Art You Eat #3 - Go Local!

As I previously announced Amanda, aka Mrs. W, won the AYE#2 Round for her Egg Chick creation which is too adorable to resist. So, for round three Mrs. W has chosen the theme of Go Local!

What does this mean? Well, here is an introduction from Mrs. W followed by more babble and information about the event from me.

In honor of Earth Day this year, the theme for the third Art You Can Eat event is: Go Local.

We invite you to think of this month's theme as an opportunity to highlight the best of locally-grown, sustainable* produce. Let's discover a world of delicious food that can be made with fruit and vegetables grown nearby--even in your own backyard! That means your main ingredient(s) should be in season and grown as locally as possible for your climate/region.

There's quite a bit of discussion these days about sustainable food sources--but what does that mean? Eating more locally-grown fruit and vegetables reduce the amount of food that needs to be imported from other areas. That means less fuel used to get your food from the farm to your door. And that's a good thing.
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Amanda
Mrs.W
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Mrs. W and I also discussed including any local products since we realize that some areas (including ours) are just beginning their growing season. So, the reason it has taken me a bit longer to post the theme this time is because I wanted to do some research and give you some good information to help everyone be able to participate in this event. So, here is my introduction and all the information and resources I've been collecting. If anyone has any websites or resources in their areas of the world, please let me know and I will post more resources here so that we can all have access to this information on where to find local products.

Tidbits & Guidelines:

1. For purposes of this event "local" is defined as any product that took around 7 or 8 hours or less to get from the source to where you are. Any "local" product may be highlighted and should be used in a manner than is attractive or artistic. Since most of us think that any food is lovely, don't feel like you have to get crazy with garnish or plating or whatever for this round, but you are encouraged to get creative and try to make something inspiring. The better we can all highlight the beauty and availability of local ingredients, the better off we will all be.

2. Although Earth Day is April 22nd, the event will run until closer to the end of the month and the final day for submissions will be April 28th.

3. Please send submissions with the following information to me by the 28th - as always your post should include a mention and link to the event:

Name
Location
Name of Creation
Name of Blog
URL for Blog
URL for Post (Permalink)
Photo (250x250 approx. size)

Email these items to me at artyoueat AT gmail DOT com

So, here is a listing of good resources and articles I've found so far that I hope will help everyone. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Great sites to find local products:

Local Harvest
Farmers Market
Eat Well Guide (includes great search widgets you can add to your site - see it in action on the sidebar of my blog at PheMOMenon)
National Resources Defense Council

Guidelines for finding local products and information:

Fruits & Veggies: More Matters
Recycling Centers

More inspiration:

Ideal Bite - A Sassier Shade of Green
Kaboose

UPDATE: Maggie over at Dog Hill Kitchen let me know that she has found and posted even more great resource links on her blog, so go check it out!