Saturday, May 31, 2008

Want a Challenge?

The Eco 'Burban Mom - that's me, otherwise know as Mandi and a LVL club member, is challenging you all to a little fun this summer. I love challenges! I have bought nothing, cut the clutter, read great green books, been a giver and eaten local - all as part of a challenge sponsored by one of by blog pals. This month alone I am part of a bookworm challenge, a peak oil crisis challenge and One Local Summer.

For those new to One Local Summer - it's a nationwide challenge to cut carbon emissions and support local economy by asking each member to cook one local meal per week, all summer long. Absolutely fun and 100% delicious at the same time! At the end of the week, a regional sponsor will visit each of our blogs to read about our meal and recap the meal on the main website. We all get great ideas for meals and some new recipes and end up meeting some new friends who are all locavores, just like us.

Unfortunately, One Local Summer closed to new members last month, so I would like to create "One Local Michigan Summer" for all of us La Vida Local members. Here are the rules:

1. Create one ALL local meal each week.
2. This meal can be any meal, breakfast lunch or dinner.
3. Weeks run Sunday to Sunday - starting tomorrow June 1st, ending with the first Sunday in October - though sign up anytime during the summer, as it gets warmer, it will get easier!
4. All ingredients MUST be from our own state, or very close borders to IN, OH & Canada with the only exceptions being salt, spices, oil.
5. After you have cooked your meal, email me (mmankvitz@yahoo.com) with your meal story and maybe even a photo and recipe. Where did you get your ingredients, did you meet the farmer personally? What did your kids think? That sort of thing - funny stories, tips, new farms or even secret off the roadside blackberry patches. Whatever floats your boat.

6. I am going to go with the "beg for forgiveness instead of asking for permission" rule here and guessing that Julie and I can cook up a little prize for the member who contributes the most entries... Thanks, Jules! ;o)

At the end of each week, I will post a recap - right here on the La Vida Local Blog - of the meals, recipes and tips found and contributed by all of the members. I would assume we could all use some great local ingredient recipes and I am betting Julie wouldn't mind seeing all of her great products made into darn right tasty concoctions...

So, are you up for it? Are you game or just an organic, free range, local CHICKEN? Come on, I dare you... This will be fun and delicious! Just add your name and email address to the comments section following this post and I will put you on the list of participants.

One Local Michigan Summer has officially begun! For more information, email me or head on over to my blog and leave me a comment. Click the link above to visit One Local Summer too, they will have great recipes each week, if you need a little boost to get your local cooking skills humming!

7 comments:

Jules and Kids said...

I'M IN! Awesome, Mandi, for initiating this!

I certainly will contribute significantly to a prize...should it be a sur-prize, or do you want to know what you're working toward? How 'bout a movie contract! :)

A swear, I don't pay Mandi to come up with these! :) Don't get any ideas, Mandi! lol...

I'll certainly participate, but I'll be exempt from giving myself a prize. Almost everything I eat is local, except for eating out. Spices and herbs may be a challenge for me, though...and I define locally differntly sometimes to allow for what makes sense, especially in terms of organic farms across the borders of CA and OH, or IN...but I'll stick to Mandi's rules for my entries!

Looking forward to this challenge!

EcoBurban said...

And, of course I'M IN TOO! And, exempt from the prizes as well, since I am the one counting and posting the recaps. Yeesh, are we just too fair for words, or what?

Now, we need a few more folks to join in. Suppliers, producers, farmers this means you too! We would love to see what goodies you make when the local challenge is more like a 100-foot challege - hey, you've got this stuff growing in your backyard, no excuses now!

And, good point, Julie. Oftentimes Canada, Ohio and Indiana are closer than say, Traverse City. So, I would say we could include those regions. However, given our terrible local economy, please try to support a local Michigan business whenever possible. It means so much to them. At my local farmer's market last week, I purchased a small bag of homemade tortilla chips. The vendor gushed and thanked me copiously for my business - all $3 worth. Everyone is trying to make ends meet, so we are trying to spend our dollars as close to home as possible!

GAME ON fellow LVL members, now get busy signing up! - Mandi

Unknown said...

We're in!

I looked at the OLS blog and see that exemptions were oils, salt and spices. Whew. I'm sticking with their exemptions but I'll purpose to make at least one meal per week totally local. Maybe I'll just get wild and crazy and go for two! I foresee breakfast being an easy peasy meal to provide locally (pancakes, syrup, blueberries/fresh fruit) making two or more per week an easy reality.

Bring on the CSA boxes - can't wait for those Les!

Off to re-think the two week menu plan...

Judy
Whitfield Apiaries
simplyrawhoney.com

EcoBurban said...

Yay! And then, they were three! Excellent, Judy, glad you are joining us. I think I listed salt, pepper and oil in my rules, but I think I meant salt, spices and oil. Too many challenges, too many blogs, my brain gets muddled.

If you make two all local meals, by all means, email me with both meals for the recap! And, you are totally right, I made an all local breakfast this morning using the pancake mix and eggs and cheese from Julie, so if you get stuck scramble some eggs and - poof! Done!

I am excited! We are well on our way to a local michigan summer. yum!

EcoBurban said...

UPDATE: Rules changed to read salt, spices & oil for the exempt ingredients. And, inclusive of very close borders of IN,OH and Canada for local food sources.

Let me know if I have missed anything! - Mandi

lrimerman said...

I'm in for this. I was thinking most of our stuff is local, but boy these few exemptions do test my prowess. I was thinking about breakfast, oats from Westwind, dried cherries from MI, syrup from Arnold's sugarbush near Northbranch, butter from calders, sea salt (exempt) but I put crispy pecans in and they aren't local (don't know of any local nut sources around here). Close but not quite local, but oh the nuts make it so goood!!

Lunch is all local, I'll post a picture later.

Lisa Imerman

EcoBurban said...

Glad you're joining us Lisa! The more the merrier!! ~ Mandi