Momma Always Said, "Eat Your Veggies!"

But was she picky about where they were sourced? During the month of June 2011, NOLA Locavores is challenging all New Orleanians to think “farm fresh” with the first annual Eat Local Challenge, and they are picky.

Beginning Wednesday, June 1, all participants, or locavores, will be dared to limit their diet only to food grown, raised, or produced within 200 miles of New Orleans. Sources include:

• community gardens, start your own garden
• farmers’ markets, U-Pick farms, and roadside stands
• local produce and locally produced foods at local grocery stores
• restaurants participating in the “challenge” with 100% locavore approved menu options

And why be a locavore, exactly? The short list:

• Food that is transported long distances is not as fresh. Fresh food is healthier, retaining more of its nutrients.
• Lots of fuel is used to transport food across the country and from other countries. This creates a large carbon footprint.
• Eating locally helps support local farmers and the local economy.
• Supporting local agriculture keeps more land in our area un-industrialized.
• Small, local farms generally use sustainable, symbiotic growing practices, which involve little or no use of pesticides, hormones, or routine antibiotics. These practices are better for the soil, for the animals, and for us.
• Small farms generally use more humane practices when raising animals for food.

Registration is going on now! Each locavore can choose between three levels of strictness – The Ultrastrict, The Bienville Rule, or The Wild Card. Locavores will be regulating themselves based on the honor system, and will be asked to check-in regularly. The challenge should be thought of as part scavenger hunt, part healthy lifestyle promotion/learning experience.
There is a $20 registration fee to enter the Eat Local Challenge. It’s like registering for a 10k, but 30 times the fun (30 days), AND locavores receive:

• One “Eat Local Challenge 2011″ T-shirt designed by Justin Forbes (permanent collection at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art)
• A 10% discount on locally grown produce at the Hollygrove Market & Farm
• The New Orleans Local Foods Buyers Guide
• Full access to the Eat Local Challenge Recipe Forum with daily postings of recipes using 100% local ingredients and tips for eating locally
• Free admission to the Food Justice Film Series at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center
• An invitation to the finale party on Friday, July 1st and other NOLA Locavores-sponsored events, including six recipe contests throughout the challenge.
  There will 5 100% local ingredient recipe contests throughout the Eat Local Challenge in partnership with Rouses grocery, and Hollygrove Market and the Crescent City Farmers Market, and old N.O. Rum , and complete with prizes.

The last day to sign up is May 22nd at the 3rd Annual NOLA Veggie Fest.

Supporters of this green goodness include:

• Rouses Markets
• Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board
• Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
• Natural Awakenings Magazine
• Smith Creamery
• La Divina Gelateria
• Hollygrove Market & Farm
• Old New Orleans Rum
• Pontchartrain Vineyards
• Crescent City Farmers Market
• Parkway Partners
• New Orleans Food Cooperative
• Surrey’s Juice Bar and Cafe
• Satsuma Café
• Stay Local

On your mark. Get set. Lettuce eat.

About NOLA Locavores:

Begun as collaboration between Dr. Leslie Brown (founder of NOLA Veggie Fest), Linda Michurski (restaurant sales for Hollygrove Market & Farm), and Lee Stafford (founder of Euterpe Recycling Center and community activist), NOLA Locavores helps New Orleanians build a connection with their food sources. Via the New Orleans Eat Local Challenge, the organization raises awareness of where food comes from and the economic, nutritional, and environmental benefits of eating locally produced food.

First of its kind in the South, the New Orleans Eat Local Challenge is recognized and supported by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, authors of Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet.

For more info, contact: Lee Stafford
NOLA Locavores
1618 Oretha C. Haley Blvd.
New Orleans, La 70113
(504) 299-0161 (land)
(504) 296-9960 (cell)
nolalocavores@gmail.com
http://www.nolalocavore.org/

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