The river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it’s going to go and where you’ll wind up. Following the bend in the river and staying on your own path means that you are on the right track. Don’t let anyone deter you from that.
Eartha Kitt

My journey through the Paleo lifestyle has led me through many twists and turns that I was not anticipating.  Discovering the unknown is often the best part of the journey.  It’s not that I was unaware of the things that my current path is heading towards.  I just did not see the relevance to my life, at that time.

My Oldest Offspring (OO) called me up when I first expressed an interest in eating and purchasing local food.  She pointed out that she had told me I should do that years ago.  To be perfectly honest so did my Middle Offspring (MO).  MO is very involved with the Go Local Co-op in Santa Rosa, so he has certainly mentioned that I should eat local, sustainable food more than once.

As I transitioned into the Paleo Lifestyle, finding high quality foods became a priority.  This led me to the Farmer’s Market where I found a plethora of delicious, locally grown, sustainable fruits, vegetables and meats.  It costs a bit more to eat these foods, but the taste, freshness and quality can’t be beat.

The one issue I have with the Farmer’s Market is the hours of operation.  Our local market is open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.  I work on Wednesdays.  I belong to a hiking club that hikes every Saturday.  Hiking is my play.  It’s how I regroup and recharge my batteries so that I can go to work during the week.  I have conflicting priorities.

I skip the club hike every third Saturday for some basic maintenance (mani & pedi) and some volunteer work (apheresis at the local Blood Bank).  On those days, I have no problem getting to the Farmer’s Market.  Occasionally the start time for the hike will be late enough to allow me to make a quick run through the Farmer’s Market.  I have also been skipping the hikes that in my mind are less desirable.  However, it’s not all about the trail that we are hiking on.  My hiking club is a major source of community and social time for me.  These things are also important in a balanced life.

My current obsession interest in being a Locavore along with following a Paleo Lifestyle has resulted in my obsessing about conducting some research on the various options for obtaining local foods in my area.  Some of the groceries and markets do carry local items.  My preference is to eliminate the middle man whenever possible and go to the source.

I’ve been looking into other options for obtaining locally grown food directly from the producers.  These include going out to the farms and purchasing there, or purchasing CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares from meat and vegetable producers.

Going out to multiple farms is an enjoyable activity, but would get to be very time consuming and inconvenient to do week after week.  Most CSAs start in the spring and end in December.  I have discovered a farm that has both meat and vegetable CSAs available.  They offer the option of adding pastured eggs.  They offer a weekly pickup in the evening after work at a location that is less than a mile from my house.  The cost is similar, or even a bit less than what we have been spending at the Farmer’s Market.

TMOTH and I are going to take a trip out to the farm this weekend to check it out.  If we like what we see, we’ll sign up to get weekly boxes of meat and vegetables (assuming they offer year round.  I may have to wait untl spring).  This will necessitate that TMOTH and I increase our culinary creativity.  I think it will be fun.  Stay tuned.

Coming tomorrow:  My November Progress report

NOTE:  OO, you might want to skip tomorrow’s post.  I will be displaying more Mom flesh than you are comfortable viewing.