I have started a food challenge. The challenge is to reduce the distance our food travels, a concept known as food miles.

How am I going to do this? I have already started by filling my freezer with meat from a local farmer. As much as possible we will be eating locally and ethically raised meat – eating out makes that hard to do, but we eat out rarely. I am also shopping at the local farmer’s market and only buying produce that is in season.

Adding beans into the diet serves multiple purposes – it reduces the amount of meat you eat, adds dietary fibre, and helps stretch your meat to feed more people (or provide leftovers), helping the budget as well.

Eating local, for me, has an inexorable logic:

1. You are keeping the money in your local economy.
2. You are helping local farmers keep themselves in business.
3. You are building relationships with your food suppliers so you can ask them awkward questions.

What food challenge will you embrace?