Spurred by my enthusiasm for my garden and a recent post from Sugar Creek Farm about What I Bought at Farmer's Market, I thought it might be fun to share a little about my journey to "eat local." It's been several years in the making, but I am pretty passionate about grow your own, or buy from the small farmers. I love vegetables, and feel so much better if I'm eating them regularly. I also choose to eat meat, but try to do so responsibly, by buying my meat from humane and local farmers. My diet consists mostly of protein and vegetables, with some fruit thrown in. It's been fun to learn to eat "in season" and when things are ripe or growing, I try to "put up" or can the produce to enjoy later. (**NOTE: I am not perfect, this is what I shoot for. I do enjoy s'mores and ice cream and pizza too!)

Some may argue that growing your own, or cooking fresh produce takes time and is a lot of work, and to that, I would not disagree. However, to me, it's worth the extra effort.

If you would like to get started, here are a few ways to start:

1. Local eggs. A customer supplies us with eggs, and now the Furleigh farm has some too...and I know you can pick them up at the Farmer's market. They are definitely becoming more abundant!

2. Local meats. Check out these 2 lovely families for your local meat source: Sugar Creek Farm Sky View Farms

3. Local veggies and fruits.

I'm so fortunate to have the Furleigh Farm right next door. Bob and Donna Furliegh own the farm next door (fun fact: Bob is my grandma's cousin). They are known for their strawberries, but they have all sorts of home grown vegetables throughout the whole growing season (asparagus, beans, squashes, tomatoes, etc). When I rode my bike over for some asparagus recently, they had farm fresh eggs in the cooler! What a bonus! Word on the street is Eric Furleigh, their grandson, is going to continue the Furleigh Farm tradition. So excited to see what the future holds next door! {I've blogged about the Furleigh Farm before: here.} You can also hit up the local farmer's markets: Clear Lake Farmer's Market is Saturdays 9-12 in the Surf parking lot. Mason City Farmer's Market is Tue/Fri 3-6 in Fleet Farm parking lot.

Another fun option is a CSA (community supported agriculture). One Step at a Time Gardens delivers fresh local produce to CL and MC weekly. Check out their website to learn about how you can purchase a share for a fresh delivery each week or every other week!

This list is far from exhaustive...it seems there are a lot more opportunities to "eat local" every day.

The local food movement is growing quickly...

How do you "eat local"?