1st Annual Dark Days Challenge-
I read about this last year, liked the idea so I saved it. I read about the Dark Days Challenge here-Urbanhennery . She doesn't look like she's doing it this year, but I am! It’s a challenge to continue cooking at least one local meal through the leaner days of winter. Your ingredients can come from your freezer, pantry, cold storage or local sources like farmers and other producers. I’m going to make a personal commitment to one meal a week. I’m also going to try to include others in our meals so our extended family can experience the pleasures of local foods, even in the dark days of winter. So here's the guidelines of the challenge, which I borrowed and modified slightly-
Dates:
The challenge runs from December 1st, 2012 – April 15, 2013.
What’s the Challenge?
Try to cook four meals each month (1 per week) focused on sustainable, organic, and local ingredients. Whatever you can find is fine! Write about it on your blog, or here in the comments section. Feel free to link back to me on your blog if you have one!
What does local mean?
Traditionally local food challenges call for a 100 mile radius, but winter is more difficult in many climates. If you’re new to eating locally try 150 miles. Typical exceptions are oils, coffee, chocolate and spices. If you’re making fewer, or more exceptions, please note that on your first post or comment.
What if I can’t find every ingredient locally?
If you can’t find every ingredient, or even most ingredients, please still write about your attempts. This is just as much about what we learn, the obstacles we find and the decisions we make as it is about cooking with SOL ingredients. Do what you can, where you can.
What if I don’t have a good photos?
Take photos of what you’ve got, just do your best. No worries, keep it simple, or just tell the story and we’ll use our imaginations.
What if I don’t have a blog?
You are still welcome to participate! Just you come by each week and add your meal/experiences as a comment.
If you post here that you're participating I'll add a list on the sidebar! This is not a competition, just a way to support each other and share ideas.
11 comments:
Nancy what I cool idea to take this on. I'm in on the challenge because it will be for me. I have never done anything like this and expect to learn a lot from this. I need to start finding out what available locally around here. Can I re-post your guidelines on my blog?
I'm up for it, too. Anything to promote the cause to eat local foods, support local farmers.
I may try to do this. I think we so somewhat already. However, local apples are sprayed here, so I have to resort to buying organic on most produce.
What a great idea Nancy! Sign me up!! :)
Yeah! I'll make a little list on the sidebar, welcome all! Feel free to pass the info on.
Kristina, just do the best that you can :) I'm not fully organic 100% of the time...
Kathleen, sure! The more the merrier!!!
Oh such great idea, thank you, I'm for it! I'll do my best as there's no winter wround here, but yes, it's spring cold and sometimes colder as this are the Andes of Ecuador. Thank you for your lovely comments on my grand's b'day bash, we had a ball, Sofia worked for weeks making everything herself. Nannies are a custom here, some of the mothers work and drop the children with them and others come to the party themselves, usually the best friends, or family, like sils, etc...there were so many little kids that we rather not so many moms come, lol..more work for us to be serving them sodas, cake and coffee, as we had a coffee machine too for some and also for Cayetana's grandads.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
FABBY
Welcome Fabby!
Hi, Not Dabbling in Normal hosted last year's Dark Days. They are not doing it again.
Over 100 signed up. About 15-20 finished, and the weekly wraps were quite sparse at the end. It is difficult to do for the northern half of the USA.
We lost lots of participants. Still, it is a great idea and shows us what is out there, for local eating.
Ten of us from the South continued for the summer to show what we did with our gardens and markets. We are doing our own Dark Days again, and have created a google bundle to,follow each other.
You may want to consider making your own bundle. It is an easy way thread all the participants posts.
Good Luck! It is a fun challenge if you can find year round markets, or CSAs, and if you have canned and frozen items to fall back on.
Thanks Annie, but not sure what a "google bundle" is? With this small of a group I'll see what develops. Thanks for the info!
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