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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local Foods

September 10, 2011 by Diane Hoffmaster · 4 Comments

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I have been trying hard to eat local foods as much as I can. I have come to realize that it isn’t as easy as I thought it was! Diane Welland has put together a very useful resource for anyone trying to eat a little bit closer to home. The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Eating Local is chock full of so much information your head will be swimming by the time you finish reading it! I highly recommend this book and you should also check out my post on how to support local farmers to encourage them to keep growing food close to home. If you enjoy drinking raw milk, local farmers are a must!

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Local

 

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local

Title:  The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local
Subtitle:  Enjoy Fresher, healthier foods, and help the environment
Author:  Diane A. Welland, M.S., R. D.
ISBN: 978-1615640768
Publisher:  Alpha (May 3, 2011)
Pages:  336 (paperback)

Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America's FarmersFood Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won't WorkLocal Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets

Eating Local Review:

From the Publisher:

There are so many great reasons to shop for and eat locally grown or raised foods, including freshness, taste, energy conservation, and supporting small business owners. That is why tens of thousands have made the switch to local foods. Now families and communities are enthusiastically supporting farmer’s markets, artisan dairy farmers, cheese makers, family farms, local vineyards, and local livestock. Food expert and nutritionist Diane A. Welland explains what local eating is and isn’t and how anyone can move toward a more sustainable way of eating
 The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Local

 What Does Eating Local Mean?

At the beginning of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local, the author takes a moment to define what ‘local; really means and assures the reader that everyone has their own opinions here. I like that she stresses the closer the better, not that you HAVE to find foods withing a certain radius. She also gives a lot of compelling reasons why you should make this choice….everything from building a community and preserving the planet to preserving food traditions in your region and learning how to cook more creatively.

Issues Surrounding Local Eating

I love that the book discusses not only fruits and veggies but also meat, milk, eggs, etc. She touches on the cost issue…yes it is more expensive sometimes to eat local. She briefly touches on the federal government’s subsidies that help make cheap feedlot meat available. It is great  that she tries to educate the reader on this topic!

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Eat Local Foods with Gardening!

Welland writes about gardening in detail since nothing is more local than your own backyard! Tips, techniques, and my favorite section:  Preserving! She discusses ways to can, dry, freeze, and pickle all the local and in season goodies you find so you can enjoy them all year round without shipping them from far away! I also loved the section on wildcrafting and learned a new term: Urban Gleaning! I had never heard that before!

How to Find Local Foods

There are lots of tips in this book about how to find local foods. There are sections of farmer’s markets, pick your own farms, CSAs, community gardens, food co-ops and so many more sources of local food that you will wonder why everyone isn’t already eating locally all the time. In the back of the book there is a glossary and resource section, as well as a region by region guide to local foods.
Each chapter has a brief summary in list form called ‘The Least You Need To Know’. Don’t have time to read the whole chapter….just hit the highlights! There are also random tidbits of useful information on almost every page…local lingo, native knowledge and tons of other useful facts!
Overall, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local is an amazing resource for anyone who is interested in learning more about eating local foods!

Are YOU trying to eat local foods this year?

Filed Under: Books, Green Living · Tagged With: book review, green living

Comments

  1. Ellen says
    September 11, 2011 at 9:05 pm
    Looks like a great book. I'm going to have to get this one.
    Reply
  2. Jessica @FoundtheMarbles says
    September 13, 2011 at 1:38 pm
    Sounds like a good read. Personally, I'm a farmer's market junkie!
    Reply
  3. Kathy says
    September 15, 2011 at 4:48 pm
    Sounds like a great book. Whenever I go to the local farmers market I buy too much stuff and some of it goes to waste.... sad!
    Reply
  4. Candace @NaturallyEducational says
    September 16, 2011 at 12:11 am
    Neat! We have a lot of farms out here on the East End of Long Island. I don't think being a NY locavore in the winter would be so healthy but during the summer and fall it is definitely a great option! We have goat cheese, greens, berries, potatoes, and, oh, yes, WINE! I'm so glad I have become a regular visitor to your site!
    Reply

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