My blogs about food are about to be introduced to Matty's wonderful website about eating locally, http://www.localontario.ca.

In the few months that we've been out here, it has become increasingly apparent to me that getting our food from a few miles around where we live is quickly becoming a necessity again.

We're lucky that we can do that so easily here: the surrounding landscape is teeming with food (not only animals and fish, but also edible wild plants, like the delicious fiddleheads that come up in the Spring or the giant rhubarb patch in my back yard), we are surrounded by family farms, live only a few miles from the "animal exchange" centre, and have the facilities to raise and nurture our own food, whether it be animals, dairy, eggs, vegetables, nuts or fruit. What we can't get from our direct neighbor, we must venture to the supermarket for; but living in close contact with the people who dedicate their lives to making our food has recently made me hyper-aware of the importance to at least buy Canadian product. In certain cases, this is impossible (i.e. I don't think I'm about to stop drinking coffee or start my own plantation). Nonetheless, understanding where our food comes from and what's involved in making it and getting it to our tables may alter our eating habits.

Apparently, a basic meal averages a travel distance of 2400 km before being served on a plate in Canada. Think of all the pollution and emissions, as well as the oil costs related to that travel. Add to that the fact that the time for travel greatly reduces the freshness of the produce, thus reducing the taste and nutritional value of our food.

Just as important to me is the packaging issue. It drives me nuts to see all my food wrapped in plastic. Plastic that will just end up in garbage island one day (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch)... The worst is the supermarket meat, with its Styrofoam tray, plastic wrap and most repulsive absorbent pad that lines the tray. The meat I buy from my neighbor - or the meat you can buy at your farmer's market - is neatly wrapped in a brown wax paper, which will rapidly biodegrade in one way or another. Styrofoam egg trays? Foods wrapped in plastic, then plastic again and again? Would you like a plastic bag with that?

Perhaps what I love most about eating local foods is the lack of packaging and the ensuing reduction of garbage output. The animals and the compost consume all of our food-based garbage and we end up putting out one small blue box of cans and plastic for recycling and a small black garbage bag every two weeks, which we pay a $1 fee for. My goal is to one day be able not to put out that recycling box at all.

Trying to eat locally all year long might prove a bit more difficult, but it helps put you in tune with the seasons and their various tastes. You can always use different food preserving methods to enjoy the fruits of your labour throughout the cold winter months - which is what I intend to learn how to do over the next few years. They say it's not as difficult as it seems!