October is ‘Eat Local Month’ in Santa Barbara
When you browse the produce section of a typical grocery store, you'll find that much of the food we eat is not sourced from local farmers, but typically travels from all corners of the world. It takes a lot of energy to produce fertilizers and pesticides, package and process the food, and then transport and store it.
Eating locally grown food saves energy and is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Eat Local Month (October) -- which is co-sponsored by CEC, Edible SB, and the Farmers' Market -- challenges locals to only consume foods grown or produced within 100 miles of their home.
The easiest way to eat local is to shop at Farmers' Markets, and local grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Lazy Acres, Gelsons, the Isla Vista Food Co-op and others that provide well-marked locally grown items. For some families, eating locally can be supplemented by foods from their backyard garden. Follow the steps below for more information.
Enter our eat local giveaway
We want to make local eating easy, so we're giving away a gift basket with everything you need for a successful Eat Local Month. The basket includes:
A month of seafood from Community Seafood
A produce box from Plow to Porch
Farmers' Market tokens
Lunch at Goodland Kitchen
Beer tasting at Telegraph Brewery
Wine tour at Sustainable Vine Wine Tours
And an abundance of locally-sourced items
Tell us how you would use this basket to take on Eat Local Month. For example, tell us about your radius, who is participating, and how you're planning to be successful. We'll select the winner on Friday, September 21. Submit your response →
How to participate in 'Eat Local Month'
Step 1: Define your radius.
Each "eat local" challenge is customized to the challenger. An "eat local radius" can be defined as tightly as a 100 mile radius, or the tri-county region, or as broad as the state of California. Decide what radius will work best for you.
Step 2: Define your exceptions.
Participants in the Eat Local Challenge can also make exceptions for certain products like coffee, tea, and spices. These products can be more difficult to find locally. Some participants have made other exceptions like salt, pepper, and olive oil as well. They also have incorporated trading products with other local growers, non-commercial food producers, and other Eat Local participants. Some also make allowances for eating previously harvested food (i.e. frozen, dehydrated, pickled, or fermented).
Step 3: Eat local.
All participants can go about their lives as usual, making this adjustment to their eating habits, and paying attention to what parts of it are easy, and what parts are – well --- a challenge. Some may question the feasibility and practicality, but those who have gone through the challenge before say that doing it in place like Santa Barbara during an abundant time of year makes it easier.
Step 4: Stay connected.
Connect with other Santa Barbara locals on the Eat Local Challenge Facebook page to ask questions, share ideas, and arrange food swaps. Once you get started, share your progress on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (#EatLocalSB, @CECSB, @EdibleSB).