Welcome to the Local Bite Information Page! I’m so glad you’re here!
In the spring and early summer of 2014, I hosted a local eating challenge called Local Bite here on Ever Growing Farm! It was a 100 day challenge that encouraged participants to incorporate more local foods into their diets.
Read my Local Bite Challenge introduction post to see how it all started.
In addition to the larger 100 day challenge (which participants could set their own parameters on), I also set forth mini weekly challenges that participants could pick and choose from. Each mini-challenge was intended to help the larger challenge feel more doable as well as show that there are many, many ways to incorporate local foods (and products) into their lives.
Check out each of the weekly Mini Local Bite Challenges HERE. There are 14 in total and can be done in any order (with the exception of the 14th one…check it out and you’ll understand why 😉 )
With almost 300 Local Bite Facebook Group participants, we affected some serious change in the local eating habits of ourselves and our friends by challenging ourselves to make local our first choice and supporting each other along the way!
Additionally, I was incredibly lucky to have 16 bloggers, business owners and local food advocates who each wrote a piece about their own personal experiences with eating locally. The perspectives shared in each piece were profound, insightful and incredibly inspiring! Each piece showed that while we are all on our paths, and eating locally looks different depending on our climate, budget and family situation, every single step towards a more local diet affects positive change on so many levels!
Read all of the Local Perspectives HERE.
Last, but not least, I utilized social media to help spread the local food love! Facebook, Instagram and Twitter helped spread the Local Bite word using the hashtag #localbite. So if someone was eating at a restaurant that sources many of their ingredients locally? #localbite! Heading out to the Farmer’s Market? #localbite! Though the hashtag is not as active as it was, I see still it from time to time and would encourage anyone interested to hashtag away 🙂
Additionally, I started a Local Bite Pinterest Board for seasonal, local meals ideas and inspirations that is still pinned to regularly. The board is still active, so please check it out.
The Local Bite challenge was incredibly profound for our family and for all of our very passionate and committed participants! I hope that you will find some inspiration in all that was outlined and experienced in the links provided on this page. Just because the official challenge is over, doesn’t mean that the inspiration or passion are gone! We’re still eating as locally and intentionally as we can on a weekly basis and continually acknowledge the very real challenge that our current food systems impose on those of us trying to support our local farmers, communities and economies.
And we know we’re not alone! So, have an idea about how you’d like to be involved in your own local food movement or how we can work together to spread the word? Want to know about future challenges? Just want to say HI?
I’d love to hear you! Please feel free to comment here on the blog or shoot me an email (evergrowingfarm(at)gmail(dot)com) to continue the conversation!
I look forward to continuing to challenge myself with you as we make local our first choice, today and everyday!
xoxo,
Melissa
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