Coming to the end of our month on the 100-mile diet, we find ourselves facing a bountiful food future unmarred by food miles and unrestricted by local boundaries. But instead of rushing into the biggest chain supermarket and buying as many canned goods as we can (although we have been discussing sandwiches with a dreamy look on our faces), we are finding that the 100-mile habits are sticking fast. Having just experienced a whole month of eating the best fresh (and mostly organic) fruit and vegetables sourced from local farmers as well as homemade, preservative- and additive-free food and drink, there’s no need to leave it all behind after the 30-day finish line. We are proudly carrying on some habits that are easy to maintain. Here are some tips for people looking to eat locally: Continue reading ‘100-mile diet overview’
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100-mile diet overview
As a kid, one of my favourite things to do was to go to Kenilworth Park and spin ‘round and ‘round and ‘round on the giant tyre swing until I felt dizzy. One park visit was also coupled with a tour of the relatively new Kenilworth Cheese factory, which sat on the opposite side of the road. Donning hairnets, clear goggles and paper booties, we were guided around the small factory as the cheese-making process was explained. Today, the Kenilworth Cheese factory is still going strong and has expanded into Kenilworth Country Foods. As one of Queensland largest privately owned and operated cheese factories, it uses milk from surrounding farms to produce over twenty varieties of cheese. Of these varieties, Cooloola Cheddar has always been a family favourite – a mild flavoured, smooth cheese that is matured for six weeks before packing and is perfect for adding to salads or using in homemade ravioli. And only an hour’s drive north of Brisbane, Kenilworth Cheese sits perfectly within our 100-mile diet radius. Try some yourself from the source (Kenilworth Cheese factory offers free cheese tasting seven days a week) or alternatively, you can find it many places in Brisbane including Zone Fresh Gourmet Markets. And if you do visit the factory, don’t forget to swing by the awesome adventure playground that still sits opposite.
Well at least part of it. Discovering new suppliers of locally produced food is an exciting part of the 100-mile diet. But what about taking it one-step further and grow the food for yourself. Imagine the excitement and satisfaction of doing this. And with food prices soaring because of rising fuel prices, it makes sense to have a few veges in the backyard that are available when you need them. David Balilla, an agriculturist in the Philippines who heads a model farm for urban communities, says no space is too small and no weather too harsh for planting vegetables in the city. David is in charge of Gulayan at Bulaklakan, a model farm that grows various vegetables using space-friendly techniques such as hanging sacks, tyres, plastic bottles and bamboo containers. He gives weekly seminars on urban farming in poor areas, showing the residents that many vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and celery can grow in any weather conditions. This project is inspiring as well as an excellent display of resourcefulness so often found in third-world nations. Continue reading ‘you can grow your own lunch’
100-mile wine
When we first took on the challenge of the 100-mile diet, a lot of people asked important questions such as, “what about bread?”, “what about chocolate?” and “what about alcohol?”, which gave us pause for thought. We’ve been steadily trying to research and re-create important staples such as bread (and are yet to find local chocolate) but we have tracked down some local alcohol – in fact there’s many local wineries (and even a local distillery) that create award-winning alcoholic beverages from local fruit. Queensland’s biggest vineyard is Clovely Estate, a family owned and run business based in the South Burnett Valley. Spread over 175 hectares of grapes, the vineyard produces a wide variety of fruit-driven wines, including chardonnay, semillon and shiraz. The best part is Continue reading ‘100-mile wine’
100-mile diet
You might remember map magazine’s story on the 100-Mile Cafe in Melbourne – an eatery that sources all of its products and produce from within a 100-mile radius of the cafe. Here’s the same idea taken to a different level. The 100-Mile Diet is a new book to hit shelves recently, which follows the journey of a couple who challenged themselves to only eat food that has been grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of their apartment in Vancouver, Canada. Starting without much research Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon were thrown into the deep end of trying to source local food. Local wheat farmers proved to be one of the hardest finds and the couple ate a lot of potatoes as a result. Struggling to adjust to the sudden change, at first their meals were boring and minimalist. As they learnt more and their knowledge of sources expanded they began to benefit from the freshest, local ingredients and experience new flavours. Continue reading ‘100-mile diet’
