Is locally grown food more expensive than imported food? Are all localvores “eco-elites?” Do people with low or modest incomes get left out of the local food movement?

Well…I will find out. In September 2011, my Eat Local Challenge is to eat primarily locally grown foods on a SNAP budget–the average amount that a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP- formerly called Food Stamps)) recipient receives in Hawai‘i. Preliminary research shows that to be somewhere between $215 and $316 a month–I will learn more!

My Local Foods SNAP Challenge will examine issues such as: access, cost, preference, EBT acceptance at Farmers Markets and for CSA’s, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables program, availability of native foods, role of food banks, and strategies to supplement purchasing food (community food processing, community and school gardens, crop swaps).

What is your 2011 Eat Local Challenge?

Every time I focus on an eat local challenge amazing things happen for me. I know it sounds like an infomercial—but I swear that eating locally grown makes me richer, thinner and happier! And lots of personal connections happen naturally—there is something about eating the foods of the land that connects me to the land and the people of this land.

1. Define “local” for yourself

The first time I did a 90 day eat local challenge, I was very stringent- Hawaii Island only and no cheating on condiments or anything (not even salt!) Last year I did a 60 day challenge and expanded my geographic area to the State of Hawaii and allowed minor cheats on oil, soy sauce, dressing in restaurants, etc.. Create an “Eat Local Challenge” for yourself that is challenging and joyful. Design your parameters so that you eat new foods, find new food sources and meet new people. Set yourself up to win and make long-term changes. Don’t make things so hard on yourself that you don’t enjoy the process.

2. Clean your Refrigerator
Starting with a good, clean fridge will help you be organized. Get rid of all that moldy stuff in the containers, eat what is edible, wipe the shelves.

3. Reconnaissance
Start in advance by scoping out the places you usually shop. When you put your eye to it, you will find locally grown food in your usual food store that you have never seen before. Taro in Foodland? Yes! Sweet Potatoes in Costco? Yes! Start to buy these things and put them in your nice clean fridge.

Plan and map out some cool field trips that you want to take. An outing to the Farmers Market? A visit to a farm? A trip down a country road to a farm stand? A foray to the fish market? How can you incorporate these outings into other things you need to do? This may seem like extra work, but it will be worth it- you will meet some very cool people, eat some excellent food, and your life will be enriched.

4. Staples
They don’t call them staples for nothing! Begin to gather your basic staples, think starch: Taro, squash, sweet potato, breadfruit, corn, cassava. Then gather the next level: Milk, eggs and cheese. (We have Mountain Apple Brand milk at KTA on Hawaii Island.) I use goat cheese, I have not found a local cow’s milk cheese yet. Next are your oils and condiments: Locally produced macadamia nut and/or coconut oil and butter if you can find them. Local salt! Lemons, limes, tomatoes and herbs are your new best friends! They will be the basis for your dressings, salsas and sauces. In my experience, local veggies and fruits are pretty easy to find and can be grabbed as you go. You will also need to think about your proteins: not all fish is local- if you are shopping in the food store you will need to check if the fish is local. If you eat beef and chicken it will be a little research project to find local sources- which are definitely out there. Pork? Well – your cousin/uncle/friend the pig hunter is your source there.

5. Get Out Your Lunch Box
Still have that superman lunch box somewhere? Well, time to bust it out! If you can’t find it, a small cooler will work fine. Running out of the house to work without bringing ample food for the day is a big mistake when you are on an all local diet. However, if it is in your flow and your budget, you can eat out at a restaurant that is serving local food during Eat Local Challenge week. I usually pack a main course (squash, fish, greens), a major staple (like poi), and some snacks (fresh or dried bananas, mango.) A hard boiled egg is also a great thing to throw in the lunch box. Lack of preparation is the only reason for starving when you are eating 100% locally grown. If you are hungry it is probably because you didn’t shop, cook and pack food.

6. Fun Foods and Beverages
It’s not all about fruits and vegetables- find fun stuff! Honey, macadamia nut butter, cocoa, tropical fruits (all taken together, at times!) Since we have local milk on Hawaii Island, I make yogurt and custard, which I consider fun when mixed with any or all of the above.

There is also the interesting world of the local beverage. There is coffee, green and oolong tea, coffee cherry tea, mamaki tea, kokoolau tea, and honey mead. Depending on how “local” you want to be, you might drink a locally produced beer or wine.

7. Think about your long-term impact

Extreme experiments (100% locally grown for a week or month) prove a point and help jump-start your awareness, but are difficult to maintain over time. The point is to make sustained changes. Think about changes that you can make and sustain. Increase your quantity of local starches—taro, sweet potato, ‘ulu instead of bread—for example. Or buy all of your veggies from local, sustainable sources.