Resolution of the Day: LOCALIZE

Saturday morning at farmer's market meant Saturday lunch of fresh black trumpet mushrooms, eggs that remember what a chicken looks like, luscious butterball potatoes and a memorable creamy havarti "from a single herd of happy local cows." I cannot personally attest to the cow's happiness, but that was a heck of a good piece of cheese.
Local food supports sustainable farming practices and the farmers that make them possible.  When food doesn't have to be refrigerated and shipped long distance, there are real energy savings-- energy that contributes to the true cost of food not just on our pocketbook but on our planet.  An oh my-- that short distance between farm and palate makes a tremendous difference to the palate.  
Take the local challenge.  See how close to home you can keep your mouth and pocketbook this week. If you are lucky like we are in Corvallis, you'll get lots of help from your local co-op, farmer's market and that endangered species, the local supermarket (we love you, Richey's!).  Don't feel like cooking?  Several Corvallis restaurants pride themselves on serving fresh local fare.  If you live elsewhere and don't have such luxuries, try the classified ads to see who's selling what.  In the summer, grow your own and trade your neighbors.  We always have too many grapes, plums, pears and tomatoes and squash and love it when we can swap those for crops that didn't get in the ground.
Bon local appetite!
By the by-- I realize I devoted all this local thought to food, but there are also huge community benefits to applying the localizing philosophy to our other purchases as well.  Think globally, invest locally.

Book of the day:  Animal, Vegetable, Mineral:  A Year of Food Lore by Barbara Kingsolver
Site of the day: http://100milediet.org
Group of the day:  Slow Food USA
Movie of the day:  Ingredients, featuring farms from our beautiful valley