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Day 122 – 160km Diet

May 3, 2010 @ 00:28 By Gavin Webber 7 Comments

I know, I know.  I haven’t posted about our 160km (100 mile) diet since day 38, but you will be glad to know that it still continues even though a few things have come up in that time.

I estimate that we eat about 70% of local produce now that Summer has past.  At the end of summer I had the percentage up well over 90, however as the veggie patch died down for the season and new crops went in, there was a bit of a gap in production.  Add to that my health issues, I could not keep up continuous cropping.

So, what are we still eating now?  Well for starters, we still go down to the produce store in Bacchus Marsh every fortnight to buy whatever fruit and veg they have in season.  The new seasons apples and pears are just so tasty, as is the broccoli and cabbage.  We only buy local flour, milk, and cheese, and if we have to buy tinned goods, only purchase Australian produce.  I cannot remember when we last bought imported food stuffs, except for the Moccona coffee that is our only foreign food vice that we can’t seem to shake.  At least I gave up Nescafe instant when I learnt about Nestle and their unsustainable use of palm oil.

We also buy Belmore Biodynamic Meats who source their products from Victoria for the few meals that we still eat meat a week, and we buy MSC Fish but only occasionally.   We make our own yoghurt which I now have to eat every day, and I am still making cheese about once a month.

From our own garden I have been harvesting celery, spring onions, rainbow chard, limes, lemons, and eggs.

In the garden beds, we are currently growing garlic, brown and red onions, beetroot, leeks, broad beans, cabbages, broccoli, and snow peas.  In the greenhouse, we are growing tomatoes, chilli, capsicums in big pots, with spinach and more broccoli seedlings being raised for the garden beds.  I have cayenne peppers drying in the garage, which should be ready in a few weeks.

We have been eating preserved apples, cucumbers and apricot jam.

For instance, today Kim made two tasty Vienna style loaves and we made Welsh rarebit from yoghurt and cheese that I made.  It fed the entire family and except for the two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, it what all local fare.  Lunch was egg and bacon pie, all local as well.  My only non local meal is usually wheatbix, as I find that it is a cereal that does not hurt my condition later on in the day.

So we are still being true to the challenge that we set upon at the start of the year, I am just not verbosely reporting it every week.  I found that it was getting a bit repetitive, not only for me, but probably for you as well.

I will continue to report on local sources of food when I can find it, like I did when I found the fig tree at the medical clinic, as I really enjoy sharing that sort of thing with locals.  We have found that once you take the effort to look for local food in the early stages of the challenge, it certainly helps in the long run for the rest of the year.  It has become second nature to us, and even though we haven’t reached that magical 100%, I believe that because of the way the modern industrial food complex is set up, it is a very difficult goal to reach.  So all we can do is stay true to our values, and remain on the path we continue to travel.

After all, the only real vote for the sustainable food industry we have is each dollar we spend, so wisely we must spend it.

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Filed Under: 160km Diet, Sustainable Living

← TGoG Podcast 006 – Adam Webber’s definition of Affluenza Old Phones = More Trees →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. dixiebelle says

    May 3, 2010 at 08:20

    Fantastic work!

    Reply
  2. john (dad) says

    May 3, 2010 at 08:34

    good on u gav

    Reply
  3. daharja says

    May 3, 2010 at 09:10

    Hi Gavin – We’re starting to eat more local foods too, although in our case the habit food is chocolate! I really need to reduce it, or go a Year Without Chococolate again!

    The big winner for us has been eggs. Our chooks rule! 🙂 And we’re gradually getting our broadscale veggie plots established, although it will be spring before we have them really up and running with a half acre worth of cropping in action.

    Next step – about fifty fruit trees to go in! Fancy coming to Wingatui to help out? 😉

    Cheers,

    Daharja XX

    Reply
  4. greenfumb says

    May 3, 2010 at 10:59

    Well done Gavin but did you know that Moccona was owned by Sara Lee whose record is not a lot cleaner than Nestles? They do however have UTZ sustainable coffee if you look for it, Harris is another one of their brands. Someone I know very very well 😉 works for them so I am working on getting them to clean themselves up via my contact.

    Reply
  5. BJ says

    May 3, 2010 at 16:02

    Hi Gavin,

    Sounds like you are going great guns with the “eating local” challenge!

    Do you mind if i ask where you get your flour from and what size you are able to buy? I have been looking around for a little while now but am having trouble finding a local source that i can buy in bulk, say 10-20kg sacks.

    Thanks heaps!
    BJ

    Reply
  6. Theresa says

    May 3, 2010 at 20:41

    Hi, I have recently come across your blo – enjoying it very much

    Reply
  7. Gavin says

    May 3, 2010 at 21:39

    @ dixiebelle,

    Thank you.

    @ Dad

    Cheers mate.

    @ daharja

    Yes, chocolate is another vice I failed to mention, but only in very small amounts.

    Chooks are the coolest! We still get about a dozen and a half eggs each week.

    I would help out with the trees if it wasn’t so far away. Even Adam would pitch in I reckon, as long as you supplied the beer!

    @ Deb

    When I got home from buying the coffee, I did notice it that Sarah Lee were only a tad better than Nestle. Will have to look for a better alternative. My tea bush is just not growing fast enough.

    @ BJ

    We buy Laucke flour which is made in Bridgewater on Loddon and is in our local food zone. They make 5kg bags of Wallaby bakers flour, which makes a fantastic loaf. I think you can buy premix crusty loaf in 10kg bags.

    @ Theresa,

    Thanks for dropping on by. I am glad you are enjoying the blog.

    Gav

    Reply

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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