right now. Now it is clear that a majority government would be more convenient for the party in power. But although Canadians may be yearning for a majority government, they aren't all united behind any one party - hence 3 minority governments in a row.

Honestly - this isn't about which party should be in power... its doubtful that any of the current leaders would be better than any of the others at this moment in time.

Different, yes. Better, no.

No folks, I think this is about responsible use of taxpayer money and it really worries me that the man who thinks he should be our next Prime Minister also thinks that spending millions of hard-earned tax-payer dollars on a third election in five years is a good use of taxpayers money when those same dollars could be used to assist in economic recovery.

Responsible government - can you say "oxymoron", dear reader?