The 2011 NY Locavore Challenge

Today, I registered for the NY Locavore Challenge, a program by the Northeast Organic Farming Association's New York Chapter (NOFA-NY).  Registrants pledge to eat locally for the month of September at their own choice of commitment level by participating in different activities. Luckily, the end of summer & beginning of autumn is an especially abundant time for local farms, so I doubt I'll go anywhere close to hungry!

nofany.org/events/ny-locavore-challenge

To chose your level of commitment, you select which activities you'd like to do in 3 their categories: "Grow, Cook, Eat", "Join the Movement", and "Take Action."  The amount of challenges you chose  determines whether your pledge is "Bite-Sized", "Meal-Sized", or "Feast-Sized". Registration is free, and participating helps show just how many of us are looking for local, sustainable options - an especially important statement in a suburban county like ours, only just beginning to offer these resources!

The categories & challenges are as follows [I've added links & my own notes in blue brackets]:

"Grow, Cook, Eat"
-Take a 250 Mile Challenge - for a day (counts as 1), week (counts as 2), or month (counts as 3)

-Shop at a Farmers Market, Farm Stand or U-Pick [for Nassau County farmer's markets, see this post]
-Dine at a Locavore Restaurant
-Join a Winter CSA or Join a Food Co-op
-Eat (at least) 5 Servings of Local, Organic Fruit & Veggies per Day
-Cook with Local Oils, Grains, Meats & Cheeses
-Sip on Local Milk, Juice, Beer, Wine & Spirits
-Swap Sugar for Local Honey & Maple Syrup
-Try Food Preservation (Canning, Freezing, Drying)
-Go Foraging! ["Wildman" Steve Brill hosts foraging tours in the Northeast - he'll be in Kings Park, LI on September 3rd & Brooklyn and Manhattan mid-September!]
-Make Your Own Butter, Yogurt, or Ice-Cream [a great activity to do with kids - and you can use milk from Long Island Dairy Farms!]
-Grow an Herb Garden
-Plant an Indoor Winter Garden-Plant at Cover Crop in Your Garden

-Compost Your Kitchen Scraps [I keep mine in the freezer to prevent odor & drop off at nearby gardens]

"Join the Movement"

-Like NOFA-NY on Facebook and/or Follow NOFANY on Twitter
-Blog About Your Challenge Experience (and send us the link!)
-Become a Member of NOFA-NY
-Attend a Locavore Event [there's a film screening event this Thursday at Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's, Garden of Eve's Garlic Festival, and plenty others I'll post in September ]
-Host a Locavore Potluck on Sept. 25th (Counts as 2) or Attend a Locavore Potluck (Counts as 1)
-Read a Locavore Book, and/or Host a Locavore Book Discussion (Counts as 2)
-Participate in a Crop Mob [contact a local farm - Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's, Restoration Farm, etc. - for similar volunteer programs]

"Take Action"

-Join the Millions Against Monsanto Campaign

-Lobby Your Food Store to Include More Local Product
-Ask Your Representative to Support Organic Farming
-Speak With Your School About Local Sourcing [check out Garden City's Waldorf School & Long Beach's NIKE School for local inspiration]
-Start a Garden in Your Community or School
-Volunteer at a Farm or Community Garden [check out all the farms & farmstands on the right of this blog for a project near you!]
-Donate to the NOFA-NY Farmer Education Fund

I, somewhat ambitiously, chose a Feast-Sized challenge (gulp!), and for the sake of being publically encouraged to follow through, will share my experiences here on Locally Long Island throughout the month of September. Please consider joining me in seeing just how local you can get (and, pretty please, mention you heard about it through Locally Long Island!): 

 Take the NY Locavore Challenge!